petty things as…
At that moment, Elaine spied her beau, and her eyes brightened. She had been counting on seeing William in town and had made herself pretty for that reason. A green circlet held her hair out of her face, and she was wearing a green-and-brown checkered batiste dress, for which it was already almost a little too cold outside.
“Come and play something with me Mr. Martyn!” she called out in a high-pitched voice. “Or are you busy? I promise to keep Callie quiet while we play.”
Mary—or Laurie—took the hint right away, picking up the dog and disappearing with it into the kitchen. Meanwhile, Laurie—or Mary—pushed a second piano stool up next to Elaine’s.
William could play the piano a bit and had charmed Elaine not long ago by practicing a few easy pieces as a duet with her. But this time he put up a fight.
“Oh, not here in public! Maybe tonight. Your father invited me to dinner.”
“Really?” Elaine spun around on her stool with a grin. “How lovely! He nearly died of boredom last night with that awful cousin of mine. Such a bore, you wouldn’t believe it! Oh well, you’ll see soon enough. She’s quite pretty, of course, but otherwise… if I were in my grandmum’s place, I’d send her to London sooner rather than later.”
William had to fight back against his rising displeasure. “Quite pretty?” The girl he had seen the day before was a goddess! And what was Elaine talking about, sending her away? He couldn’t let that happen. He…
He called himself firmly back to order. What did this girl have to do with him? Kura Warden was absolutely nothing to him; he should not get involved. He forced himself to smile at Elaine. “It won’t be all that bad. By the way, you too look particularly pretty this morning.”
With that, he took his leave to look for Helen, while Elaine followed him with her eyes, disappointed. “You too look particularly pretty?” She had grown accustomed to receiving more finely polished compliments from him.
When Fleurette O’Keefe learned of Ruben’s invitation that afternoon, she was not enthusiastic. She had prepared only a small, informal dinner. Not even Helen had wanted to come out for it. With William as a guest, she would have to put more effort into her cooking and serving, on top of which, Fleurette did not exactly find him easy to please. She had not warmed up to the loquacious young Irishman.She never knew when William was speaking his mind and when he was merely humoring her or her husband. Besides, she still had not forgotten Lady Chesfield’s insinuations. An assassination attempt on the chief secretary for Ireland? If William had really been mixed up in that, he could be dangerous.
Additionally, the looks that every male in the vicinity without exception had directed at Kura thus far had not escaped her. She did not think it was a good idea to lead Elaine’s young suitor into temptation. But there was nothing to be done about it now. William had accepted, and Kura-maro-tini had shown remarkable liveliness when Fleurette told Gwyneira and her granddaughter about it.
“I should wear my red dress!” the girl declared. “And I have to clean myself up a bit. Could you send me up a girl to help me get ready, Aunt Fleur? I have difficulty lacing my own corset.”
Kura was accustomed to having servants. Though Gwyneira had always tried to manage with a minimum of housemaids and kitchen maids, the manor house of Kiward Station was too big to keep clean herself, and her domestic talents were not especially pronounced. So several Maori girls worked under the aegis of their “butler” Maui, in addition to her head maids Moana and Ani. When Kura was little, they had looked after the child, and Ani, a skillful little thing, had later become a sort of lady’s maid who kept Kura’s clothes in order and did her hair.
Fleur looked at her niece as though she were not altogether right in the head.
“You can put your own clothes on,
At that moment, Elaine spied her beau, and her eyes brightened. She had been counting on seeing William in town and had made herself pretty for that reason. A green circlet held her hair out of her face, and she was wearing a green-and-brown checkered batiste dress, for which it was already almost a little too cold outside.
“Come and play something with me Mr. Martyn!” she called out in a high-pitched voice. “Or are you busy? I promise to keep Callie quiet while we play.”
Mary—or Laurie—took the hint right away, picking up the dog and disappearing with it into the kitchen. Meanwhile, Laurie—or Mary—pushed a second piano stool up next to Elaine’s.
William could play the piano a bit and had charmed Elaine not long ago by practicing a few easy pieces as a duet with her. But this time he put up a fight.
“Oh, not here in public! Maybe tonight. Your father invited me to dinner.”
“Really?” Elaine spun around on her stool with a grin. “How lovely! He nearly died of boredom last night with that awful cousin of mine. Such a bore, you wouldn’t believe it! Oh well, you’ll see soon enough. She’s quite pretty, of course, but otherwise… if I were in my grandmum’s place, I’d send her to London sooner rather than later.”
William had to fight back against his rising displeasure. “Quite pretty?” The girl he had seen the day before was a goddess! And what was Elaine talking about, sending her away? He couldn’t let that happen. He…
He called himself firmly back to order. What did this girl have to do with him? Kura Warden was absolutely nothing to him; he should not get involved. He forced himself to smile at Elaine. “It won’t be all that bad. By the way, you too look particularly pretty this morning.”
With that, he took his leave to look for Helen, while Elaine followed him with her eyes, disappointed. “You too look particularly pretty?” She had grown accustomed to receiving more finely polished compliments from him.
When Fleurette O’Keefe learned of Ruben’s invitation that afternoon, she was not enthusiastic. She had prepared only a small, informal dinner. Not even Helen had wanted to come out for it. With William as a guest, she would have to put more effort into her cooking and serving, on top of which, Fleurette did not exactly find him easy to please. She had not warmed up to the loquacious young Irishman.She never knew when William was speaking his mind and when he was merely humoring her or her husband. Besides, she still had not forgotten Lady Chesfield’s insinuations. An assassination attempt on the chief secretary for Ireland? If William had really been mixed up in that, he could be dangerous.
Additionally, the looks that every male in the vicinity without exception had directed at Kura thus far had not escaped her. She did not think it was a good idea to lead Elaine’s young suitor into temptation. But there was nothing to be done about it now. William had accepted, and Kura-maro-tini had shown remarkable liveliness when Fleurette told Gwyneira and her granddaughter about it.
“I should wear my red dress!” the girl declared. “And I have to clean myself up a bit. Could you send me up a girl to help me get ready, Aunt Fleur? I have difficulty lacing my own corset.”
Kura was accustomed to having servants. Though Gwyneira had always tried to manage with a minimum of housemaids and kitchen maids, the manor house of Kiward Station was too big to keep clean herself, and her domestic talents were not especially pronounced. So several Maori girls worked under the aegis of their “butler” Maui, in addition to her head maids Moana and Ani. When Kura was little, they had looked after the child, and Ani, a skillful little thing, had later become a sort of lady’s maid who kept Kura’s clothes in order and did her hair.
Fleur looked at her niece as though she were not altogether right in the head.
“You can put your own clothes on,
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