"Apollo!" I cried. "Excellent, excellent. I love this statue. Bring it into the drawing room so I shall have something interesting to look at when I receive boring callers, Davis."
He placed it on a pedestal near one of the windows, and I stood there admiring it. It was a perfect copy of the Praxiteles in the British Museum. The features were so exquisite that I could understand why Philip had searched until he found it and why I could locate no record of the purchase. Its being a reproduction, he most likely spent very little money to acquire it, certainly not enough to merit recording the transaction.
I had no time to give the subject further consideration; if I did not want to miss the beginning of Mr. Pratt's lecture, I needed to leave the house immediately.
Thrilled though I was at attending my first academic address, I am forced to admit that much of what our esteemed speaker said was beyond my comprehension. This did not frustrate me in the least; I had not expected that the experience would be much different. Familiarizing myself with Mr. Arnold's views on various translations of Homer had enabled me to adequately follow Mr. Pratt's lecture, even if I missed some of his finer points. Margaret ably filled in many of the gaps, and I found the entire experience most beneficial. If anything, it inspired me to delve deeper into Homer. Afterward Margaret, who looked a model of sophistication in a smartly tailored suit, introduced me to several members of the Department of Greek and Latin. Those who knew my husband all expressed surprise at seeing his wife attending a lecture, making me wonder what Philip's own thoughts on the matter would have been. I had scant opportunity to contemplate the subject, however, as Margaret was bent on a mission of her own.
"We need to find you a tutor so that you can learn Greek," she said, taking me by the arm and walking me across the hall. "I see several promising candidates." Within half an hour, my friend had bullied an unsuspecting postgraduate student into agreeing to instruct me.
"I'm surprised there were so many ladies at the lecture," I said as we left. "Although I need not tell you that none of my current acquaintances could be counted among them."
"University College is remarkably enlightened. They admitted women to degree courses more than a decade ago. You should consider enrolling."
"I don't know that a university education is what I want," I said. "I think I would rather work on my own than follow someone else's program."
"That's fine, too, I suppose. Just be careful not to lose focus."
"I don't think there's any danger of that happening." We stood outside the lecture hall watching the crowd dissipate. I couldn't help but take note of the fact that no one stood in the shadows watching me. The man with the scar seemed to have abandoned me in Paris.
3 JUNE 1887
BERKELEY SQUARE, LONDON
Called on Kallista today but had the misfortune to do so at the same time as Emma Callum. Instead of being able to forward my suit, I was trapped into escorting Miss Callum home. Such are the perils of the Season.
Have had very smug letter from Fournier-I am certain he is about to purchase something that he knows I would want, but have not been able to ascertain what it is. Cannot find any information from my usual sources. I did, however, get a lekythos-Athenian, mid-5th c.-and a pleasant, though small, statue of Mars. Both would be splendid additions to what I've already got at Ashton Hall. I think I may delay beginning a new gallery in town.
12
My dinner party could not be considered an unqualified success despite the flawless food and service provided by my faithful staff. The turbot in wine sauce, which my mother declared as fine as that she had enjoyed at Balmoral when dining with the queen, did not make up for the fact that at the last minute I had decided to invite Margaret, leaving me with an uneven number of guests. This vexed my mother; she could not tolerate a social function that fell short of her idea of perfection, no matter how good the food, and she kept referring to the problems resulting from what she viewed as my poor planning.
"If only I had known you were coming, Miss Seward, I would have insisted that my daughter invite another gentleman. How awkward this is! How are we to know to whom we should speak at dinner? Someone will always be left out."
"I think the practice of speaking only to one's dinner partner completely dated, Lady Bromley. I prefer conversation with whoever has something interesting to say." Clearly my mother and Margaret would not get on well.
Other than the turbot, the only thing my mother seemed to approve of was my dress. Feeling the loss of my husband keenly, I had decided to wear unrelenting black that night. The dress, cut beautifully in Mr. Worth's most elegant lines, showed off my figure to great advantage, a fact not lost on my mother. It seemed to her that at last I had found a way to properly mourn Philip while at the same time attempting to attract a new husband.
As for my other guests, if Arabella were to be rescued, it would take far more than a single evening. The number of silly, insensitive remarks she'd made by the time dessert was served had me wondering if she were beyond rehabilitation. Arthur Palmer did not appear to notice her shortcomings and showered her with his own brand of inept attention, which pleased my mother greatly.
"You must be so happy to be back from Paris," Arabella mused as the footmen began to remove the dessert dishes from the table. "I cannot imagine why anyone goes abroad."
"You are not a great traveler?" Arthur asked.
"Not at all. Horrid food, horrid people, and I despise sleeping in hotels."
"I think you would feel differently if you stayed at the Meurice in Paris. The food is delicious, and the kitchen is stocked with every English delicacy you could want," I said.
"Yes, but one still must deal with the French."
"It is perhaps difficult if one does not speak the language," Colin suggested.
"I assure you, Mr. Hargreaves, that I speak French flawlessly. But to deal with the Parisians is nearly impossible in any language."
"I think Lady Ashton will again refer you to the Meurice. The entire staff is fluent in both the language and customs of the English."
"Paris really is lovely, Arabella," Ivy said, her pretty face glowing as she glanced at Robert while she spoke. "I hope you shall have the opportunity to see it."
"Travel provides an incomparable opportunity to improve one's mind," Margaret said.
"But why should I go to Paris to find what I already have in London?"
"Unless, of course, you need to buy clothes," Mrs. Dunleigh said.
"Mr. Worth has a shop in London now, so there's no need even for that," her daughter said, stopping the footman from removing the plate piled with gooseberry tart and meringue cookies in front of her.
"I prefer Mr. Worth to see to my dresses personally, and he, of course, works in his Paris establishment," I replied.
"Really, Emily, I don't know why you are giving Arabella such a difficult time," my mother said.
"I'm sorry, Arabella." I sighed. "I just think there is much in the world you would enjoy if you would only give yourself the chance."
"Lady Ashton has broadened her mind remarkably in the past year," Colin said.
"Don't turn into one of these radical women, Lady Ashton," Lord Palmer admonished me. "The viscount would never have approved."
"How can we ever know that, Lord Palmer? I think a husband would be thrilled to have a wife with such a lively mind," Margaret said.
"I must say that I find Arabella's position charming," Arthur remarked. "I am pleased to find such respect in a woman for the empire."