Chapter 6There was a Royal Princess at luncheon and half-a-dozen extra visitors, all distinguished either for their social attributes or because they were gay and witty enough to adorn any gathering.
Aria found, with a sense of relief, that she was not expected to contribute much to the conversation. The two young men on either side of her vied with each other in capping each other’s epigrams and inciting argument by making the most exaggerated and sometimes outrageous statements about their friends.
The tempo rose after the first course until, by the time they reached the cheese and coffee, everyone was talking vivaciously and Aria had little to do except listen.
She had had an exhausting morning. There not only had been an unusual amount of mail from overseas, but the Head Housemaid h
