“And you think you are capable of judging me?” the Duke asked sarcastically.
“I can only compare you with the other people I have met, the teachers who came to the Convent specially and told me they were the best in Paris. And of course we were instructed by some of the most important Priests in France. Even the Cardinal called on us once or twice a year.”
“So you felt you could appraise their talents and intelligence when you were gaining their commendation,” the Duke remarked cynically.
He knew as he spoke that he had upset her and, as she looked away from him across the garden, he said quickly,
“Believe me, Anoushka, I am pleased and honoured that you should admire my intellect. It is something I want you to do.”
“It was – presumptuous of me to comment – or to compare you with othe
