Page 40 of Snapdragons
Each of the duos indicated the music room would suit.
“Let’s move, then, to Lord Aldric and Mr. Seymour.”
All the Gents usually spoke of and to Lord Aldric without his title, but Penelope suspected Mr. Layton used it in this instance because the duke’s son was being referenced alongside Liam, who was not on such informal terms with the extremely high-ranking gentleman.
Liam either didn’t notice the change or wasn’t bothered by it. He simply looked nervous as he followed Lord Aldric to the front of the group.
“The skill we will be displaying”—Lord Aldricspoke very directly and with very little indication of his feelings on the impending performance—“is the ability for Mr. Seymour to list the counties of Ireland and I to list the provinces of France in alphabetical order.”
“France first,” Mr. Fortier requested. “I am anxious to see if you manage it.”
Did Lord Aldric know France well enough to impress the French-born couple?
“Comme vous le souhaitez,” Lord Aldric said to the Fortiers. Then he began his list. “Alsace. Angoumois. Anjou. Artois. Aunis. Auvergne. Béarn. Berry. Bourbonnais.”
Penelope watched the Fortiers as Lord Aldric continued his list. They conferred now and then but always ended the whispered discussion with nods. No doubt they didn’t know the provinces in alphabetical order by rote memory and were debating if one had been missed.
She turned her gaze to Niles, who stood beside her chair. He looked at her in the same moment.
With a quick smile that seemed a little embarrassed, he whispered, “I couldn’t list all the French provinces, so I have no idea how he is doing.”
“Neither do I, but I think we ought to accuse him of missing one, just to see his reaction.”
Niles’s fleeting smile returned, this time lingering. She enjoyed knowing that she’d brought a smile to his face. He was not an unhappy person, nor were his smiles necessarily infrequent. But there was something about the way he smiled at her that she had come to treasure and long for. It was not necessarily a step forward in the courting she needed to do, but it felt like progressjust the same.
“Poitou. Provence. Roussillon. Saintonge. Touraine.” Lord Aldric offered no flourishing bow or words of acknowledgment as he finished his list. He simply stepped back and indicated that Liam should take his turn.
Penelope didn’t think Lord Aldric was an unhappy or impersonable gentleman. And she also didn’t think he was lacking in social graces. Yet his aloofness didn’t appear to trouble the Gents any more than Niles’s reticence. This was an interesting group, to be certain.
Liam took a step forward. Her heart went out to her brother. He was so overawed as he looked over the gathering. Liam wanted to lay claim to these circles, but the Seymours were comparatively unimportant.
Before Liam could begin, Lord Jonquil turned and looked at Penelope. “I’m afraid you’re the only one present who’ll be able to tell us if his list is correct.”
She knew all the counties, to be sure, but she’d never tried listing them alphabetically. “I’ll not be making a whipping post of my fellow Irishman in front of a bunch of English neddies.”
“Penelope.” Liam’s eyes pulled wider than she’d seen in ages as he all but gasped her name.
The rest of the room, however, burst into uproarious laughter at being called English donkeys.
“She’s put us in our place,” Lord Jonquil declared.
“Not all of us,” Mrs. Fortier retorted, a broad smile on her face. “How do you feel aboutFrenchdonkeys, Miss Seymour?”
“I’ve never met a French donkey...” She let the sentence dangle.
“That you didn’t like?” Mr. Layton supplied.
“No. I’ve simply never met a French donkey.”
And the laughter began again. Liam joined in but with more trepidation than mirth.
From directly beside her, Niles whispered, “Your brotherdoesn’t seem to know what to make of us.”
“I hardly know myself,” she answered, no louder than Niles had spoken.
“We can be a little daunting when taken as a whole.”
“I think he does feel a little daunted.” She turned to Niles. “I—”
