CHAPTER FIVEHaving taken the Earl into the Chieftain’s Room to meet Lord Belgrave, Vara slipped away to her bedroom.
As she entered, she saw that the small case she had brought back with her from her home that afternoon had not been unpacked.
After luncheon, when the Earl and her father were drinking a glass of fine port, Vara had gone upstairs with her mother.
“I need two more evening gowns, Mama,” she said. “Have you a small case that I can put them in?”
“Of course I have, my darling,” Lady McDorn replied.
She paused and then added,
“It is a pity that the Earl cannot see you in these pretty gowns.”
“On the contrary,” Vara smiled, “the ghosts of the previous Earls look down at me with satisfaction. The present Earl cannot see the dining room table, but it looks very glamorous with
