Chapter Twelve: Deception“So, we gave him a thirty second head start and let loose the dogs,” honked the Duchess of Montrone, seguing into a raucous guffaw. General Von Dollen chortled into his wine goblet, gazing with fascination at the rotting back teeth of Lady Clarice – Vinelle, heiress to half of Paravel. He marvelled at the brashness of her conversation and the coarseness of her manner and wondered exactly how rich she must be to get away with it. There was no question that she had been educated beyond any other member of the company, her table manners were exquisite and her grasp of political etiquette stunning. Her speech was engaging and her elocution flawless, it was merely the content that seemed oddly ribald in comparison.
Looking around the table he could see that a number of
