Miranda sat at her desk, tucked into the corner of the drawing room and dipped her pen in the ink well. She was writing to the steward at Somers Park to see if the new roofs for the tenants’ cottages had been completed as scheduled. On the couch to her left, her mother worked on her embroidery. Both women wore morning dresses, but Miranda’s was lavishly trimmed with lace and green ribbon. Lady Somer’s gown was simpler but no less elegant, and she wore a frilly lace cap upon her head. "It worries me we have not yet received an invitation to the Regent"s ball,” she said.
Miranda sighed and set her pen down carefully to one side. She could not concentrate on her correspondence and listen to her mother at the same time. She had to do what she could to buoy her mother"s hopes even though she
