Chapter 21
Lady Lethbridge got her game of charades the evening after they returned from Dover with a party two greater in number, for Lady Marling had invited Sir Thomas and Lady Easton to join them. The next few evenings were quite a bit livelier, with the ladies at the pianoforte and some dancing. Nick didn’t find the change especially enjoyable, but his sisters did, most noticeably Violet.
Lucy, meanwhile, had been quiet since their return from Dover. Nick found that most unusual, because she should have been happily chattering about the sea and the cliffs and pirates and smugglers and all manner of unsuitable things. What’s more, the party was small enough that Lucy was allowed to dance, one of the few “ladylike” activities she enjoyed. When she declined several dances in a row, Cha
