Julien’s friends all knew their way around Shadowcross, as did the servants they brought along, so there wasn’t a great need for him to formally play the host. Still, there was his cousin’s family, who didn’t visit often, as well as Dearborne, so he asked Cordelia to take over the duty of hostess. It also served to console her for having to be out of the London whirl for five days. As he knew she would, Cordelia threw herself into the role, arriving a day early to plan menus and oversee the preparation of the guestrooms.
The first three arrivals, Seaforth, Penelope, and Archer, were a simple matter for her. They practically settled themselves and were soon ensconced in the Shadowcross Library, while their servants unpacked and easily made their way down to quarters. Bertram and Augusta, a
