Page 62 of A Foolish Flirtation

Their eyes met and she turned hastily about, halting before a sixteenth-century Venetian rendition of Venus reclining naked on a red velvet sofa, while next to her a fully clothed musician played the harp for her entertainment.

Noticing her startled expression, Teddy said with faint disapproval, “There’s lots of Venuses here at Vance. Papa collects them.”

Jeremy cleared his throat. “There is an antechamber through there,” he said, indicating an archway which led through to a room currently used as an overspill area. “I thought we could dedicate it to a collection of novels.”

Emmeline’s face lit up. “Novels? Really?”

He nodded, glancing around his impressive library. “The books in here are worthy tomes and the result of many years of collecting. I’ve scarcely read any of them though, and I suspect the same was true of my father. He just liked buying rare books and showing them off.”

She nodded slowly. “Yes, when my father bought his London house, he purchased a good many books all tooled in red leather to display in his new library. I don’t think the pages were even cut. They were all sold with the house and doubtless sit in other gentlemen’s libraries now.”

The three of them moved into the antechamber and he could see she was impressed by the space available. “I don’t actually own that many novels,” she said apologetically. “We used to borrow them mostly from the lending library.”

“I ordered you some when I was in London,” he said offhandedly.

“Did you?” She flushed, this time he hoped with pleasure.

“I wanted to buy you a wedding gift you would appreciate.”

She looked a little awkward over this, then her expression brightened. “Are there any spare bookcases in the attic?” she asked.

He shrugged. “We can always commission some new ones made.”

“I bet there are!” Teddy enthused. “There’s all sorts of things in the attics. Shall we take a look up there after lunch?”

“No,” Jeremy answered firmly. “We still have lots of rooms to show your stepmama. Teddy loves prying and poking up there,” he said by way of explanation. “He would spend hours up there if we let him.”

They proceeded with the tour. He fancied Emmeline’s least favorite room was the formal drawing room, which admittedly was not the most welcoming room, decorated as it was in shades of white and gold. Seeing how she gaped at the recessed apse with its supporting Corinthian columns and full-size portrait of Queen Anne in her golden robes, Jeremy felt obliged to speak.

“In his defense, the first Lord Faris was hoping the queen would come and stay here at Vance for a state visit. Sadly, it never came off.”

“I see,” she responded, turning away from the portrait to gaze at the walls which were covered in good copies of various masterpieces.

“Queen Anne had an attack of gout at the last minute and couldn’t come,” Teddy explained as Emmeline halted before a copy of Titian’s Venus Rising from the Sea.

Jeremy coughed. “Come and look at this,” he said, gesturing to a huge foot wearing a sandal carved in gray stone. “The third viscount brought it back from his travels on the grand tour. He always maintained it was the only surviving part of the Colossus of Rhodes.”

“It must certainly have come from a very large statue,” Emmeline observed, joining him in front of the stone foot. “Was not the Colossus of Rhodes very famous?”

“It was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world,” Teddy cut in excitedly. “It stood over one hundred feet tall!”

“Goodness,” Emmeline murmured. “Fancy having part of an ancient wonder in your very own drawing room!”

“Yes,” Teddy agreed before his face clouded over. “Only some people say it cannot be the Colossus’s foot because according to some, it was made of brass not stone.”

“Bronze,” Jeremy corrected him.

“What nonsense! I feel sure there must be as many accounts saying it was made of stone as there are saying it was made of bronze,” Emmeline said stoutly. “That is always the way, I find, when it comes to antiquities. You read one article and it firmly asserts one thing, then another refutes this and offers an entirely different theory. Accounts differ wildly. Who dared slander the Vance family honor in such a fashion?”

“The vicar, for one,” Jeremy said mildly.

“And Lord Atherton for another,” Teddy added indignantly. “He said my great-great-grandfather was probably conned.”

“I don’t believe that for one minute,” Emmeline said, pursing her lips. “I am sure that is a monstrous slander and so I shall tell Lord Atherton next time I see him.” Teddy looked gratified. “Probably the Colossus had some bronze embellishment or else held a torch made of bronze aloft or some such thing. I feel sure I have seen an image of him somewhere holding a torch.”

“Stood astride the harbor?” Teddy asked excitedly. “We have a book in the library that shows a picture like that. Shall I go and fetch it now?”

“Not right now,” Jeremy said firmly. “I think it must be time for lunch. Shall we head for the blue salon? I told them we would take it in there today.”