He looked extremely handsome in a coat of blue superfine that moulded to his powerful shoulders, a striped waistcoat, and a cravat that could only be described as artistry. It fell in beautifully arranged folds that must have taken either him or his valet endless trouble to arrange. “Miss Weston,” he said sweeping off his tall crowned beaver hat and making her an elegant leg. “How charming you look this morning.” Hester blushed and disclaimed, thinking that of the two of them he had the better claim. She was wearing a light blue gown under a pelisse of grey velvet, for it was cooler that morning, and her bonnet of matching velvet trimmed with silk roses—but only the bonnet was new. “You flatter me, sir, but it is very kind of you.” “Who would be anything but kind to you, Miss Weston?” Hester could think of several people who had been less than kind to her in the past, but she merely smiled and shook her head.
