as clearly as if she had spoken. I ignored this. I, at least, knew the true state of affairs, if Mama did not. That would suffice until such time as Lord Ashcombe became seriously attached to someone else; then she would know she had been mistaken in the direction of his affections. Meanwhile, I would enjoy his company and that of his sister in our outings, all with Mama’s approval. I felt a moment of guilt, wondering if I were taking selfish advantage of Mama’s stubborn hopes for me, but reflected that even if she did believe that Lord Ashcombe and I were only friends, she could hardly object to—indeed, she might even encourage—my making friends with respectable people of my own age. His lordship was right. I did like Samantha. As we quickly came to know each other, we turned “Miss Canning” and “Miss Ashcombe” into Georgia and Samantha. With Lord Ashcombe becoming very much like a brother to me, I came to call him Lucas as Samantha did. She was very like her brother in coloring: very wavy black hair, with clear translucent skin that became stained a light cherry about her cheeks when she became animated.
