“I already have set one aside,” Roxanne replied.
“We’ll see you outside,” Arthur added.
Charles was aware his brother had already seen some associates amongst the small crowd. Charles continued to the drawing room with his sister. Immediately he could see where his sister had recently had new wall silk hung. A few pieces of furniture had also been reupholstered to match.
“Lunch is a buffet. If you’d like, I can get you a plate, or if you prefer to wait in line, I believe you’ll need to go right to the bottom of the stairs.”
Roxanne led him on to the terrace and walked down the stairs with him. As they descended, Charles noted Lady Cathryn standing in line talking with two other women. Sisters? Aunts?
He nodded to her and her companions. “Lady Cathryn, lovely to see you.”
Glancing at her, he noted the dark-blue riding ensemble she was wearing. It was striking with the black piping.
“Milord. May I introduce my sisters, Lady Agnes and Lady Violet. They are serving as my chaperones since our parents are on the Continent along with my brother.”
“Nice to meet you. Are you riding the hunt?” he inquired.
“I am,” Lady Cathryn replied.
“I look forward to it.”
He turned and saw Roxanne had moved to the bottom of the stairs. She was watching him, a small smile on her lips. He continued until he was at the bottom and said nothing.
“Lady Cathryn is an accomplished rider, so expect her to be in the mix today.”
“I’m surprised her parents would allow it.”
“They’re trying to see her married.”
“I gathered as much last time I met her,” he replied.
He heard her sigh softly. “If you’d rather not wait, I can have one of the footmen bring us each a plate.”
“I don’t mind waiting. The queue is moving much quicker than I thought it would.”
“I need to see to my guests. The table is over there.” She pointed to an area with tables set up.
“Go visit with your guests. I’ll be fine.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you shortly,” she replied.
Charles grunted and moved ahead. Watching his sister walk away, he was suddenly curious about her. She was older so she might remember things he hadn’t, and she had the patience to sit and explain to him.
Finally, he made it to the food. Picking up a plate, he began making his selections. There was quite a bit to choose from. Nothing too fancy but some hearty selections. He chose sliced beef with roasted potatoes, a fruit mixture and cheese selection, and hearty bread.
When he arrived at the table, Arthur and Daphne were already enjoying their lunch and had obviously had their food brought to them. Another man he recognized as his brother-in-law, Graham, was leaning back in his chair with a piece of cheese in one hand.
“You didn’t go through the queue, did you?” Graham asked.
“Yes, I did. Roxanne stayed with me for a while. I saw no point in having someone else choose my meal. The queue moved fairly quickly.”
Graham waved at someone. “Speaking of Roxanne, I see my lovely wife is beckoning me.”
“Yes, go,” Arthur teased him.
Charles continued eating while that was going on. It was one of those situations he didn’t understand how to react or should he react. He picked up a piece of Stilton and bit into the creamy blue-veined cheese and listened to Daphne and Arthur banter among themselves.
“Whenever you’re finished, we can go find our horses and prepare for the hunt,” Arthur said.
