Amelia considered this. “There are many books I am not permitted to read.” The governess earned a quick glance, one that made Patience determined to see that her husband’s sister had access to all the books she might desire. “We have been reading theLais of Marie de Franceand I am fond ofBisclavret.”
“The werewolf,” Patience said and Amelia smiled.
“I like him,” she said with enthusiasm, then cast another glance at the apparently oblivious governess. “Although there are those who insist that a man so cursed as to become an animal should not be granted a happy ending.”
“He was more honorable than his own wife, who was not so cursed.”
“Indeed,” Amelia said with heat, evidently glad to have found common ground. “Now you.”
Patience considered the possibilities. “It is difficult to choose a favorite from all the volumes I have enjoyed, but there is one novel I would recommend to you most heartily.” She led her companion to the appropriate shelf and removed one volume, placing it in the girl’s hand.
“Pride & Prejudice,” Amelia read, her gaze rising to Patience’s own.
“A novel, published several years ago by T. Egerton, a publisher my father much admires for his editorial taste. The author’s name is not known, but it is a fine novel, perhaps one of the finest of recent publication.”
“I may have heard of it.”
“It is a love story, the tale of a couple who seem utterly different from each other when they first meet but who find an abiding love together.”
Amelia studied her. “And you are fond of such stories?”
“To be sure, my younger sister is more inclined to read romantic novels than I. She recommended this one and I liked it very well.”
“Why? Because you believe in marrying for love?”
The governess drew near, disapproval in her eyes.
Patience had to be honest. “No. Because it is written well and it is clever. There is nothing salacious or immoral about it. The author is observant and has an ability to provide details about her characters that make them seem entirely real. I also like that the characters had to learn more of each other to truly fall in love.” She paused, considering her own situation, then continued. “In addition, the heroine had four sisters, and none of them had much chance of wedding very well. They were comfortable and respectable, but not rich by any means, for the estate had been entailed away from her father. I could understand their circumstance well.”
“Entailed away because he had five daughters but not a son,” Amelia said.
“Exactly.”
Amelia turned the first volume in her hands. “I wish often that I had a sister.”
Patience smiled. “And so says the younger sister of the hero in this book. When the couple agree to wed, she then has a sister in the bride.”
Amelia smiled just a little as her gaze lifted to Patience’s own. “Then you will be my sister?”
“And you will be mine, and that is the most important detail between us. We need not be the same or agree on all matters.”
“Save that Arthur is lovely,” his loyal sister interjected and Patience laughed.
“He can be very charming, to be sure.”
Amelia studied her. “You do believe in love, don’t you, Patience?”
“While I can appreciate that love has its merit, I believe marriages should be based upon good sense rather than a fleeting attraction. Love that takes time to flower must be more vigorous than an immediate infatuation.”
Visibly reassured, the younger girl gripped the book. “May I borrow this volume?”
“Of course. I hope you enjoy it.”
“I shall read it first,” the governess said crisply, liberating the book from the hand of her charge. “Then I too shall have your measure, Miss Carruthers.”
Amelia and Patience exchanged a glance of complete understanding as the governess turned crisply away.
“I have all three volumes myself,” Patience whispered. “You may borrow them from me if you keep them safe.”
