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all manner of adventures. If she must go. She was inclined to think that adventures could be found in the countryside, if one just knew where to look for them. It was extraordinary how much easier things were in a book. She occasionally reflected that growing up was far more complicated than it should be. Why couldn’t life stay simple?
    She was about to go in search of breakfast when she saw a tall figure stride past the door. Vivaldi sat up with interest but he was too well trained to investigate without an invitation. Charlie felt inclined to investigate, however, for she recognized the rapidly moving man as her father’s guest. Apparently Lord Valentine was an early riser.
    Moving quietly, she stepped into the hallway in time to see his lordship fling open the front door. A gust of wind greeted him, hurling itself at him with malicious delight. It brought with it a small whirlwind of snow that immediately dusted his lordship from top to toe.
    ‘Damn!’ he snarled and closed the door once more, not without some effort as the wind was a little more fierce than it had been when Charlie had ventured out and it seemed to enjoy finding a path into the house. Turning, a pair of frowning dark eyes met her own and he stopped short.
    ‘Good morning,’ she greeted him cheerfully.
    He hesitated before giving a reluctant nod, as if admitting that it was, indeed morning although probably not nearly as good as he had been hoping for. ‘Good morning. I am sorry… I did not see you there.’
    She realized that he was referring to the cursing and suppressed a smile. Both James and Harry cursed far more than either of them should, usually when they were out of earshot of their younger siblings and their parents while Bardwell delighted in dropping the most dire clankers, just to get a reaction. But she inclined her head anyway, accepting his tacit apology.
    ‘I am afraid the weather has grown worse, not better.’
    ‘The weather is -’ he paused, collecting himself. He looked a little harried this morning, as if he had not slept well. ‘The weather is impossible. It seems that we will have to trespass upon your hospitality for a little time longer, Miss Weathering.’
    Charlie nodded gravely although she was by no means displeased that this was the case. Just as he was eager to leave, she was eager for him to stay. Christmas was a lovely time of year for the Weatherings, with food and games aplenty. It would be rather amusing to see how Lord Valentine and his disdainful cousin managed to navigate the madness. And it would give her the opportunity to discover more about her mysterious stranger. Charlie knew it was wrong to take pleasure from others misfortune but his lordship was so dark and brooding, so very like one of the heroes out of a Mrs. Radcliff novel that she was in no hurry to see him go. Such exotic specimens had not come her way before. They were to be sampled in full measure.
    ‘Are you hungry? I believe that breakfast has been served in the dining room.’
    ‘Excellent.’ It seemed to Charlie that he was making an effort to shake his bad mood off. As she had expected, the dining room was empty of all but food; the usual hot fare of kidneys, sausages, mushrooms, bacon and eggs had been laid on the buffet in warming dishes and there was coffee. She headed for the pot immediately. Her mother had spent several years in France and had developed a taste for coffee, which she had happily passed on to her family. That, along with hot chocolate, was much appreciated by all of the Weatherings.
    Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that his lordship was surveying the empty room in surprise. ‘There is nobody here.’
    ‘No. They’re all still in bed. May I pour you coffee?’
    ‘Thank-you. So you are the only early riser?’
    ‘Indeed. Unfortunate but it seems to be a habit I cannot break.’
    He looked at her in surprise. ‘But why would you want to?’
    ‘Well it is so very quiet , you see. Not that I do not enjoy