Read Miss Fellingham's Rebellion for Free Online Page B

assured her it was quite all right. “I like showing off my humble ability. Nobody among my acquaintance is impressed by it.”
    “Nobody among my acquaintance is impressed by it either,” confessed Melissa with delight, the redness fading fast from her cheeks.
    The man laughed and turned to Catherine. “Please accept my apologies for interrupting your visit.”
    “Not at all,” she mumbled, and hearing the weak tone of her voice, she thought again of Perth’s disapproving scowl and resolved to do better. “You haven’t interrupted anything, and we are happy to share the marbles with other visitors.”
    “This is our first time,” Melissa blurted out, giddily. “My mother finds them indecent and has forbidden our attendance.”
    “I’m not surprised,” said the gentleman, looking pointedly at the sculptures of unclothed men. “I imagine many mamas do not want their innocent, young daughters to lay eyes on men so intimately exposed.”
    Thinking of her mother, Catherine realized that her ladyship would be appalled by the idea of Melissa holding a conversation with a complete stranger, even a well-dressed one who was obviously gentry. No doubt she would expect Catherine to put an end to it. Ordinarily, she would, but right now she didn’t feel like it. There was something about the man and his demeanor that made her feel oddly comfortable in his presence. In particular, she liked the way he listened to what Melissa had to say and how he took her ideas seriously with none of the patient condescension elders frequently showed toward children.
    “It’s not that,” Catherine said calmly.
    The gentleman looked at her, and she was momentarily thrown by his frank gaze. “No?”
    “It’s Lord Elgin’s nose, I’m afraid,” she said.
    “His nose?”
    “Mother thinks it’s indecent of him to have lost his nose to a severe ague,” she explained. Her face revealed not a hint of amusement but her eyes gleamed with humor.
    Catherine could tell that the gentleman was trying to hold back a smile—perhaps he wasn’t sure if she was teasing him—but he failed miserably. He broke out into a wide grin, exposing even, white teeth.
    “And I think it is horribly unfair to hold it against him,” stated Melissa, who had been deprived the pleasure of the Elgin Marbles for precisely that reason. “I’m sure he didn’t mean to lose his nose like that.”
    The gentleman laughed. “No,” he agreed. “I imagine losing his nose was a trifle inconvenient for him.”
    Catherine chuckled and her gold eyes twinkled. “But it is impossible to convince Mama of that. She is determined to believe that he lost his nose as a personal affront to her.”
    “Was she acquainted with him?” he asked.
    “No, of course not,” she said, smiling brightly, for the question was both reasonable and logical. “But what does that have to do with it, Mister—”
    “Julian, please.” He executed a leg. “I must insist upon informality among scholars.”
    “Julian, then,” she said—and then did something entirely out of character: She held out her hand for a proper handshake. She couldn’t quite say why she did it, other than she was at the British Museum on the day she stared down Lady Courtland’s butler after finding out her mother could be brought up on charges of treason. It all seemed of a piece—one absurdity piled on top of another—and she could do nothing but take it to its logical conclusion. “And I am Catherine. This is my sister Melissa. We are pleased to meet you.”
    Julian looked momentarily taken aback by her proffered hand, and Catherine’s smile faded as she realized the logical conclusion to any misadventure was her inevitable humiliation. But just as she was about to withdraw her hand with an awkwardly mumbled apology he took it and gave it a firm shake. At his touch, Catherine felt as giddy as Melissa.
    “Is this your first visit?” Melissa asked, after he shook her hand as well.
    “No, I’ve been