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was an interesting combination of unexpected dishes. Certainly it was a vast improvement over parties at The Willows. When one dined with Sir Alfred and Lady Grenville, one always dined on mutton. Monotonous as it might be, it was often the only source of entertainment.
    Juliana felt Aunt Sophia’s burst of gaiety was catching. The air of excitement was so strong in the small parlor she could almost touch it. Freddie, seated to her left, took great pains to entertain and, indeed, his stories, no doubt carefully edited, about life in London caused both Juliana and her aunt to smile.
    At just the right instant Dominic entered the conversation with a witty aside that enhanced the tale and brought them all to laughter. He spoke with ease and knowledge on any number of subjects, encompassing politics, the late French wars, literature, and humorous
on-dits
concerning the beau monde.
    Juliana studied him carefully, for although she tried not to admit it, he held an odd fascination for her. It was not only his arresting face and his athletic body, but his mind was a storehouse of delight that she was beginning to have an alarming eagerness to explore.
    As though he felt her regard, Dominic turned to her, smiling, and Juliana’s heart quickened. His fingers touched her hand. “Come, Juliana,” he murmured softly, drawing her to her feet. “I believe your wish is about to be granted.”
    Startled and a little frightened that he could have read her thoughts, she stared at him for an instant before following his gaze to the doorway where Mrs. Forbes stood with Robbie, who held an ancient violin.
    The night sky blazed with stars and the air was unseasonably warm for May. By moonlight Mrs. Forbes’s garden was a fairyland of shadows and scents.
    Sophia eschewed the heavy lavender-scented quilts Robbie spread upon the ground and sat on the stone bench beside Juliana. It seemed natural for Dominic to sit on the grass at Juliana’s feet, his thick golden hair so close she would have only to reach out her hand to run her fingers through the curls.
    Goodness, the lump on my head must have addled my brains, she told herself sternly. Folding her fingers tightly together, she looked up to where Robbie ran his bow tentatively over the strings of the violin. Soft notes filled the garden weaving a gentle serenity. She could hear Sophia sigh softly beside her, and Dominic leaned his head back against the edge of her bench. Suddenly the mood changed, great trills of notes enticed them to keep time to the lively music while Mrs. Forbes tapped her tambourine. Juliana could envision bare feet stamping and bright skirts twirling to the sparkling tune.
    Then suddenly Robbie was singing and the violin became sweet, haunting strings. The theme of the music was earthly passion. The songs sprang from every country and every age of Romany wanderings. Songs eerie with the yearnings of long-forgotten lovers, with lost tears and remembered laughter. Songs that spoke directly to the heart.
    She looked at Dominic. The moonlight defined his profile. Perhaps he felt her gaze, for he turned and rested his wide and solemn eyes upon her.
    Drugged with the beauty of the music, she did not look away when she should have, but instead let the sweetness of the moment fill her with a warmth that ran like fire through her blood.
    The last note faded into the darkness and Juliana, dragging her gaze from the marquis’s face, looked hazily around her. Tears stood in Aunt Sophia’s gray eyes. Freddie, looking very young, nibbled thoughtfully on a thumb while gazing at Robbie.
    Juliana caught Mrs. Forbes’s eyes from where she stood near her grandson’s shoulder and felt that for some minutes she had been watching her. Her browned and work-worn hand suddenly touched Robbie’s arm, and he lowered the violin to his side.
    They all sat silent, faintly dazed, until Mrs. Forbes spoke. “It is late. Robbie will see you to your rooms now.”
    They rose in silence, the magic of