Mr. Trevor's fears seemed, after the passage of a week, to have been groundless. No catastrophic incident occurred as a result of the old barn being converted into a laboratory; indeed, Felix's spending the part of each day not occupied in his studies at this removed location gave peace to the entire household and allowed the wedding plans to go forward at a pace much faster than Frederica had predicted. She had her qualms, naturally, as to whether spending so much time in a ramshackle barn was conducive to an improvement in Felix's fragile health, but upon seeing his rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes at tea-time each day, she managed to convince herself that scientific occupation was just the thing he evidently needed. She did not like the idea of his being so very much alone, but Jessamy assured her that Miss Cassandra was very often present and so Frederica need not fear that if Felix got into a scrape there would be nobody about to run and alert the household.
"She's not," said Jessamy thoughtfully, "a particularly prudent sort of a girl, but I think she's sensible enough to keep Felix from doing anything idiotic."
"But does Felix tolerate her?" asked Frederica, slightly incredulous. "You know how he hates to have people about who don't understand his experiments!"
"Oh, that's the best of it!" Jessamy laughed. "She is so very interested in his work, and so quick to grasp things – I don't understand three word in four of what he says when he gets to talking about such things – that he quite enjoys having her about! He is graciously allowing her to be his 'assistant.'"
"Well, I suppose it shall do, though I can't think what Mrs. Leighton must think of it all."
"She's not enthusiastic about it, but Mr. Trevor – old Mr. Trevor, you know – told her that she should be grateful that Cassandra had found a way of keeping out of trouble, and so she goes along with it," said Jessamy, who had often been riding out to the parsonage in company with Mr. Septimus Trevor, who had recently begun his work as tutor to the boys. To Frederica's great happiness, Jessamy had already made a friend not only of his tutor, but also of the parson, who was the most sensible of clergyman. Frederica felt that the parson's company must do Jessamy a great deal of good in giving him an example of the cleric life lived out with moderation, good sense, and true devotion. Lord Alverstoke was of a similar opinion, telling his betrothed later that afternoon that he hoped the Reverend Laurence Trevor might manage to chisel away at Jessamy's more severely Puritanical inclinations.
"In any case," said Frederica, eyes fixed on one of many lists that had accumulated on the writing-desk appointed for her use, "with both boys so occupied, with Mrs. Buford to keep Charis company, and with Chloe to help me, I am making great progress. Why, we have sent out all the invitations already!"
"I do admit that Chloe seems to be quite useful," said the marquis. "Where has she got to?"
"Oh, I sent her to help Charles draw up the seating arrangements for the wedding breakfast," said Frederica demurely, without looking up.
"I don't suppose it occurred to you," said Alverstoke with a sigh, "that Charles would probably make a much better job of it without her?"
His lordship was right to a point. Charles Trevor would certainly have made a quicker job of the seating arrangements had he been alone, for Miss Dauntry's presence was something of a distraction. However, he was not a man to lose his composure, and the necessity of putting Chloe at her ease in a situation which was far more awkward for a shy seventeen year-old than a grown man kept his mind on the task at hand. He went about his business calmly, requesting the girl's advice as if he had full confidence in her judgment, and soon Chloe found herself entering into the seating arrangements with energy and thoughtfullness. As they pondered whether to partner Jane Buxted with Mr. Darcy Moreton or with her cousin Gregory Sandridge, Chloe leaned closer to the chart, biting her lower lip in concentration, and a brown curl tumbled from the neat knot at the back of her head. Mr. Trevor, happening to look up, had enough self-control only to stare a few seconds at this charming picture before returning his eyes to the chart and asking Chloe what she thought.
"It is difficult to know, sir," she said. "I am sure my cousin Jane is a very nice girl, but I do not believe that Mr. Moreton or my cousin Gregory would particularly wish to sit beside her."
"Yet one of them must, and the other must partner Mrs. Buford, or we must start all over again."
"It is made doubly difficult," she said, her brow puckering as she made a sage discovery, "by knowing that almost every man in the room would prefer to sit with my cousin Charis."
Charles laughed. "You make an excellent point, Miss Dauntry," he said, "and I think it fortunate that her engagement to your brother has spared me the necessity of choosing her partner. I should quake to think how many men would wish to accuse me of ruining their chances."
"I have it!" Chloe announced, her brow clearing. "Put Mrs. Buford with Mr. Moreton, for I think they should get along well, and I shall sit with my cousin Gregory, and Jane may sit with Mr. Harry Merriville in my place. Then Jane need not sit next to her cousin."
"But you will have to sit next to your cousin," Charles pointed out, thinking that Chloe would naturally prefer the handsome Harry to her own cousin.
"It's of no matter," said Chloe with a shrug, "for I'd as lief sit by Gregory as by Mr. Merriville. One is much the same as the other."
"Are they?" asked Charles, slightly taken aback as her countenance underwent a look of worldy sagacity.
"Oh, you know. Young men just up from school who like to rattle on about horses and such," said Chloe, her brown eyes glancing up at him. "They're very nice, of course, but all very similar. And I never have anything to do but smile and nod, because of course I don't know anything about horses, except what Endymion has endeavored to explain to me, and that is not very much."
"And what should you prefer to converse about, Miss Dauntry?" asked Charles, amused.
"Books perhaps, or music, or even politics, I suppose. Interesting things."
"And unexceptionable topics, I should think. I hope for your sake that Mr. Sandridge is able to converse at least a little on one of these subjects," said the secretary, wishing once more that he could have arranged for himself to be Chloe's dinner partner without anyone suspecting an ulterior motive.
Later that afternoon, Jessamy found himself desirous of taking a rest from his studies, and thus set himself to walk out into the Park, Lufra at his side. Felix had already left his books an hour before, and, knowing of Frederica's concern, Jessamy decided to make for the barn, just to see that all was right. As he approached the door he heard a cracking noise, and as he entered, he was greeted by a burst of flame that nearly hit the ceiling before dissolving into harmless sparks. Miss Cassandra seemed quite pleased with this achievement, but Felix stood with a skeptical look on his face.
"What on earth are you about, Felix?" demanded Jessamy, looking about to ensure that none of the sparks had ignited the old bits of hay massed here and there on the floor. Lufra barked excitedly and made his way to Miss Leighton, to whom he had become very much attached in the past days. "You know that if you set this place on fire –"
"Oh, it won't set it on fire, it's not big enough," said Felix dismissively. "I'm not fool enough to ruin my own laboratory."
"I thought it was splendid," said Cassandra, as she rubbed Lufra's ears vigorously, much to that hound's delight, "much better than the last one."
"Yes, but it's still not right," said Felix. "I'll have to try different proportions."
"Will you tell me what you're trying to do?" asked Jessamy. "It looks completely unsafe."
"No, I won't, it's a surprise."
"And it will be a magnificent surprise," added Cassandra, seeing that Jessamy was unimpressed. "So you musn't press us, or you'll spoil all."
"I don't know," said Jessamy, wondering if he ought to inform Alverstoke of the experiments underfoot. "If you two should blow yourselves up…"
"I told you I won't," said Felix impatiently, scratching his head over several sheets of papers scribbled over with illegible notes.
"Really, Jessamy, we are being quite cautious, and you must wish to go back to your books," said Cassandra, attempting a diversion. "How is your Latin coming along?"
"How is my Latin coming along?" repeated Jessamy. "What do you know of Latin?"
"Not very much, except how to conjugate a few verbs," admitted Cassandra. "Uncle Septimus taught me one day when it was raining and I was so bored and had just spoiled the sampler I was stitching. In any case, I know conjugating is very difficult work, so I'm sure you'll want to get back to it."
She was pushing him toward the door as she spoke, Lufra trotting alongside them, and before he had mustered a protest he found himself and the dog both shut out of the barn. Lufra scampered off, his mind diverted from the sad loss of Miss Leighton's company by the scent of a rabbit. Jessamy set off in pursuit, and after a lively chase, both dog and master were back at the house. A tiresome girl, Jessamy thought, as he opened his Latin grammar.