00:30I will have my birthday in London, Daphne says. I will invite you. If the Duke wants to come, he
00:36can too, even if he never did talk to me once while I was at his castle. Please write to
00:42me. Be sure to put the guinea under the seal. Your sister, Artemis.
00:51You seem in good spirits this afternoon.
00:54I've been reading a letter from my youngest sister, Mr. Windover.
00:58We are practically brother and sister. We needn't be on such formal towns.
01:04Do you miss your family, Harry? Being here as long as you have been?
01:09I consider Adam my brother. Being here is being with family.
01:16How is it that the two of you are so close? He is so hostile toward you.
01:23Adam is hostile toward everyone. It is just the way he is.
01:28Does he never show any tenderness of feeling?
01:34Not in the two decades I've known him.
01:37Then you forged a friendship with someone who was already adversarial.
01:43Adam saved my skin.
01:46I was something of a runt.
01:48And the other boys at Harrow found that grounds for torturing me.
01:53Adam put a stop to that.
01:55They took orders from him?
01:57They were afraid of him.
01:59They still are.
02:01Everyone is.
02:04But he would have only been seven or eight years old.
02:07Seven.
02:08He was a force to be reckoned with.
02:11By the time he was a shell, he ran, Harrow.
02:15Shell?
02:15The youngest, yeah.
02:17Some of the boys now, grown gentlemen of course, still whimper when they see him.
02:21To be so utterly terrifying when he was only a child.
02:26It wasn't that, exactly.
02:29He was...
02:31Still is remarkably intelligent.
02:35And he is authoritative.
02:36Kind of man few people question.
02:39Even at seven he was very much that way.
02:42And he is utterly unafraid.
02:46There is nothing that frightens him.
02:49Nothing that intimidates him.
02:58Why won't he ever look at me?
03:02What do you mean?
03:05Never mind.
03:10He never looks at you.
03:14Huh.
03:16That is out of character for him.
03:19Adam usually faces problems directly.
03:22I'm a problem, then.
03:23A poor choice of words of my part.
03:27A great deal has changed lately.
03:29Adam does tend to get more...
03:32I don't know.
03:36Quickly.
03:37When he has a lot in his mind.
03:39So you're saying I shouldn't give up yet?
03:42If I had given up on Adam for being grumpy, we wouldn't be friends.
03:47How long did it take for him to stop being prickly with you?
03:51He still is.
03:54Adam would never admit it.
03:56But he knows I refuse to be bullied.
03:59And I think he respects that.
04:01He keeps trying.
04:02But I think he hopes it'll never work.
04:05So he doesn't like people who are intimidated by him?
04:09He doesn't respect them.
04:11That is a little different.
04:13It is a great deal different to Adam.
04:15Adam likes his mother.
04:17But he doesn't respect her.
04:19Mother Harriet, I've called her that since I was a boy,
04:23has made something of a hobby out of pitying Adam.
04:27And he doesn't like that?
04:28Frustrates them.
04:36If Adam does not like people to be afraid of him,
04:39why does he go to such lengths to make certain they are?
04:45I have my theories.
04:47But Adam's motivations are not a topic I am willing to discuss.
04:51I am attempting to find my place here
04:54and claim a degree of equanimity with my new husband.
05:00I need help
05:01if I am to have any hope of understanding Adam.
05:05Most people do not even try.
05:07But he is worth sorting out Persephone.
05:10I promise you.
05:13He is.
05:20He really never looks at you.
05:26Something about you has ruffled him.
05:31Nothing ruffles Adam.
05:48And he's.
05:55Oh no.
05:56Oh no.
05:57Oh no.
05:58Oh no.
06:04Just so your grace, he's a bit skittish this morning, it's been so cold and all.
06:08Haven't you a horse that isn't skittish about cold?
06:10What? Atlas behaves in the cold?
06:13Who named the horse Atlas?
06:15His grace did.
06:17And his grace does not think it a ridiculous name?
06:20It being Greek and mythological.
06:23He named his own Mount Zeus.
06:25That'd be one of them heathen gods and all.
06:28Such names are not ridiculous for horses.
06:33Then I had best touch the forest for a sorceress, to transform me into a horse,
06:37lest I spend the rest of my life doomed to a constant state of ridiculousness.
06:42You would make an atrocious horse, Persephone.
06:44On that we can agree.
06:53What brings you out, the silly?
06:56I was hoping to attempt to ride again.
06:58How long have you been out of the saddle?
07:00Ten years.
07:04Ten years?
07:05And you're going to attempt to ride alibi?
07:07I know you, Grace.
07:08The Duchess was just asking if you were alien or upset.
07:12I was thinking Atlas would be good for her, Grace.
07:16It's a good choice.
07:20Are you really going to try riding again?
07:22To be perfectly honest, I'm not certain one could accurately call my previous experience riding.
07:28Our neighbours, the Uptons, allowed me to ride a pony of theirs on occasion as a child.
07:32If memory serves, it was aged and did little more than shift its weight.
07:40She's calm and steady, Grace.
07:42She'll not hurt you.
07:44May I feed her a carrot?
07:46The Uptons pony was swanned of carrots.
07:48Well, perhaps the poor thing waddles so much because he was overfed.
08:01If she and Atlas part company see to it that Joan has her brought up to the castle.
08:06Don't you want to even see her try?
08:07I've seen enough people quit in my lifetime without witnessing the same thing again.
08:11I think she'll surprise you.
08:21Hey, there's another room.
08:24I've never?
08:25Yeah.
08:26I think she'll be right back.
08:35I think she'll be right back.
09:09You've had quite a few riding lessons now.
09:11Are you feeling more confident in some?
09:13Quite a bit more.
09:15Tomorrow I intend to attempt to jump the castle wall.
09:18Atlas doesn't know yet.
09:19No.
09:22Just my luck, I'll miss that.
09:24Miss it?
09:25I am for Hoyk in the morning.
09:28It is certain you couldn't leave tonight.
09:32Do you go to Scotland often?
09:34I have an aunt and uncle in Hoyk.
09:36They're always asking me to come for a visit.
09:38And I'm always asking you to leave.
09:39How is it that their requests are adhered to and mine are ignored?
09:44Because I know you do not actually want me to go.
09:54I've never been to Scotland.
09:55You live a stone's throw from it now.
09:58Perhaps you and Adam could gad about Hadrian's Wall sometime.
10:00I do not gad about.
10:02I have not ever been to Shropshire, though I hear it is beautiful.
10:07I admit to being very biased on the matter, but I think it is the most beautiful area of England.
10:13All my family does.
10:15Athena waxes poetic about it quite often.
10:17Evander's letters regularly mention Missing Shropshire.
10:22Have you heard from either of your young and heavy brothers recently?
10:26The last letter I had from Evander indicated the triumphant the ship they are serving on was not far from
10:31Spain.
10:35Great deal of activity in that part of the world just now.
10:41I worry over the boys almost constantly.
10:45And I worry about my sisters and my father.
10:50About quite a few people, truth be told.
10:55Well, rest assured, Persephone, you needn't worry about me while I am away.
11:00My aunt and uncle will fuss over me more than sufficiently,
11:03leaving you ample energy for gadding about with Adam.
11:07I do not gad about.
11:18I do not gad about.
11:20I do not gad about.
11:21I do not gad about.
11:25I do not gad about.
11:30But home.
11:39I do not gad about.
38:13Il me l'a dit, j'ai regardé très vite, et il m'a dit, c'est ridiculeux.
38:19Il a dit que Saint-James'-Pelace est ridiculeux.
38:24C'est un mot préféré.
38:28Il est...
38:29...m'inquiéter.
38:32Tout en partie de ses charm, Persephone.
38:40C'est parti.
39:05C'est parti.
39:35C'est parti.
Commentaires