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“I hope she didn’t have to use her own advice on your dad,” I mused.
Ben’s expression softened and he leaned back in his chair. His eyes took on a faraway expression as a ghost of a smile graced his lips. “Fortunately, no. My father was quite the gentleman. There was hardly a woman in the city who didn’t know his gallantry. Even our very own Lady Trent, known at that time as Miss Bettencourt, wooed him, or tried to. My mother, however, was too great a beauty and soul to ignore.”
My eyes widened a little. “I’m surprised she sent me an invite, then.”
He nodded. “I must admit I am, as well. There was no love lost between her and my mother. Perhaps she resolves to bury her ire under a fawning affection for you.”
My face drooped. “I really hope not.”
He chuckled. “It isn’t likely, but one can’t ignore the Castle family forever, especially not among our small circles.”
I draped my arm over the chair arm and leaned toward him. “How small are your circles? I mean, how rich and famous are the Castles?”
Ben shook his head. “We are merely one among many of the emperor’s subjects. Nothing more.”
I snorted. “That’s not what Bailey tried to tell me, or anybody else, for that matter. I’m sure Tully would brag about you if he could.”
Ben adjusted his position in his seat. “Yes, well, that is neither here nor there. What matters is that we have half a day ahead of us with which to play.”
“What do you suggest we do?” I wondered.
An only-slighted muted sensual look slipped into his dashing eyes. “We might sit down for a long chat together.”
My cheeks reddened. “I think that would end in a very intimate conversation.”
“Is there something wrong with that?”
“It’s a, um, a little chilly today,” I pointed out as I looked out the window. The sun from earlier had vanished and was replaced by a few thick gray clouds. “Do you happen to have a few of those books that the Lady’s Book Club reviews?”
He tried his hardest to hide his disappointment behind a small smile. “No. Their tastes and mine are quite different. However, I can satiate your appetite for Validen’s history. My library is filled with many such books.”
“You mean your study?” I guessed.
He chuckled. “No, I mean my library, which reminds me that I haven’t given you a complete tour of the house, have I?”
I blinked at him. “Apparently not, because I haven’t seen anything more than the shelves in your study.”
He plucked another olive and tossed it into his mouth. “Then let us sup and I shall show you the features of my ancestral home.”
CHAPTERFIVE
“There really is onlythe library to show you,” Ben told me as we ventured down the long corridor that ran through the entire depth of the house. “And the lab. Outside of those two rooms, the rest are bedrooms and sitting rooms.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “What lab?”
A bemused smile slipped onto his lips. “Merely a relic from one of my more eccentric great-uncles. He was very much interested in turning everyday objects into gold, and sought to increase the family fortune through that method.”
“So what happened?”
“He nearly bankrupted us.”
I winced. “So much for riches. So what’s in the lab?”
Ben shrugged. “Vials and bottles filled with unknown substances.”
My face fell. “You guys don’t know what was in them?”
“Not a clue. My great-uncle was a genius when it came to formulas, but he was terrible at labeling his experiments.”
