Page 67 of The Sisters of Sea View
She turned to another section and read:
“The language of birds is very ancient and elliptical; little is said, but much is meant and understood. Ravens exert a deep and solemnnote that makes the woods echo; the amorous sound of a crow is strange and ridiculous; rooks, in the breeding season, attempt to sing, but with no great success; the fern-owl, from the dusk till daybreak, serenades his mate with the clattering of castanets....”
Quite a concert, Viola mused, thinking Mr. Hornbeam might enjoy the passage. She glanced up and, finding her listener asleep, sighed and closed the book.
Next time, she resolved, she would bring something more interesting.
They had settled on Saturdays and Sundays as their nights off from serving dinner, giving Mrs. Besley a Sabbath rest of sorts, although she would still cook breakfast on Saturday and prepare a cold collation for Sunday.
Therefore, on that Saturday evening, their guests went elsewhere to dine.
Even so, after their informal family meal, Sarah made coffee and brought up a tray of honey biscuits and fruit tarts. As the guests returned to Sea View after dining out, they gathered in the drawing room over coffee, exchanging experiences and opinions of the quality of food they had eaten at hotel, inn, or public house.
After a time, Georgie asked, “Who wants to play a game? We have The New Game of the Monkey from Wallis’s, and I long to try it.”
Effie’s lip curled. “Sounds childish.”
“Not at all,” Emily said. “Mr. Wallis assured me it was appropriate for all ages.”
Effie shrugged. “Then I will play. At least it’s not Mother Goose.”
Georgiana cajoled, “It would besomuch more diverting with more players.” She looked around at the others.
“No, thank you,” Mrs. Elton replied with a glance at her husband,who had fallen asleep on the sofa beside her, empty teacup balanced precariously in his hand. “We do not enjoy games.”
“I wish I could,” Mr. Stanley said kindly, “but my sister is expecting me soon. She arrived today and is staying with a friend at the York Hotel. Otherwise I would happily spend the evening here.”
With a lingering glance at Emily, he bowed and took his leave.
What a dutiful brother, Sarah thought.
Emily watched him go then said, “I will play. Mr. Henshall, will you join us?”
He hesitated, looked at his stepdaughter, and said, “If Effie doesna mind.”
The girl shrugged once more. “Suit yourself.”
“Be grateful, Effie,” Georgie urged. “We need all the players we can get. Who else? Sarah?”
“One round. Then I must get back to next week’s menus.”
Mr. Hornbeam spoke up. “I will join you, if you need another player.”
Georgiana stared at him, blinking rapidly.
Effie frowned and opened her mouth to object, Sarah guessed, so she said quickly, “That is very kind, Mr. Hornbeam. I’m sure Georgiana could read out the numbers you spin and help you move the appropriate spaces.” She sent her sister a pointed look.
“Of course I can,” Georgiana dutifully replied. “Come and sit beside me.”
Moving to a table in the nearby parlour, Georgiana took the game board from its sleeve and unfolded it, smoothing it flat upon the surface.
“Choose a counter,” she instructed, gesturing to a pile of tokens she had gathered from around the house. “I’ll use the fish.” She picked up a small token made of mother-of-pearl and surveyed the others jumbled there. “Mr. Hornbeam, would you prefer a farthing, thruppence, thimble, or one of the buttons?”
“The farthing.”
“And here’s a teetotum.” On the table, Emily set the new octagonal spinning top with several dots on each side. Once spun, the teetotum would topple onto one of its sides, and the uppermost number indicated how many places the player was to advance.
The game board was printed with spaces spiraling in toward the center, numbered from one to sixty-three. The border and several of these spaces were illustrated with mischievous monkeys dressed as humans in fanciful poses: dancing, fishing, fencing, marching in oversized soldier’s boots, riding a hobbyhorse, stubbing one’s toe, et cetera. Other squares held pictures of various places or objects, like a prison, inn, and well.
