Page 83 of The Sisters of Sea View
Catching on, Sarah shook her head. “No. Nor turkey, never fear.”
He pulled a face. “Too bad. I quite adore turkeys. They’re delicious.”
When they reached the spot, the men helped Lowen, Puggy, and Jessie spread blankets and carry hampers.
Sarah herself positioned the chair on level ground near the blanket’s edge, and then she and Mr. Henshall helped Mamma from the cart to her seat.
Soon the platters, bowls, and jars were arranged in the middle of the blanket, and plates and cutlery passed around. Sarah had paid Puggy extra to stay and help, so they left the beverage bottles and jugs in the cart. From there, Puggy poured while Jessie and Lowen handed out glasses.
Within a matter of minutes, they were all seated with overflowing plates and glasses of cool drinks. They were a party of twelve in addition to the servants and driver. Seven guests and the five Summers ladies.
Mrs. Elton sat primly with ankles crossed to one side, and Mamma remained in her chair. Otherwise the company was a happy jumble of cross-legged and sprawled men, and ladies sitting with legs tucked beneath their gowns, now and again rising to their knees to reach a dish or to pass something.
Lowen and Jessie bustled around refilling glasses, until Sarah insisted that they sit and have something to eat as well. Jessie hesitated, but Lowen would not miss such an opportunity. He first spread a lap rug for Jessie on the grass near the cart, and then he and Puggy sat on the rear gate, each with a chicken leg and glass of cider.
Sarah looked around at the contented company, gratification sweeping over her. What was it about eating out of doors? They could not have asked for a better day—a mellow sun overhead, graceful trees lending swaths of shade, and a soft breeze to keep the company cool and any insects at bay. Her heart and her stomach felt pleasantly full.
Sarah leaned near Emily and said, “You were right. This was an excellent idea.”
When everyone had eaten their fill, then eaten some more, Lowen and Jessie cleared away all but the desserts. Mr. and Mrs. Elton excused themselves, saying they would walk back alone. And Georgiana and Effie went to pick wildflowers to make flower crowns.
On the freed-up blankets, Sarah, Viola, and Emily clustered near Mamma’s chair, talking companionably but softly. Mr. Hornbeam and Mr. Stanley reclined to rest after the meal, eyes closed. Even Mr. Gwilt lay back to close his eyes. Parry kept his open.
Callum Henshall sat alone on the far side of the blankets, apparently lost in thought, plucking gently on his guitar. The musiccarried a sad, lilting melody, and he gazed off to the horizon, to a pair of silvery-grey terns flying away into the distance.
He glanced over and caught her watching him. Her neck warmed, but she raised her hand in a friendly wave. When he finished the piece, she rose and walked over to join him.
“What was that you were playing? It was lovely.”
“Composed by Niel Gow—a famous Scottish fiddler.”
“Sounded sad.”
He nodded. “A lament over the loss of his beloved wife.”
Sarah’s full stomach knotted. “Oh.”
He regarded her. After a thoughtful moment, he added, “His second wife.”
Then he gestured toward the edge of the blanket nearest him, and she sat down.
When she was settled, he explained, “His first wife gave him five children, but after she died, he met the great love of his life. By all accounts, his second marriage was both longer and happier. He composed this lament after her death. Gow wrote it for fiddle, so I no doubt fail to do it justice on this.”
She looked at him steadily. “I thought it quite beautiful.”
Their gazes held, and the pupils of his soft green eyes seemed to grow. She wondered what he saw in hers.
He lowered his head and cleared his throat. When he glanced at her again, a smile teased his lips. “Do ye play, Miss Summers?”
“No. Well, only the pianoforte—a little. We all learnt, though Viola is our only true proficient.”
“Is that who I hear playing now and then, behind the closed parlour door?”
“Yes. She is very self-conscious.”
“Does she not realize her talent?”
Sarah lifted one shoulder. “It’s only that she does not like anyone watching her.”
