Free The Art of Love by Lilac Lacey Page B

one card party since then, and to the theatre only once, and even then I had to sit in the stalls.’ He shook himself with mock distaste and Tara laughed. ‘I can still find no club that will admit me.’
    Beside her Leo paused with his soup spoon half way to his mouth. ‘Why will no club admit you, sir?’ he asked, plainly puzzled.
    ‘It is the dues, monsieur,’ Philippe said. ‘Each club demands rather more than I am prepared to pay. Even the United Service Club will not have me.’
    ‘But Philippe, ma coeur , you’ve never been any kind of soldier!’ Tara exclaimed.
    Philippe turned his wide eyes upon her. ‘Such prejudice,’ he said sadly, ‘even from men who have travelled.’
    Tara burst out laughing, but Leo seemed less than impressed. Rather pointedly, she thought, he turned to the lady on his right. It was Antonia, Freddie’s pretty cousin and Tara felt a hot wave of jealousy run through her, the like of which she had never experienced before. It took all her conversation away and it was as much as she could do to continue to spoon up her soup in an ordinary fashion.
    ‘So we meet again,’ Leo said gently, smiling at the lady. He knew her! Was this the reason Freddie had invited Leo, to further his chances with his cousin? Surely not? If Freddie thought Antonia could do better than a displaced French aristocrat then he would hardly consider a painter an appropriate match for a member of his family.
    ‘I have been very busy,’ Antonia said ingenuously, smiling shyly up at him. Be timid , Tara found herself willing the girl, be too quiet and mouse-like to interest him . ‘I have visited the Dulwich Picture Gallery which presently is showing a fine collection of landscapes by Constable, and I went to the British Museum. I was particularly taken with the Elgin marbles although I am not usually drawn to sculpture. What do you think of them?’
    Tara suppressed and inward groan. She had seen the Elgin marbles of course, two years ago when they were brought over. Everybody had, and that was the only reason she had gone to look at them. The same was true of the Royal Academy’s summer exhibition, it was a place to see and be seen and she went every year. Otherwise she took no real interest in art, paintings were simply things to ornament the walls of people’s houses. It could be amusing to see from which ancestors her friends had acquired their looks, and painting were useful for covering up unexpected damp spots on the walls, but that was it as far as she was concerned. She could see immediately how conversation with Antonia would be far more rewarding for Leo than conversation with herself and she resolved to visit the Dulwich Gallery first thing in the morning. Then she too would be able to discuss the merits of Constable with Leo at her final sitting on Tuesday.
    By the time the main course of roasted fowl accompanied by potatoes and carrots in an odd sort of garnish, which suggested that Freddie’s cook had been given a free rein to experiment, arrived, Tara had sourly concluded that Leo and Antonia had far too much in common. As well as a love of art it appeared that they were both enthusiastic riders and that each liked to travel and explore new places. How much travelling could an eighteen year old girl just out of the schoolroom have done? Tara wondered cynically and suspected Antonia was making much of the locations of a variety of educational establishments which she had attended.
    This would never do, Philippe on her left seemed quite as entranced with Antonia as Leo was and was completely ignoring the eligible, spinsterish Miss Claire Maxwell. Obviously he could see that Antonia would be perfect for him and she could not permit Leo to ruin Philippe’s chances any longer. She decided it was time for her to take control of the conversation.
    ‘Philippe has travelled,’ she said pointedly to Antonia, ‘and in a most exciting way.’ She dropped her voice to add melodrama. ‘He had to flee