beaming, jumped down from the vehicle and moved away as the solicitor stepped forward to assist the other members of the family. It took some minutes for Mr. Avery to pry the birdcage from Honoria’s fingers, but at last he convinced her that her birds were indeed going with her. He handed the cage to Emily as he helped the child step to the dusty street.
The birdcage proved heavier than Emily thought, and the parrots squawked and fluttered their wings before settling down. But to Emily’s surprise, the large green bird suddenly piped, “Here Kali? Awk! Here Kali?”
“Why, they can speak!” Emily smiled down at Honoria who watched as if the unknown lady meant to make off with the birds.
The little girl with a cherubic face and long, dark ringlets hanging from beneath a ruffled white cap moved a bit closer to her pets. She hooked her small fingers into the woven reed slats of the cage. “Janus talks to Kali. Juno never says a word.”
Emily knew that Calcutta had a temple dedicated to the goddess Kali. She smiled at young Honoria’s imaginative assumption that the bird had mystical powers. “One of your birds can speak to the Indian goddess?”
Honoria shook her head. “No, to our Kali.” The child pointed to the little black ball of fur which squirmed in Jamie’s arms as the boy stood some distance away watching the Indian servants unload their trunks. Emily at last understood—one of the parrots had learned to call the dog from hearing the phrase repeated by the children.
Within minutes all the occupants of the carriage, both human and animal, were out of the vehicle. Emily eyed the goat, wondering what they were going to do with such a creature until they boarded the ship. At that moment, Mr. Patel, the hotel owner, arrived with Delia.
It soon became clear to Emily that her inheritance of a fortune was true power. The Hindustani innkeeper stated that if the wealthy Miss Collins wanted to keep a goat, a dog and several birds in her rooms, he had no objections. He suggested, however, that both she and her companions’ sensibilities would be better suited — with that the man’s nose twitched—if the goat resided in the stable. Emily heartily agreed and allowed the animal to be led away by a hotel employee.
As Mr. Avery and Mr. Patel shepherded the children and the smaller animals into the hotel, Emily looked at Delia with a grin. “It seems that despite your best efforts, I have become the Eccentric Miss Collins after all.”
Delia smiled and twined her arm through her friend’s as they trailed behind. “ ’Tis this unknown Lord Hawksworth who will be saddled with this menagerie, not you, my dear. As long as you can refrain from trying to ride the goat with one of the birds on your head in Hyde Park, I think you can escape that fate.”
Emily laughed at the mental picture. Her entry into Society would be delayed until she’d fulfilled her duty to the Carson children by delivering them to Bath. For a moment her thoughts turned to the unknown uncle in England who was about to inherit an entire family, pets included. She could only hope that the gentleman and his wife liked children and animals, for by next spring he would have a surplus of both.
London—1814
A light dusting of snow had fallen the night before, giving the streets of Mayfair a pristine look except where it had been disturbed by early-morning traffic. The large, elegant town coach moved through the icy streets at a sedate pace until the vehicle came to a stop in front of Lord Hawksworth’s town house on Park Lane.
A footman in white wig and gold livery climbed down from his rear perch and ambled to the carriage door. It was uncertain if his slow pace was due to the cold or his advanced years, an element he held in common with the coachman. From the vehicle, two ladies of like age descended to the pavement, but the grey of their hair had nothing to do with wigs. Nora, Dowager Countess of Hawksworth, and her companion, Miss Luella
The birdcage proved heavier than Emily thought, and the parrots squawked and fluttered their wings before settling down. But to Emily’s surprise, the large green bird suddenly piped, “Here Kali? Awk! Here Kali?”
“Why, they can speak!” Emily smiled down at Honoria who watched as if the unknown lady meant to make off with the birds.
The little girl with a cherubic face and long, dark ringlets hanging from beneath a ruffled white cap moved a bit closer to her pets. She hooked her small fingers into the woven reed slats of the cage. “Janus talks to Kali. Juno never says a word.”
Emily knew that Calcutta had a temple dedicated to the goddess Kali. She smiled at young Honoria’s imaginative assumption that the bird had mystical powers. “One of your birds can speak to the Indian goddess?”
Honoria shook her head. “No, to our Kali.” The child pointed to the little black ball of fur which squirmed in Jamie’s arms as the boy stood some distance away watching the Indian servants unload their trunks. Emily at last understood—one of the parrots had learned to call the dog from hearing the phrase repeated by the children.
Within minutes all the occupants of the carriage, both human and animal, were out of the vehicle. Emily eyed the goat, wondering what they were going to do with such a creature until they boarded the ship. At that moment, Mr. Patel, the hotel owner, arrived with Delia.
It soon became clear to Emily that her inheritance of a fortune was true power. The Hindustani innkeeper stated that if the wealthy Miss Collins wanted to keep a goat, a dog and several birds in her rooms, he had no objections. He suggested, however, that both she and her companions’ sensibilities would be better suited — with that the man’s nose twitched—if the goat resided in the stable. Emily heartily agreed and allowed the animal to be led away by a hotel employee.
As Mr. Avery and Mr. Patel shepherded the children and the smaller animals into the hotel, Emily looked at Delia with a grin. “It seems that despite your best efforts, I have become the Eccentric Miss Collins after all.”
Delia smiled and twined her arm through her friend’s as they trailed behind. “ ’Tis this unknown Lord Hawksworth who will be saddled with this menagerie, not you, my dear. As long as you can refrain from trying to ride the goat with one of the birds on your head in Hyde Park, I think you can escape that fate.”
Emily laughed at the mental picture. Her entry into Society would be delayed until she’d fulfilled her duty to the Carson children by delivering them to Bath. For a moment her thoughts turned to the unknown uncle in England who was about to inherit an entire family, pets included. She could only hope that the gentleman and his wife liked children and animals, for by next spring he would have a surplus of both.
London—1814
A light dusting of snow had fallen the night before, giving the streets of Mayfair a pristine look except where it had been disturbed by early-morning traffic. The large, elegant town coach moved through the icy streets at a sedate pace until the vehicle came to a stop in front of Lord Hawksworth’s town house on Park Lane.
A footman in white wig and gold livery climbed down from his rear perch and ambled to the carriage door. It was uncertain if his slow pace was due to the cold or his advanced years, an element he held in common with the coachman. From the vehicle, two ladies of like age descended to the pavement, but the grey of their hair had nothing to do with wigs. Nora, Dowager Countess of Hawksworth, and her companion, Miss Luella
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