aunt and Mrs. Famsworth wore scarab pendants. And, of course, there was the peacock feather, which many members wear as an emblem of the Order.'
'It is all terribly confusing,' Eleanor said to Kate, 'but now that the mystery has been resolved, you can turn your mind to other things-to a small ball, which will be held at the manor next Friday evening. Nothing very elaborate, for it will be just the local gentry and some of the village folk, and you are still in mourning. But I think you would enjoy meeting everyone. Will you come, Kate? You need not dance, of course.'
'I would be glad to come,' Kate said soberly. 'I will remember Aunt Sabrina with love and affection for the rest of my life, but I am certain that she would wish me to put the events of the past weeks behind me.' Her smile was demure. 'She would even wish me to dance.'
Almost without thinking, Charles spoke up. 'I wonder if-'
At the same moment, Bradford said, 'I thought perhaps-'
Charles looked at Bradford, his eyes narrowing slightly. Were the two of them going to be at loggerheads over a woman? But it was beneath his dignity to contend with his friend. 'Pardon me,' he murmured, and subsided, forgetting his irritation at Kate. It was Bradford who provoked him now.
Bradford took the advantage Charles gave him, clearing his throat and giving Kate a confident smile. 'Well, then,' he said smartly, ' 'I trust you will do me the honor of reserving the first dance for me.'
Kate regarded him for a moment. 'Thank you,' she said. 'I shall be pleased to do so.' There was a pause, and then
she turned, unexpectedly, to Charles. Her eyes were clear and slightly amused. 'If you would not think it too forward of me, Sir Charles, I would like to make a proposal to you, and to ask for your help.'
There was a longer pause, as Charles gathered his wits. 'Of course,' he said at last. 'How can I be of service?'
'It is the bats, you see,' she said.
'The bats?' Eleanor exclaimed.
'Yes,' Kate said. 'I have recently fallen into the habit of walking among the ruins just at sunset, and I have noticed that there are a great many bats-and, if I am not mistaken in my observations, bats of more than one species. They are very curious creatures, quite interesting. I wonder, Sir Charles, if you would object to walking with me one evening and identifying them for me.'
Charles stared at her. There are moments in human relationships when what has been ordinary, conventional, and understood becomes extraordinary, different, and unique. This was a such a moment for Charles. A luminous moment.
'Ah, yes,' he said. 'Bats. My dear Miss Ardleigh, I shall be glad to.'
