No Role for a Gentleman by Gail Whitiker

Author:Gail Whitiker
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2014-05-09T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

It was hardly surprising that sleep was the furthest thing from Laurence’s mind when he got home that night. Not only because Joanna had looked at him with far more warmth than she had on any of their previous engagements, or because she had blushed so prettily when he’d told her how much he had enjoyed the evening.

He couldn’t sleep because the germ of an idea had taken root in his brain. An idea sparked by Joanna herself when she’d said, ‘…you must become like Shakespeare. Setting plays against the backdrop of ancient Luxor. Your heroes must be gladiators and emperors, and your heroines, queens and goddesses. Then you would truly be combining your talent and your passion…’

Why hadn’t he thought of it before? The material was all there. And, as Joanna had said, it would be combining the two things about which he felt the most passionate—writing and the distant past. His setting would be ancient Egypt, and his characters, the pharaohs and gods who populated that world. He knew enough about both to make the story compelling, but where Shakespeare had used ancient Greece and Rome as his backdrops, Laurence would make them integral to the story. He would introduce the gods and goddesses and make them forces for change in his characters’ lives.

It was as though a floodgate had suddenly been opened. Upon reaching his room, Laurence lit the candles on his desk and pulled out a fresh page of parchment. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so inspired…and it was all because of Joanna. His muse…and his inspiration.

He sat quietly for a moment, thinking pleasurable thoughts of her, while allowing other ideas to eddy and swirl like currents in a stream. Then, as they began to coalesce and take form, he dipped his quill into the bottle of ink, drew the parchment towards him and steadfastly began to write.

*

Joanna was alone in the drawing room when Mrs Devlin arrived to pay a call a few days later.

‘I hope you don’t mind my stopping in unannounced,’ she said with a smile, ‘but my husband was to have taken me for a drive and at the last minute had to cancel and so suggested that I take a friend instead. I wondered if perhaps you might like to accompany me, Lady Joanna. It is such a delightful afternoon and I did so enjoy our conversation the other evening.’

A little taken aback by the lady’s singling her out for attention, Joanna nevertheless said, ‘Yes, of course, I would be delighted. If you will give me but a moment to change…’

It did take little more than a moment. Joanna exchanged her shawl for a spencer, her slippers for a pair of leather shoes, and her lace cap for the newest and most fashionable of her bonnets. Given Mrs Devlin’s stylish appearance, it would not do to go out looking anything but her best.

Less than ten minutes later, they were seated opposite one another in Mr Devlin’s

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