Portrait of a Lady by Victoria Vale

Author:Victoria Vale
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

“AH, HUGH, THERE YOU ARE!”

Hugh glanced up from the tiles beneath his feet to find that he’d nearly run down Mr. Crosby and the man walking beside him. He’d been unsettled all morning, just barely making it through his study of Greek statues. While the other students had diligently examined the sculptures from all angles and set about capturing the marble forms in their sketchbooks, Hugh’s mind hadn’t been up to the task. He’d made a poor attempt at it, filling his pages with half-finished renderings of Hercules wrestling with Lichas, Artemis holding a stag by his antlers, and Pluto seducing an unwilling Proserpina. The study of motionless sculptures which still portrayed lightness and movement had always been one of Hugh’s favorite classes, yet he could not bring himself to feel that spark of inspiration or creativity, not after the events of last night.

“Mr. Crosby,” he murmured, adjusting his hold on the satchel hanging at his side. “Good to see you this morning.”

His mentor wrinkled his brow, seeming to notice that something was amiss with him. But he made no mention of it, gesturing instead to his companion.

“If you have a moment, there’s someone I’d like you to meet. This is Mr. Noel Russell.”

Hugh’s curiosity piqued as he took in the somber man in stark black attire, a hat held under one arm. His dark hair had begun to gray at the temples, and a pair of round spectacles sat balanced on a sharp, prominent nose, a pair of cool blue eyes assessing him from behind glass lenses.

“The architect?” he asked, taking the other man’s proffered hand. “It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Russell.”

The man had made quite a name for himself in the last decade as one of the foremost architects of England, undertaking several public works on top of renovating many of the nobility’s grandest country homes. The man also taught at the Academy’s school of architecture, though Hugh’s studies had never brought him in contact with the man.

“The honor is mine, Mr. Radcliffe. Crosby has been singing the praises of his favorite student for a while now, so I supposed it was high time to meet you.”

Crosby beamed, clapping Hugh’s shoulder with one hand. “Mark my words, Russell, this young man will be hailed as London’s most accomplished portraitist in a decade or less.”

Hugh’s face heated under Crosby’s praise, but the other man’s words stoked his hopes. After being reminded, yet again, that his choices had led to him being effectively barred from being part of his own family, he needed a reason to continue his current course.

“Show him your work,” Crosby whispered, giving him a little nudge.

Hugh fumbled with his satchel, producing one of several sketchbooks inside—taking care not to retrieve the one with today’s work inside. The last thing he needed was for Russell to see just how distracted he’d been during his lesson. The drawings weren’t even half as good as what he was capable of.

Crosby glanced over Russell’s shoulder, observing the pages as the architect flipped through them.

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