Dahlia's Music by Caitlyn Quirk

Author:Caitlyn Quirk
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2011-09-04T14:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 43

In the following days, James had little time to contemplate the pending seven month interval during which they would likely not see each other. Tom, Dahlia and James would ride together in the morning, but then the day’s activities would separate them until dinner time. Dahlia and Miss McElroy visited Lady Sweet and spent time closeted away in the library turned conservatory going over music. He thought he heard snippets of the music he had sent Dahlia from Paris, but her brothers or father had their own activities in which they wished him to participate. Both Dahlia and James visited the Roma camp as well, but it seemed that they were always crossing one another with destinations in opposite directions.

The day of the Roma fair dawned with a brilliant blue sky. Talbot Hall was bustling with activity earlier than usual so that the day’s obligations would be completed early in order to attend the market and evening festivities. It was an altogether happy household in general, but today the Hall was infused with added excitement and expectation. Little Rory danced around and gave little barks of joy as his mistress bustled about the house. He took full advantage of the fact that everyone was so busy that no one seemed to notice when he last had a morsel and plied the ladies with gentle begging every time he went into the kitchen. More than a couple of times his earnest demeanor and whines were rewarded with a treat of some little delight and a quick rub of his ears. Soon he had been plied with enough to equal a meal and lethargy set in as the sun hit its apex and he retreated to the quiet of the corner in which Isolde lay, only to awaken when the large wolfhound got up to accompany the family to the fairgrounds.

The fair had grown substantially over the years. When the Roma first camped on the Talbot estate, fear and mistrust had kept most folks away. Based on the gentle prodding by Squire Talbot and the positive accounts from select farmers and the other Quartermasters, the visitors to the fair expanded. Empirical evidence soon overcame the doubts formed by rumors and today, with more than a decade of experience, the fair was a thriving annual exchange of goods and services. Merchants from Cirencester and surrounding towns came to set up booths to capitalize on the traffic of buyers and traders.

Dahlia, Lady Sweet, Miss McElroy and Matty formed a contented group perusing the fabrics, hats, and jewelry. Josephine’s vocabulary proved to have no limits to the exclamations and explicatives for the wild assortment of merchandise from both the Roma and county folk. The Roma in particular seemed to welcome her enthusiasm and extroverted personality. As a matriarchic society, the Roma appreciated her strength and vitality, which they found lacking in the staid and polite demeanor of most British women. Their appreciation was noted by Lady Sweet and Dahlia in the favorable prices quoted to their friend.

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