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there.”
    “What a wonderful idea,” Antonia said, sunny again. “I was going to stay in London as long as you were here, Adam, but going to Thornleigh would be better if you could come with us. Surely you can take some time off before returning to work again.”
    Adam hesitated. “I would like to, but a friend of mine, Lord Launceston, returned to England on the same ship. You may recall my mentioning him in letters. Simon is visiting his mother in Kent now, but in a fortnight or so we had tentative plans to take a holiday together, perhaps to the Lake District.”
    “I remember you mentioning his name. Unless Lord Launceston is the sort of gentleman you wouldn’t introduce to a respectable female relation, stop awhile with us. Derbyshire is on your way,” Antonia suggested.
    “Oh, Simon is most presentable, even though he has been out of the country for years. If you’re sure you don’t mind being landed with a stranger, I’ll invite him to Thornleigh.”
    Much, much later, Antonia would look back at this moment in amazement that something begun so casually would have such unforeseen, long-reaching consequences.
     

Chapter Two
     
    The second morning at Thornleigh, Judith knocked on the door of Antonia’s chamber, then entered at her friend’s invitation. Antonia was curled up on a sofa by the window, her knees drawn up with her arms linked around them as she gazed outside.
    On a daily basis it was easy to become accustomed to her beauty, but Judith experienced one of those moments when she was sharply aware of how breathtakingly lovely Antonia was. The early-morning sun illuminated the golden skin and dreamy expression, and her shimmering apricot hair cascaded over her blue robe like molten gold.
    Antonia gave a smile of welcome, then returned to admiring the rugged grandeur of the Peak District. “I read somewhere that one never thinks of oneself as being happy—that it is only something one realizes when looking back, ‘I was happy then,’ “ she mused. “But that’s not true. I’m happy now, and I know it. I’m at Thornleigh with my best friends, the sun is shining, and I haven’t a care in the world. What more does happiness require?”
    “Nothing.” Judith sat down in a deep chair, content to share her friend’s mood. “Your gift is that you know that.”
    That quality in Antonia was surely a gift. Cynics might say that anyone with her ladyship’s wealth, position, and beauty had no reason to be miserable, but Judith had met others with similar blessings who did not have Antonia’s talent for enjoyment. Her employer had given Judith friendship and security, among many other things, but most of all she had provided a zestful example of how to be happy.
    Judith had known little of happiness in her earlier years.  It had taken time for her to learn to recognize it.
    Antonia rested her chin on her crossed arms. “I’m almost sorry that Lord Launceston will be arriving today. I’m sure he is a very good fellow or he wouldn’t be Adam’s friend, but he is a stranger. It won’t be quite the same.”
    “He won’t be a stranger for long,” Judith pointed out reasonably. “Do you know where he and Adam met?”
    “Yes, in the East India Company observatory in Bombay, of all places.  Launceston was doing astronomical observations. Apparently he’s a natural philosopher of some note.”
    “Really!” Judith, who took a more-than-casual interest in the natural world herself, was intrigued. “What does he study?”
    “A variety of things.” Antonia’s brow furrowed as she tried to remember. “He doesn’t share your interest in botany, but he’s a founder of the new Geological Society as well as a member of the Royal Society and the Astronomical Society.”
    “Impressive. No wonder he and Adam are friends. Your cousin seems to be interested in everything.”
    “He always has been,” Antonia agreed. She surveyed her companion. “What do you think of Adam now that you’ve had a