"Oh, of course," Lady Gwendolyn said, allowing a hint of her natural Irish lilt to inflect her voice. Ha! He was the Earl of Gourock after all. And, for some reason, ashamed of his Scottish background. This was worth investigating. "It is a very great pleasure milord. I hope you do not miss Scotland unduly. I know Mr. Dundas, on the Cabinet though he is, is always very keen on drowning his homesickness by downing some good scotch malt." She dipped into a curtsy.
"Oh yes! It is simply ravish is it not? The Hursts always do know how to throw a party. I am very glad of it; poor Lady Patience did need cheering up. Did you see the paper the other day? Simply shocking! Poor Patience had her reticule stolen, and Antoine de Laurent had to chase the thief down."