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336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 15, 1988
Aunt Elizabeth and I called at the vicarage yesterday and spent a stimulating afternoon listening to the Reverend Fitzwilliam discourse on the Vanities of Society and the Emptiness of Worldly Pleasures. Aunt Elizabeth hung on every word, and we are to return and take tea on Thursday. I am determined to have the headache Thursday, if I have to hit myself with a rock to do it.There are even a few deeper moments, like when Kate is examining a magical chessboard with enameled pieces:
I bent close to admire the detail of the white queen's cloak (I could see the black-tipped ermine) and jumped. "Oh, it moved!" I exclaimed--for as I watched, the queen had taken a step to her left, to a black square, where her cloak showed to best advantage. As I stared, the white knight beside her stepped aside politely to clear the next square. "That's not a proper knight's move," I protested. "They're just wandering around at random."A light read, but clever and enjoyable, with just a little romance.
Lady Sylvia smiled. "This is the King's pride and joy," she explained, "but the enchantment merely animates the pieces. It doesn't instruct them in the finer points of play."
"How dreadful," I replied, "to be caught up in a game and have no idea of the rules."
"It's not a plight unique to this chess set," Lady Sylvia observed dryly.