Chapter 207: What do you take me for?
The cool, gentle breeze of the late afternoon was a blessing in the height of summer, and nowhere was it more perfectly enjoyed than on the wide, marble-tiled patio of the Montgomery estate.
The space was a masterpiece of designed leisure, shaded by a canopy of exquisite, carefully-pruned wisteria vines whose purple blossoms hung like fragrant curtains, dappling the light and casting a mosaic of shifting shadows on the ground. The air smelled like freshly cut grass, blooming jasmine from the nearby gardens, and the faint, expensive scent of the lemon-oil polish used on the patio furniture.
In the very heart of this tranquil scene, like a king holding court in his private pavilion, sat Henry Montgomery. He was seated in a stylish, chair, one of the several round the table in the patio, cushioned with embroidered silk, the very picture of indolent luxury. His stance and air around him, perfectly depicted description of egotistical.
