Once Upon a Time in Bath (The Brides of Bath #7) - Cheryl Bolen Page 0,63
Elvin she would not have been able to tell which was which were he not seated next to his pretty blonde wife. “Please welcome Dr. Melvin Steffington.”
He slowly came to replace Dot in front of the fireplace and cleared his throat. “I have decided that instead of reading from my work tonight—which my wife tells me might be considered by some to be dull—I will tell you a little about the remarkable Roman who, in my opinion, came to personify the entire Renaissance movement to bring us out of the dark ages.”
He went on to commend Cicero and explain that he gave up his life to defend his principles.
When Mr. Steffington finished, he asked for questions.
Abby Appleton’s arm shot up, and he called upon her. Dot shuddered, hoping the unthinking young lady would not say something offensive to the shy scholar. Dot’s glance met Forrester’s. He looked anxious.
“I suppose, Mr. Steffington,” Abby began, “that Cicero wrote in Latin?”
He nodded. “That is correct.”
Abby shrugged. “I fail to understand why people like you continue to study Latin. We all know it’s a dead language.”
Dot and Forrester looked at one another, and he rolled his eyes with exasperation.
Melvin Steffington did not answer for a moment. It was clear to Dot that he’d not anticipated questions of so naïve a nature. “Well . . . first, allow me to explain that Latin has heavily influenced every language spoken in Europe today, so I believe an understanding of Latin broadens one’s vocabulary. But most importantly, these brilliant men who ruled the world’s most civilized country almost two thousand years ago imparted significant wisdom which will benefit all mankind for the next two thousand years, and reading their works in the language in which they spoke is the purest, most exacting way to convey their thoughts and to fully understand them.”
Dot was most relieved by Mr. Steffington’s intelligent response—and thankful that Abby’s careless words must not have offended him too badly.
“Well said,” Forrester praised.
The gentlemen in the chamber continued to speak of Cicero, but the ladies, owing to their lack of a classical education, contributed little.
After a while Dot returned to the fireplace and addressed the gathering. “Thank you so much, Mr. Steffington, for such an enlightening discussion. I, for one, will be reading all the translations of Cicero that I can get my hands on—that is, after I read yours. He sounds like a brilliant, fascinating man, and we are indebted to you for sharing your wealth of research with us.”
Then she proceeded to introduce Jonathan Blankenship. “Many of you know the younger Mr. Blankenship from his essays on political economy which appear regularly in the Edinburgh Review, and it is my privilege tonight to introduce Mr. Jonathan Blankenship.”
He came to take her place in front of those assembled. “Tonight I have decided to give all of you a preview of my article that will appear next month in the Edinburgh Review. I’ll be promulgating penal reform.”
Abby shrieked and covered her ears. “In front of ladies?”
Forrester issued an impatient oath. “I beg your pardon, Jonathan, but obviously my youngest sister is unacquainted with the word penal. Would you mind explaining it for her sake?”
Dot admired Forrester. What a good head of the family he made. How quick he was to analyze something. He would be an admirable husband.
Blanks and Sir Elvin could not hold back their laughter.
Jonathan quickly recovered. “Penal refers to punishment, particularly as it refers to incarceration and transportation. I will specifically be speaking to the need for a system of classifying crimes –and subsequent punishment—according to the severity of the crime.”
Several heads nodded in agreement.
“For example,” he said, “in Britain we have many, many minor crimes, such as poaching, that are punishable by death. It is my belief that the death penalty be reserved for crimes of murder. Lesser crimes should have lesser penalties.”
More heads nodded.
He gave a clearly defined talk that laid out the problems that needed to be addressed, and he proposed solutions. When he finished, everyone in the chamber clapped, and a lively discussion ensued.
Topham began to circulate throughout the chamber with a tray filled with glasses of port.
Dot was pleased when her guests got up and began to mingle while the footmen set up card tables.
Blanks came up to her. She was struck again by his handsomeness. He was the tallest man in the chamber and was possessed of thick hair in a rich dark brown and an exceedingly agreeable face that evoked a good nature. “You have