“Ah,” acknowledged Sir Phillip quietly, his face a shade less bright. Well. There, he had his answer. A proper society lady—argued the rational portion of his brain—would scarcely reveal her opinion of a man she had only just met while in that man’s company. Yet—his pride countered—she might at least have agreed with the generous Lady Jane! Rather than let the silence persist, he felt it best to conceal his disappointment with a moderately philosophical remark. “One really does create one’s own world, as you say Countess. The power of the mind is a strange and wondrous thing.” After a beat, he had fully regained his composure. With a glance around, he realized that they had traveled a considerable distance, and that he was hungry. “I wish the power of the mind were sufficient to create an apple pie,” he added, with feigned annoyance.