When We Dance (Billionaires & Debutantes #1) - Lisa M. Prysock Page 0,4

worlds, with different friends, and completely different lifestyles. Kind of a shame we let it happen.”

“I’m sure we’ll all need to work at it.” Mia glanced around the room at the marble-topped mantle and end tables, floor-to-ceiling brocade drapes, the elegant Queen Anne furniture, and the many other luxurious features of her aunt’s home. It certainly was different from life on the farm. “Well, whatever caused the rift, we will make every effort moving forward to repair and strengthen our relationships.”

“I believe we will, or so I hope. What is it your father calls your farm again?” Aunt Sylvia asked with a finely arched, raised brow. Roxy barked from her lap. “Oh, she wants to know, too.”

“Robin’s Nest,” she supplied with a smile, happy to speak of it. No need to mention she’d been struggling with issues of discontent stemming from being a mere farm girl. She’d always wondered what it would be like to not worry about money. Now, maybe she’d finally find out.

Her aunt nodded, patting Roxy. “Yes, that’s it, Robin’s Nest. I plan to visit again. I’ve only been there twice, when they’d first bought the place and then again when you were just a toddler. Do you still have horses? I meant to ask Louis—I mean Charles. Mére always called him Louis and me, Sylvie.”

“We do still have horses,” Mia answered as she thought about the French in her ancestry. “Four of the best horses in Kentucky. Sampson, Cortez, Violet, and Jane. I’ll miss riding in the mornings.” She knew her paternal grandmother had been French, brought over from Paris by her American paternal grandfather, Gregory Morgan. He’d been an accountant for one of the big eight accounting firms, working overseas on an assignment for a worldwide retail corporation when he’d met the love of his life working behind a retail cosmetics counter. Her grandmother, Madeline, had spoken only a little English at first, and her children had grown up accustomed to using the French word for mother. They were also raised to speak French and English fluently. To this day, when her father was angry, he spoke in French.

“I’m sure you will, but you might enjoy walks in Central Park,” Sylvia suggested. “I always laugh whenever Charles tells me about Jane. It’s something I do remember him mentioning a time or two. A funny name for a horse if you ask me, but what do I know about farming? I’ve been more of a city girl since business forced us to be here a lot, except when Fred and I were at the chateau in France, or visiting Martha’s Vineyard now and then. I do still make it there once a year to enjoy the beach, but it’s been hard to time it with when my brother goes. Riding was never really my thing, but I did enjoy seeing your farm when I was there, and the horses.”

“I’m certainly going to miss it while I’m here in the city,” she admitted. “I guess that’s one main difference we have, Aunt Sylvia. I’ve always been a country girl. Life in the city is all new for me.”

Her aunt sipped some of her tea and then set her cup aside. “Many of my friends spend much of their time at their country estates. I’m sure you’ll find common ground and make some new friends of your own while you’re here. I’m looking forward to taking you to visit my other homes in England and France. You do have your passport?”

“I do, and it’s another reason I chose to come to be here with you. I really enjoy travel, but it has always been a luxury and a tremendous sacrifice to be able to do so. I went on three mission trips a few years ago. I traveled to Belgium, Thailand, and Puerto Rico.”

Her aunt patted Roxy some more. “Now that you mention it, I seem to remember supporting some of your trips with a small donation. Of course I wanted to give more, but your father prevented me. He said he wanted you to know the value of the hard work and effort in raising the funds. Your thank you card impressed me, by the way. It showed good breeding.” Aunt Sylvia kept her hands folded in her lap as she talked when she wasn’t busy patting the froufrou dog.

Mia wasn’t sure she liked being referred to as having good breeding, as if she was a horse or some other animal, but she overlooked the reference, studying