“Did he give you a trimming?”
“On the contrary, he was curiously soft-spoken. He even smiled.”
“Vanessa, you have me on tenterhooks. What happened?”
“I’m sorry, Adeline. I must sound as obscure as Father did to me. Here, let’s sit in the shade and I’ll tell you all.” She led her sister to a wooden bench at the edge of the courtyard. “By the way, where is Paulette?”
Adeline leaned down to place her basket under the bench. “She told Mama of some lace she saw that she wishes to purchase, for she’s convinced that Mr. Talverton has only to see it on her to fall madly in love with her,” she said, smoothing her skirt and sitting down.
Vanessa groaned. “I know what lace she was speaking of, and it is very dear. I thought I had distracted her sufficiently to forget its existence.”
“Hardly. Anyway, that scapegrace child wheedled Mama into a shopping excursion to procure the lace and other materials necessary to make up a new gown.”
"She is scarcely a child. Remember, you and she are of an age,” Vanessa reminded her.
Her sister sighed heavily. “Sometimes I feel the aged anecdote.”
“Oh, really, Adeline.”
“No, truly. Take last evening. Do you know what that hoyden did on the way to the theater? At every bump and curve, she threw herself across Mr. Talverton, claiming that the faults of the road, the coachman, and the carriage forced her to fall.”
Vanessa laughed. “She has always displayed a sad lack of sensibility.”
“She displays none at all!” contradicted Adeline. “Occasionally I wonder at her family relationship to Charles. She is so different from her brother in temperament.”
Her sister shrugged, mimicking Paulette’s expansive Gallic motion, and Adeline fell to laughing, clutching her sides.
“Oh, please, enough,” she pleaded. She wiped her streaming eyes with the back of her hand. “Sometimes, Vanessa, I don’t know how you can claim you are serious-minded. You are forever bringing me to whoops of laughter.”
“Now and then, I do seem to suffer a sad want of dignity, but never in company.”
“It might be best if you did.”
“I wonder if I could chase Mr. Wilmot away by becoming excessively silly,” mused Vanessa.
“It would be too out of character; he’d know it for a ruse,” Adeline replied. “But I thought, after last night, you were not going to have anything more to do with him.”
Vanessa sighed. “I don’t have much choice.”
“Why?”
“He visited Father this morning and made a full confession of his misdeeds. He claimed he was swept away by my charm and beauty.”
“Gammon,” scoffed Adeline.
“Why, don’t you think I have charm and beauty?"
"Vanessa! Of course I do, now stop teasing.”
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist. You’re right, of course; he pitched quite a tale at Father.”
“And Father believed him?”
“That’s the strange thing. I don’t believe he does; however, somehow it’s to his advantage to accept and forgive Mr. Wilmot his actions.”
“How odd,” Adeline said.
“Yes, but it gets stranger still. He told me to accept Mr. Wilmot’s apology and continue considering him a suitor, be friendly to Mr. Talverton, and ignore Mr. Danielson when Mr. Wilmot is around.”
