But if that was a hit to Prudence, she didn’t show it.
Instead, she lifted her chin. “If it was for this house, why did she leave him?”
Temperance didn’t miss a beat. “I’ve already answered that. Because he was an ass.” She returned to me. “It’s a thing, tonight, because you’re here. It’s a tradition we all enjoy. We’re all going to dress up for dinner. Did Prue tell you?”
I nodded.
Prudence had warned me my first night there would be formal, and to be prepared, because if they had other guests, it might happen again.
Since I didn’t have a closet full of evening dresses, this required me to hit some online designer resale sites, but that had been a blast, as it always tended to be, and score: I’d found some awesome things, and not just evening dresses.
Temperance continued, “But that’s not a thing for us. At least not when we don’t have visitors. Of course, Chassie doesn’t sidle into the parlor for pre-dinner cocktails in mud-splattered wellies with dirt under her fingernails. And we are not normal. We’re rich. People say the word ‘lady’ before our names. Someone cooks our food. Someone else serves it. I have never cooked a meal in my life, nor washed a dish. And I don’t intend to do either.”
Suddenly, I strived for yet another goal in my life, the dish thing.
Though, I liked to cook.
Temperance wasn’t finished.
“But we’re not weird. We eat dinner as a family, normally. But if we don’t want to pitch up to the table, we have a tray in our room or wherever. Though, back before he died, under Father’s edicts, you’d think it was still nineteen-oh-two.”
“He was just traditional,” Prudence said.
“A man had been on the moon,” Temperance retorted. “The future king got a divorce and had his dirty talk with his mistress aired all over the globe. And that talk was filthy. You could call Bangladesh from your mobile in your car. We had cars. It was no longer required for me to wear white gloves and a hat to church, or a formal gown to dinner, for God’s sake.”
Neither of her sisters had a response.
I didn’t either, and although I thought it’d be cute to see the Talyn sisters in hats and gloves, going to church, if I was a kid and that wasn’t what I wanted to do, I had to admit, it would stink.
When the silence lengthened, I carefully waded into it.
“I intend to do a pretty thorough read through of all the things Prudence has gathered for me.” I turned to Prudence. “And of course, I’m excited to meet Ravenna.”
Not really, but Prudence liked her, and outside of her family, she didn’t mention any other friends, except her bi-monthly readings with Ravenna, so I was (currently) withholding judgement.
And anyway, who was I to judge?
Even Elizabeth I hung out with and took counsel from Dr. John Dee.
I looked between the other two sisters. “And unless there’s some note of it, or it fits into the narrative, I probably won’t be mentioning the curse.”
“Well, that will be good,” Temperance murmured while she crossed her long, slender legs. “We don’t need every lunatic who shops exclusively in Glastonbury poking around and doing rituals outside the front gate.”
This made Prudence twist excitedly toward me and again with her clap.
“Oh yes, Vivi! It’s a bit of a jaunt, but while you’re here, we have to go to Glastonbury.”
“I would bypass that and go straight to Cheltenham. Better shopping,” Temperance drawled, but oddly, she did this watching Prudence closely, and, maybe I was wrong, but I could swear I read in her gaze it was hopefully.
That was strange.
Chastity nibbled at a biscuit while her bright-blue eyes darted everywhere but to a human being.
A throat was cleared.
We all looked to the doorway to see Fitzgibbons standing there.
“I hate to intrude. But Miss Dupree has a meeting with His Grace.”
