Alice beat Hilary in that, saying, “Ophelia has decided to stay here rather than with us, and has already sent for her things.”
Sabrina’s surprise wasn’t that Ophelia would want to stay here, now that she’d been invited, but that she could. “They actually still have room here?”
“No, none a’tall, but she has friends here that offered to make room for her in the room they’re sharing.”
Hilary got her own thoughts in on the matter by adding, “Can’t see why she’d want to be crowded in with a bunch of other gels when she could have a room to herself only ten minutes away.”
Sabrina could and offered, “Being in residence, she’s less likely to miss anything that occurs.”
She didn’t add that Ophelia would probably prefer crowds because they gave her the audience she seemed to constantly crave. That was an unkind thought best kept to herself. But staying at Summers Glade would also put a thorough end to any of the gossip about Ophelia, if any still lingered after her appearance today.
Alice pretty much confirmed that by saying, “It’s being assumed she was invited back, so no hard feelings between her family and the Thackerays, even speculation that young Duncan has changed his mind and will propose again. D’you think we ought to point out that she’s only here becauseyouwere invited, and she was our guest at the time?”
Sabrina sighed inwardly. She could frankly care less what turn the gossip took where Ophelia was concerned, but she didn’t want to be responsible for influencing whichever direction it went.
“I think if Lord Neville wants it known that she’s not here by his invitation, then he’ll let it be known. It’s not up to us to correct any false assumptions in that regard. Let everyone think what they like. You know as well as I that they will anyway.”
That was a touchy subject that Sabrina immediately regretted mentioning, so she quickly added, “I heard there is to be dancing tonight. Has that been confirmed?”
“Indeed it has,” Alice replied. “But there’s no need to rush home to break the ball gowns out of storage. It will be quite informal.”
“It has to be,” Hilary pointed out. “At gatherings this large, it’s almost impossible to set anything to a schedule, where everyone would need to prepare at the same time. Can you just imagine eight women in the same room, with eight ball gowns laid out, and eight maids trying to dress their ladies all at once? Can’t be done, not without mass confusion and tempers flaring.”
Sabrina did imagine it and smiled. “I don’t know, the flaring tempers might be amusing to witness.”
“Have you met Lord Archibald MacTavish yet, m’dear?” Alice asked next.
“No, but I’ve heard he’s here,” Sabrina replied. “Have you?”
“Not yet, though we were hoping to today.”
“Shewas hoping to,” Hilary corrected her sister. “She has the silly notion that the widower MacTavish could use a new wife himself.”
Sabrina raised a teasing brow. “Why, Aunt Alice, are you thinking of getting married?”
Alice blushed and humphed in her sister’s direction. “Certainly not. It merely occurred to me that with his grandson moving to England, he’ll be alone up in those Highlands of his now.”
“We don’t know what his home is like,” Hilary argued back. “It could be filled to the brim with other relatives of his, for all we know.”
“Actually, it’s rather empty, according to Duncan,” Alice said, smirking at Hilary in triumph that she had that information.
Sabrina decided to nip their bickering in the bud before it got seriously started by satisfying her own curiosity. “You spoke to Duncan?” she asked Alice.
“Yes, just after lunch, though not for long. Poor boy seemed rather upset about something. He did ask where you had got to, and I couldn’t answer him. I presume this was when you went home to change?”
“Possibly,” Sabrina replied uncomfortably, and even more uncomfortably, tried to sound nonchalant in asking, “Did he say if he was looking for me for a reason, or merely wondered where I was?”
“No, but it’s all right for you to seek him out to find out,” Alice said.
“Yes,” Hilary confirmed. “It’s quite acceptable for you to do that in a gathering like this. Youarehis neighbor, after all.”
Sabrina gave both of her aunts a narrow look, aware of what they were doing. “If it’s important, I’m sure he’ll find me. But in the meantime, stop imagining there is more there than there is. He sees me merely as a friend, somethingneighborstend to do.”
As they watched Sabrina leave the room, Alice said, “She stressed that rather nicely, didn’t she?”
“Yes, rather overstressed it, actually. He likes her, you know.”
“I thought as much, but apparently she doesn’t,” Alice said, frowning thoughtfully.
