Meemaw waved that straight away. “Betty Lou won’t need to learn that until after she returns home, but I have no qualms about using your supposed engagement as a way to finally get my son and daughter-in-law back to the States.”
Owen paused with a piece of pie halfway to his mouth. “You can’t send them a telegram telling them Camilla and I are engaged because, qualms or not, that would be a fib, and you told Camilla you never lie. Think of the state of your knees if you send a telegram like that.”
“It’s not a lie, simply a craftily disguised small untruth.”
Owen opened his mouth, an argument on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed that argument when Luella sat down beside Meemaw and took to fiddling with a strand of her wet hair before she blew out a sigh.
“I think, if you’re going to send any telegram at all, it should be one that explains what’s been happening with Stanley,” Luella began. “It wouldn’t be fair to Mother to not know that her daughter has disappointed her yet again, or fair for Mother to hie herself back to West Virginia when we’re all but in the midst of a feud with the Murchendorfers, a family Mother’s been in competition with for years.”
Meemaw frowned. “You’ve never been a disappointment to Betty Lou.”
“Of course I have,” Luella argued. “Mother wanted a princess for a daughter—a little girl who loved ribbons in her hair and fancy dresses with bows on them—but instead she got me. I loathe ribbons and bows. I also loathe spending my time indoors, working needlepoint samplers, something Sally Murchendorfer spends hours doing every week. Sally also enjoys going for teaand shopping, whereas I much prefer spending my time outside, doing things more suitable for a boy than a girl.”
“Surely you don’t believe your mother makes it a point to compare you to Sally and then finds you lacking, do you?” Meemaw asked.
“Mother spent three days in her bedroom after Mrs. Murchendorfer decided she was going to hold Sally’s debut on the same night Mother had chosen to hold mine.” Luella gave a sad shake of her head. “It doesn’t take a genius to understand why Mother locked herself away, because Sally has always been more sought-after than me, which meant that everyone would attend Sally’s debut, and mine would be a complete failure.”
“People would have shown up for your debut,” Meemaw argued.
“Well, yes, our entire family would have been there, but you know that’s not who Mother wanted to impress.” Luella began fidgeting with her wet hair again. “I’ve been holding off writing her about Stanley because that’ll just be another disappointment for her, as will be the idea I’ve decided to embrace life as a spinster.”
“There’s no need for you to become a spinster,” Meemaw countered. “Camilla’s here now, and I believe she mentioned she has a plan.”
“It’s been so long since I broached that plan, I almost can’t recall what it is,” Camilla admitted as she took a sip of her coffee.
Luella’s brow furrowed. “This plan of yours doesn’t have anything to do with you using those matchmaking skills you apparently possess, does it, because I really am fine proceeding with life from this point forward as a confirmed spinster.”
“Whether you choose to marry or not is completely up to you,” Camilla said. “I’m not here to meddle with that part of your life but merely to get you accepted within Wheeling society, or at least reclaim your confidence to where you won’t decide to hide yourself away in your grandmother’s cabin.”
“I like Meemaw’s cabin.”
“You can’t spend the rest of your life there.”
“I can if I decide I don’t like this plan of yours.”
Camilla smiled. “It’s not a complicated plan, and, in fact, it’s one I’ve already used to great success.” She finally took a bite of the pie Owen had given her a few minutes before, her eyes widening a second later. “Goodness. This is a most excellent apple pie.”
“It’s a secret family recipe,” Meemaw said right before her eyes began gleaming in a somewhat concerning fashion. “I’ll be more than happy to present you with the list of ingredients at my earliest convenience.”
Camilla paused with another forkful of pie halfway to her mouth. “Why would you give me a secretfamilyrecipe?”
“Because you said you find the pie to be most excellent.”
“I’m sure everyone finds this pie to be excellent, but again, you said it’s a secret family recipe, which suggests you don’t share it with just anybody.”
Meemaw smiled. “But you’re not just anybody, are you, dear?”
“If you were going to add that I’m your almost-granddaughter-in-law, you can just nip that comment right in the bud. So, to direct the conversation back to what we should be discussing, on to my plan.”
“I’d rather put talk of that on hold while I just nip into the kitchen and get you that recipe before I forget.”
“And I’m going to say that can wait since I’m beginning to grow more than suspicious about this recipe and why you’re so determined to get it into my hands.”
Owen bit back a grin when Meemaw began muttering something about suspicious natures, mutters that Camilla blatantly ignored as she set aside her pie.
“The basics of my plan are quite simple,” she began. “From what I’ve been able to gather thus far, there seems to be quite the competition amongst Wheeling ladies to reach the pinnacle of the local societal ladder. All we have to do now is use my unexpected declaration about being almost engaged to Owen to our advantage.”
Luella frowned. “How do you intend to do that?”
