“Did you not hear her tell me, when I broached the topic of stealing still being stealing even though I’m her brother, that she responded by telling me she’d asked me for afewgrenades and I’d sent her a nod?”
“I think I may have missed that pesky littlefewword.”
“It was undoubtedly a slip of the tongue on Norma Jean’s part, one I’m sure she thinks I missed, but, as I’m now determined to be a more responsible older brother, I’m going to have to reclaim any grenades she has in her possession.”
“You might just want to ask her to fork them over.”
“Any chance you have advice that’s a little less demanding?My sister, if you haven’t noticed, seems to have a problem with demands in general.”
“She’s thirteen, Seth. Girls of that age often balk at demands, but while she’ll probably turn surly, in this particular instance, you’re just going to have to deal with that surliness as percussive grenades pose a danger to, not only Norma Jean, but anyone around her.”
“And what would be the best way to deal with that surliness?”
“You might simply have to wait it out. Drusilla, being the consummate student at the Sherwood Academy for Young Ladies, often turned demanding with me, her less than enthusiastic younger sister when it came to etiquette assignments. She would always insist I redo assignments she felt I’d done in a lackadaisical fashion, and yes, I’d turn surly, although I eventually gave in to her demands because she was my older sister.”
“How long did it take you to get over the surliness?”
“A good day or so, one time a week, but Drusilla would always, after she allowed me to stew a bit, take the first step to reconcile, usually bringing me a bug, something that always took care of my surliness because I readily admit that bugs are one of my passions and I’ve been collecting and studying them for years.”
“You collect bugs?”
“I know. It’s a peculiar hobby for a lady to have, and is just one of a myriad of reasons society proclaimed me odd from almost the moment I made my debut.”
Seth frowned. “Studying bugs doesn’t make you peculiar, Annaliese. It merely makes you curious about the world around you.”
“My mother is convinced that my curiosity will be responsible for me remaining a spinster, destined to eventually surround myself not with cats, but with ferrets, spiders, and...” She glanced back at the monkey. “Now a monkey.”
“I’ve never heard of a lady who’s one of those Diamonds of the First Water remaining a spinster.”
“Why would you think I’m a Diamond of the First Water?”
“I overheard Norma Jean and her friends talking about Diamonds of the First Water, something all of them seem to aspire to be, except for Norma Jean, although I’m not exactly sure why that is.” Seth gave Pippin, who’d just begun to stir on his lap, a scratch. “I assumed, given the symmetry of your face, which I believe I mentioned to you once before, and which I’ve been dwelling on often of late, that you would, of course, be considered one of those diamonds.”
Annaliese gave an involuntary tug on the reins, earning a bray from Moe in response before he stopped dead in his tracks. Dolly had no choice but to stop as well, where she immediately turned her head and sent Annaliese a reproachful look.
“Sorry,” Annaliese muttered as she tried to ignore the heat that was now climbing up her neck again. “Should I ask why you’ve been dwelling on the symmetry of my face?”
“It intrigues me as I’ve never seen another woman who has a symmetrical face, and has, as a result of that, left me contemplating whether symmetry is responsible for what makes a lady stand out in a crowd.”
“I don’t believe I stand out in any given crowd because of the symmetry of my face. I normally only stand out because I walk around with a ferret wrapped around my neck. Frankly, I’m sure that the standing out business is only going to increase if this parrot decides she has to stick close beside me like Pippin does, and then, there’s my new monkey.” Her lips curved. “Strolling about Chicago with a monkey, and one that seems to like helping herself to other people’s belongings, will definitely leave me standing out, and again, mostly because people think I’m odd.”
“And to that I must respectfully disagree.’
She inclined her head. “And while I’m flattered that you believeotherwise, know that I’ve never been deemed a Diamond of the First Water even if I do possess a symmetrical face. Diamonds, if you’re unaware, are expected to not only bear a reasonable attractiveness, but possess a fashionable air along with the ability to converse with ease during any social situation.”
“You seem fashionable enough to me, and even though we’ve not spoken at length, you appear to be perfectly at ease with me right now.”
“That’s because you haven’t spent your time with me discussing the weather.”
“Are you ill-at-ease discussing the weather?”
“Not at all. I simply don’t enjoy speaking of the weather. That’s why, during my debut year, I’d steer the conversation away from the weather to something I thought everyone would find more stimulating, such as insects, spiders, or the number of bird species the plume hunters are decimating at an alarming rate.”
She gave a collar that was askew due to the parrot clutching it a tug, earning a bit of a peck from the parrot in return. “After word got around about my curious conversation skills, or lack thereof, everyone in society concluded that I was odd, a conclusion that rendered my debut a complete failure.”
Silence was Seth’s only response to that until he leaned forward and caught her eye. “And here I would have thought you’d be bestowed the title of Diamond of the First Water the moment you broached the unusual subject of plume hunters as that would have marked you as a progressive-thinking lady whom anyone with any intelligence would have wanted to converse with.”
“Progressive thinking isn’t something that New York high society embraces.”
