Free First Season / Bride to Be by Jane Ashford Page B

words but nodded. “We were accustomed to seeing her every day, for hours. Now we never do. And she is always thinking of something else.”
    â€œWe know that ,” said William.
    â€œWell, let us do the same to her. Then she will see how unpleasant it is here.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” They frowned at him.
    â€œWe must be too busy to see her . We must pretend that we have no time for visits and that we are interested in other things.”
    â€œBut we are not!” exclaimed Susan. “There is nothing to be interested in here.” She indicated the room with disgust.
    â€œI know, Susan, but if we act as if there is, Mama will miss us just as we miss her, and she will take us home again, where we can all be comfortable.”
    â€œShe will?”
    William looked doubtful. “I don’t know, Nicky. This sounds like one of your harebrained schemes. Mama hardly notices what we do lately. She won’t care.”
    â€œShe doesn’t notice because we are just as we always were. If we changed, she would wonder soon enough. I only worry that Susan will forget and spoil the whole plan.”
    â€œI can do anything you can do,” protested his sister at once. But she looked confused. “What am I to do?”
    â€œJust pretend you do not care whether Mama comes to us or not, and that you have a great many more interesting things to do when she does.”
    Susan’s full lower lip protruded. “That will be very hard.”
    â€œIt will, Nick,” agreed William. “I don’t know if I can do it. Without Mama…”
    â€œWe shall have each other,” insisted Nicholas. “And we must always remember that playing our parts will get us home again and make things as they used to be.” He looked from one to the other. “Will you try?”
    William and Susan had learned to trust Nick’s intelligence. After a moment they nodded.
    â€œGood, here is what we must—”
    The door opened, and a tall, spare young woman entered. “You are all here. Splendid. We can begin at once.”
    Nicholas closed his mouth, and the three children shuffled into their chairs around the table. In the country their mother had supervised their lessons each morning, but here in London Lady Goring had insisted on a governess. Miss Tate was neither unkind nor unamusing, but she was still a stranger, and her substitution for Lady Wyndham made the children slow to warm to her. They did their lessons and generally obeyed her commands but did not offer confidences or affection as yet.
    As they fetched books and pencils Nicholas signaled the others with jerks of his head and grimaces that they would finish their conference after studies. He was extremely pleased with himself, certain that his idea would work within a fortnight. As always, the exercise of his intelligence exhilarated him, and he even managed to slip William the answer to the problem that had been plaguing him without Miss Tate seeing.

Seven
    The first few weeks of the season passed quickly. Neither Anabel nor Christopher had ever experienced such a whirl of social activity, and Georgina was almost dazed by the constant round. To Lady Goring’s amazement and gratification, her niece maintained her resolve to avoid chocolates and other sweets, and the effects soon became apparent. Georgina’s face looked more slender within just a few days, and her figure slowly followed suit. The image that emerged was quite engaging, and Lady Goring was certain that she would be very pretty indeed if she continued. Georgina herself, astonished at the reflection her mirror showed her, became even more Spartan in her self-discipline and often had to be urged to eat.
    Anabel watched the process with a mixture of amused encouragement and chagrin, for though she was happy that Georgina should feel more comfortable in town, she always felt an irrational annoyance when she saw the girl with Christopher. Her