Love Lightning Old Virgin
CHAPTER LI

Cherry's eyes widened in astonishment. “Yah?” He gasps.

“Who has ever heard of him being so polite?” He added smartly, and with a mischievous look, “If he really said he regretted not meeting me at home, it was a big lie because he never showed the slightest desire to see me, she said, and I thought it was you he always wanted to meet.”

“For the pleasure of chatting with me, for sure!” Miss Dior answered with a laugh. “Will we go downstairs to dinner now, Majorie?”

Grand Mistress Dior quickly sought more information about Cherry's insolent remarks, as if ambushed by a sudden and utterly ominous suspicion, and Caroline realized her sister-in-law's eyes were fixed on her face. Perhaps for the only time in her life, Miss Dior thanked Miss Harrow for interrupting, although Miss Harrow did so only because she rarely neglected the opportunity to give Cherry a reprimand. He said loudly, “It would be very strange if your uncle left Rouen without saying goodbye to Miss Dior, to whom he had so many reasons to thank. I'm sure it's no surprise that she should have wanted to see Miss Dior more than you, Miss Constantine, because men find girls who have just graduated from school very boring. Really, at your age, I would never expect a man to want to meet me!”

Cherry's eyes panned sharply, and she replied quickly, “Thank you once!”

Archard let out a choking sound, which he turned into a very unconvincing cough and Big Lady Dior got up, and said with meek dignity, “Yes, let's go down, darling, arau we'll be ashamed of your cook. The cook always looks sullen if someone delays dinner, and they can not be blamed because it must be very annoying if the work of someone is wasted.”

He then told a rather amusing story about a French cook he had hired, and Caroline, thanking him for covering up the awkward silence, laughing, laughing, and let him keep telling me some more anecdotes. Behind them, on the steps, appeared Miss Harrow who was muttering to herself. Not much she said sounded in Caroline's ears, but the pieces of sentences that sounded like “bad girls who don't know manners and are too presumptuous ... the shocking behavior of” was enough to give him a warning he would be forced to listen to Miss Harrow's angry complaints before the night ended.

Cherry and Archard walk at the back. Archard whispered, “Basically you poor little gypsy! You almost made me scream!”

Cherry rolled her shoulders impatiently, whispering she did not care: but at the bottom of the stairs she caught up with Caroline, who was stepping aside to let Big Lady Dior lead her into the dining room, and restrained her by pulling the folds of her dress, and said near her ear, when Miss Harrow, who was obeying the cue from Caroline, followed Big Lady Dior, “I'm sorry! I know I shouldn't have said that! Don't tell me I have to apologize to him because I don't want to!”

Caroline smiled, but held up a warning sign, whispering, “No, alright, but don't do that again!”

Cherry followed him into the room with a desire to be kinder, and for more than half of dinner time, remained silent. However, by the time the second dish was served on the table, an unexpected greeting from Archard made Cherry recall something she wanted to ask Caroline, and she said impatiently, “Oh, to which she was not prepared, Miss Dior, will you take me to the Official Dance Party in the Lower Rooms on Friday?”

“No without your uncle's permission, dear and I very much doubt that he will give it.”

“But, he's not here, so how can I ask him if I can go?” Cherry objected. “Again, even if he was here, he would definitely say you should be the only appraiser of what I deserve to do.”

“Oh, no, not in the least. He keeps an eye on you, tighter than you think!”

“Well, he doesn't need to know all about it,” Cherry said, in a displeased tone.

“I hope you are not proposing that I try to hide from her that I have allowed you to do something that I am very sure she will not agree with,” Miss Dior said. “You must remember he has entrusted you in my care! It would be surprising if I proved unworthy of his trust. You're trying to get myself in trouble, and please don't do it.”

“No, but I don't see any reason I shouldn't go to the Official Dance Party.” Cherry urges.

“I've been to some private dance parties, so why shouldn't I attend the dance parties for public?”

“No, indeed!” sambar Miss Harrow. “It will be a very wrong public appearance! In my youth”

Miss Dior gave Cherry a warning look, and silenced her cousin by saying, “You sound exactly like Aunt Augusta, Belevia! That's what he would normally say whenever I wanted to do something he didn't agree with. And, I strongly suspect that it was said to him, and also to you, in your youth, and you find it very irritating as I feel.”

Miss Harrow opened her mouth to refute this statement, but closed it back when she saw the silent gaze of Miss Dior that she did not dare to ignore. Cherry was not easily silenced, and continued to talk about the topic until Miss Dior lost her temper, and said, “Enough, Son! I'm sure Henry Curtis would be disappointed not to see you at the dance, but he certainly wouldn't be surprised.”

“Yes, she will feel astonished!” Cherry said, getting angry. “I told him to be there, when he asked me, because I never imagined you wouldn't take me”

“Oh, quiet!” cut Archard impatiently. “You're being a drab person, Cher!”

Red goes out, Cherry prepares to argue, but Miss Dior wears an effective silencer saying if they want to fight, they can do it in the breakfast room, but not at the dinner table.

Archard, feeling very guilty, immediately apologized but Cherry was too angry to follow his example. However, she did not dare to continue the quarrel, so Miss Dior was satisfied.

††*****††

Love Lightning Old VirginCHAPTER LI

Love Lightning Old Virgin
CHAPTER LI