A Time To Dream by Lewis Sherry

Author:Lewis, Sherry [Lewis, Sherry]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Sherry Lewis
Published: 2015-09-12T16:00:00+00:00

“A dinner party?” Victoria stared at Prudence Beaming’s benign face in disbelief. She kept her posture rigid and her face impassive, but her heart thumped ominously in her chest and anger began to boil just below the surface. “Surely, you’re mistaken.”

“Not at all.” Prudence took an irritatingly slow sip of tea and smiled as if she enjoyed upsetting Victoria. “I believe the invitations are for Friday evening.” She fluttered a hand and pretended concern. “Oh, dear. Have I upset you? I thought surely you knew.”

Victoria patted the back of her hair carefully. “Which unlucky souls has she invited?”

“I believe she asked Orville and Lydia Englund.”

“Lydia Englund?” The name escaped her lips before she could stop it. The idea of Agatha trying to get Lydia Englund on her side was simply too much to bear.

Prudence smiled knowingly, which only made Victoria angrier. “I believe the others are John and Caroline Baxter. At least, that’s what Gloria understood from Emma White.”

Victoria bit back a scathing comment about Prudence’s unfortunate daughter and her penchant for gossip. At least Agatha hadn’t compounded her error by inviting someone else of the Englund’s social stature. She should be glad of that. “Orville and Lydia will refuse, of course.”

“On the contrary.” Prudence’s smile grew almost vicious. “I believe they have sent her an acceptance, as have the Baxters. But, then, Caroline always was fond of Agatha, as you know.”

“Indeed.”

“It presents a problem for the rest of us.” Prudence flipped open her fan and waved it in front of her face. “Gloria wonders if we’ll be expected to include her on the guest list for or ball at the end of the month.”

“I shouldn’t think it will be necessary to include Agatha in future entertainments,” Victoria assured her. “I doubt very much she is seriously interested in rejoining society. You know how difficult it always was for her.”

Prudence nodded slowly. “Yes, it was, wasn’t it? You’ll pardon me for saying so, Victoria, but she simply doesn’t have the breeding. Not that I blame her, of course. One simply can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”

No one believed that more deeply than Victoria, but she loathed Prudence Beaming for saying it aloud. It was, she thought with a scowl, quite a tactless jab against Zacharias—against all the Logans, for that matter. “There is nothing you can say about Agatha that I haven’t said myself. Zacharias is well aware of the error he made by marrying her, but he is making plans to rectify it at once.”

“Surely you don’t mean he would divorce her?” Prudence pretended shock, but Victoria could see the gleam of anticipation in her eye.

“I mean exactly that.” Victoria picked up her teacup again and watched Prudence over its rim. “Zacharias has been more patient with her than most men would have been, but he has finally admitted that it’s pointless to continue this way. He’s thrown enough of his life away on a woman who, though I hate to say it, isn’t mentally stable.

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