After the mention of cows, Victoria ignored Aria, as if she was beneath her notice. The Lockwood parents began discussing business, excluding Aria from the conversation—probably a deliberate ploy by Frances to make her son see that Aria was unsuitable.

“And then,” Frances continued, “Kevin declared it the most thought-provoking campaign since the Waldorf affair in 2014.”

Eli leaned toward Aria. “Kevin is the chief executive officer of—”

“Pish, Elijah, I’m sure Amelia isn’t interested in our little business discussions,” Frances interrupted, then turned back to the rest of the table. “Of course, I said to Kevin…”

Aria tuned out of the conversation. She couldn’t understand why Frances disliked her so much—she didn’t even know her—but her attitude was upsetting. Especially when she contemplated how a lifetime of their condescension would feel for her baby, who’d done nothing to deserve it.

A young waitress served the entrée, which appeared to be a bald sparrow. Aria choked on bile at the sight of it. There was no salad, nothing else she could eat. She stayed silent, dredged up a smile for the waitress and sipped her orange juice instead.

“Is there something wrong with your quail?” Victoria asked.

“No, but I’m vegetarian,” Aria explained. “I’ll wait for the main. I’m sure there will be something I can eat.”

A hush fell over the table, and she wondered what unspoken rule of etiquette she’d broken now.

“Don’t you like meat?” Dave asked, breaking the awkward silence.

“To be honest, I don’t remember. It’s been so long since I ate it.” The pungent scent of it was certainly putting her off at the moment.

“Aria is a vegetarian because she thinks it’s wrong to eat animals,” Teri piped up for the first time during the evening. “She volunteers at the animal shelter back in Itirangi. She gave me the kitten to look after for a while.”

A kitten that Aria had noticed Eli had kept. Obviously, he hadn’t told Teri, though.

“So, it’s you we have to thank for that lovely creature?” Frances queried, her grimace saying it made perfect sense.

Aria felt compelled to defend herself. “I think having a pet teaches people about being responsible and caring for others.”

“It teaches people how to clean up someone else’s mess,” Frances said. “That isn’t a lesson Therese needs.”

“My dear,” Phillip began, “I think you would like meat if you tried it now. It’s understandable you would have a bad impression of it if your mother didn’t cook well, or if cooking isn’t your forte.”

“I enjoy cooking,” Aria said. “And I like to think I’m good at it. I certainly haven’t had any complaints. If you’ll excuse me, I need to find the ladies’ room.”