“What do you mean, he suggested you invite him to dinner at our home? That sounds quite forward. One doesn’t suggest it; one gets invited. Truthfully, I wasn’t happy about his spending so much time with Corrine at the gala without first being properly introduced to us. That didn’t make a good impression on me, and I am surprised you’re not as upset about that. Besides, since when do you jump so quickly at the command of another businessman, Harrington Dixon? No matter what influence he might have on the board of directors?”

“I told you I knew him from previous business dealings, Rosemary. He’s a very successful young man, and all I’ve heard from businessmen who have anything to do with him are good things. You have a terrible habit of prejudging someone before he has a chance to breathe the same air.”

They both turned to me when I entered the kitchen. My mother’s eyes flooded with new suspicions.

“Have you had correspondence with this man since the Wexler gala? Don’t dare lie to us, Corrine.”

I looked at my father, who nodded slightly.

“Yes.”

“To what end?”

“I saw him in Charlottesville. He visited me at Great-aunt Nettie’s.”

Again, I wasn’t telling a lie. I was just not telling everything.

My mother slapped her hands together like she would if she was trying to kill a mosquito. “How did he know you were there?” she asked.

“He saw me crossing the street and had his carriage follow me to Great-aunt Nettie’s house. Naturally, I invited him in for a cool drink.”

Her eyes didn’t lose their look of suspicion. “Why is it that I have to dig like a coal miner to get the whole truth out of you, Corrine? It’s not natural for a daughter to keep so many secrets from her parents, especially when it comes to men and especially from her mother.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean it to seem like a great secret.”

She sighed. “So you’ve given him encouragement? This dinner isn’t exactly something plucked out of the blue?”

“We’ve given each other encouragement,” I said. “I can’t check every word, every look I’ve had from every gentleman with you first, Mother. You’d hardly have time for anything else during your day.”

That sarcasm she missed. If anything, her day was so empty to me that she really had the time to work a coal miner’s shift.

She stared at me a moment, the frustration exhausting her. “This isn’t the time for any argument. Let’s just get this done properly now. I will not have someone come to dinner in my home and leave with a bad taste in his or her mouth.”

“I’m sure it’s delicious.”