“Oh no, sir. I do have secrets, but that’s not one. It was my first time,” I said. “With the waltz,” I pointedly added.

He laughed. “My wife is right. One would never have thought so,” he replied, and nodded at my father in a way that I thought sent a subtle warning.

My mother, of course, needed none.

“How is it that I didn’t see you dancing with that man?” my mother asked as soon as we stepped out of the Wexler mansion and started down to the carriage.

“It wasn’t very long, Mother. He was simply showing me the basic steps, and there were far better dancers perhaps commanding your attention. We were a bit off to the side, too.”

My mother swallowed back her short grunt, and we boarded the carriage.

“A proper gentleman would have asked our permission first, at least your father’s.”

“Well, that was a pretty penny spent on a gala,” my father remarked as we headed away, ignoring her. “Did you enjoy yourself, Corrine?”

“I did. Thank you, Daddy.”

“From the reception you received, I believe you’ve been properly presented to our local society,” he added, and looked at my mother. “Rosemary? Remind you of your first gala?”

“Hardly,” she said. “I certainly didn’t dance with a stranger.”

“Oh, he’s not all that much a stranger. As I told you, he’s now involved with our bank and in a big way, too.”

“He’s a stranger to our family, Harrington.”

“Maybe not for long,” my father said, casting a look of amusement at her.

I sat back, smiling and thinking, Yes, maybe not for long.

“I’d like to visit Great-aunt Nettie soon,” I announced a few minutes later.

“Why?” my mother instantly demanded, spinning around to look at me.

I shrugged. “She’s always invited me, and I think I need to strengthen my ties to family, seeing how important it is to most everyone, especially you, Mother.”

My father smiled conspiratorially. “You do think that, Rosemary, and she is your mother’s sister.”

“I don’t know how well she is these days,” my mother said. “Visitors might be too trying. That woman has suffered far beyond what’s reasonable in one life.”

“More reason for Corrine to visit her and provide some amusement and joy, Rosemary. We should leave it up to her,” my father said. He looked back. “No harm in writing to her to see how she would receive you.”

“Of course, Daddy.”

“I’m not interested in such a visit,” my mother said sharply.

“I’m just going to see my great-aunt, Mother. You don’t have to accompany me everywhere I go.”

My mother was silent.