At breakfast Amala’s father announced with glee that Henry and Chit would be coming for lunch, and it was Oliver’s hope that the men would stay on through tea and perhaps even supper. Amala secretly shared his hope and his enthusiasm, but for entirely different reasons. She believed one of the biggest reasons her parents enjoyed entertaining company—at least when it was people they actually liked—was at least partly due to the restricted expectations of their place in society. Her father—like Henry and Chit—was a gentleman with ample wealth, and their family names and situations made it unseemly for them to engage in any kind of employment beyond matters of their estates, which were mostly taken care of by well-trusted overseers. The result was that the majority of this class of people—both male and female—were usually consumed with boredom. There was a very short list of acceptable occupations of one’s time, and those things often grew wearisome—especially after years of having little else to do. Therefore, positive social interaction was a great treat to such people. Given that Oliver and Viola were both very outgoing in nature and also very generous in sharing all they’d been blessed with, having people over to visit was a genuine pleasure for them. However, they had no interest in entertaining people who were snooty or gossipy. Although it had never actually been articulated, Amala knew that her parents carefully gauged people’s attitudes toward Amala being accepted as their daughter; it was like some kind of social barometer that determined whether or not people were ever invited more than once.

Amala’s insides were swarming with butterflies when their visitors arrived. Initially she felt a little worried about being able to maintain her and Henry’s secret around other people; she wasn’t certain she could keep herself from staring at Henry or from allowing her feelings to show. But she felt a deep relief just to see him enter the drawing room with Chit at his side. His greetings to everyone were comfortable and amiable, and within minutes he was chatting and laughing with the others, appearing completely relaxed. Occasionally he tossed a glance in her direction that was too discreet to alert anyone to his having a particular interest in her, but it was just enough to remind Amala that this man loved her. And she loved him. The more she observed him in such a setting, the more enamored with him she became.