Delilah sputtered.

“Yes, well, about that.” Camille grimaced. “It seems better to avoid a proposal than to turn one down. Therefore, I am trying to sidestep any proposal.”

“Oh?”

“I have decided a man I need to lie to about my family is not a man worth having.” The moment she said the words, she knew they were true. As much as she had ignored it, that thought had lingered in the back of her mind from the beginning. Despite the fact that few would consider her mother’s, or her uncle Basil’s, usual behavior to be completely proper—and Lord knows the characters her mother usually filled her house with were not at all the kind of people one would properly associate with, and there were any number of dalliances and liaisons that had gone on beneath this roof—her mother was a kind and generous soul. There was no need to apologize for her, or hide her, and Camille was abruptly ashamed of herself for having done so.

“Goodness, darling, when it come to marriage, we all lie about something.”

“I never did,” Delilah said in a lofty manner.

“Your day will come, dear,” Mother said; then studied Camille. “So if you no longer want him, why are you continuing with your farce?”

“Quite honestly—”

“A bit too late for that,” Delilah said sharply.

Camille ignored her. “I’m not at all sure I can trust him to keep his mouth shut, especially if I turn down his proposal. And if word leaked out about my deception—”

“Oh, dear.” Mother winced. “The gossip—”

“Good Lord!” Delilah groaned. “We shall all be ruined! I will be ruined! I will not be able to hold my head up—”

“Which is why we will not let that happen,” Mother said in her best no-nonsense manner. “You’re absolutely right, Camille. We must play this out to the final curtain.”

Camille wasn’t sure when, if ever, she’d been so relieved. Not only was her mother not angry, but she was going to lend her assistance and make certain Delilah did so as well. She exhaled a long breath. “Thank you, Mother.”

“No thanks are necessary, dear,” Mother said. “There is nothing I would not do in this world to help you.” She glanced at Delilah. “Or you. Or Beryl.”

Delilah glared. “This is a dreadful mess you’ve gotten all of us into. Yet one more example of how you have never given due consideration to anything before plunging ahead willy-nilly.” She gestured wildly. Obviously, the specter of social condemnation had her one step from hysteria. “One would have thought after Brighton—”

“That’s quite enough,” Mother said in a hard tone. “I’m sure your sister has learned more than her share of lessons along the way. Why, I suspect she will never again hire actors for Christmas. Will you, dear?”