After the gala, on the ride home, mom seemed rather pleased with my performance tonight. Her voice was uncharacteristically gentle as she made a few passing remarks. I listened in silence, but my mind had already drifted far away.
After tonight, my goal was clear. Every step from here on would have to be carefully calculated. Marriage could be a cage, or it could be a ladder. And I would make it the ladder that led to the very top.
When Dad returned to the estate again, the irritation from our previous encounters was gone from his face. In its place was a faint, barely perceptible relief.
He settled onto the sofa, his tone businesslike and detached. "I've given it a great deal of thought, and made some inquiries here and there... Theodore Harrington might actually be a suitable match."
