Jennie Kissed Me by Joan Smith

stay for the remainder of the week. His first words were to his daughter, but above her head his eyes sought me out with unhidden eagerness. His greeting to me a moment later was flatteringly effusive.
    When I quote the words, “Nice to see you again, Jennie. I must say, the country certainly agrees with you,” they sound ordinary enough. But their delivery was flattering. A man’s eyes do not dart so intensely over a lady’s face and linger so long on hers if the words are mere civilities.
    There was no mention of Anselm but much talk of Marndale hurrying up his business as he was eager to finish it and be free to spend a little time at home.
    “If you have come to visit me, Papa, you have chosen your time badly,” his daughter told him. “Jennie and I will be leaving on our outdoor expedition tomorrow morning.”
    “I made sure you would be back by now.”
    “No, the weather prevented our going. We leave tomorrow.”
    Marndale looked a question at me. “Must you?” he asked quietly. Again the words give no notion of the mood. His look spoke volumes of disappointment.
    “Is there some special reason you would like us to remain, Papa?” Victoria asked. “If it is important, naturally I shall put off the expedition, but you know Jennie is leaving next week, and I could not undertake it without her.”
    Marndale was much too clever to reveal any expression of slyness, but I had the sense that his “reason” was an excuse, conceived on the spur of the moment. “As a matter of fact, I do need you, Victoria. I have some important guests coming this weekend. Some members of Parliament and even a few ministers. As my hostess you will be in charge of making them comfortable. I quite depend on you.”
    “On me!” she exclaimed. It would be hard to say whether she was more astonished or pleased.
    “You are old enough to take on the duties of my hostess now. It will be excellent practice for when we go up to London next spring.”
    “Will I sit at the foot of the table and be able to stay up late?” The very nature of her concerns showed she was too young for the job. On the other hand, she was not much too young, and the country was a good place for her to begin learning her duties.
    “Certainly,” he replied.
    “Oh, Jennie, this is all your doing! Only a month ago Papa called me a silly goose. You were right as usual. You said if I wished to be treated like an adult, I must act like one, and already Papa is treating me like a grownup. Thank you, Papa.” She ran to him and threw her arms around him in a display of childish eagerness. Over her head Marndale gave me a sheepish look.
    “Then we may consider the expedition off?” he asked her.
    “Postponed till I have performed my duties as hostess.” She turned to me. “Could you not stay just one or two days longer, Jennie, and we could have the expedition on Monday, after Papa’s guests leave?”
    Marndale looked to hear my answer. “Good students should be rewarded for learning their lessons so well, don’t you think, Jennie?” he asked.
    “If the weather is good on Monday, I shall stay for our outing, but I cannot linger here forever.”
    We all three talked a little longer. When Victoria dashed off to begin being an adult by telling the housekeeper of her new glory, I had a private word with Marndale.
    “Mrs. Irvine will not like my prolonging the visit,” I said. “She is eager to be getting on to London. Is the apartment ready?”
    “I stopped around the last thing before leaving London. The painters were giving it a final lick and polish. It is practically ready to move into.”
    “Did you manage to find someone to stay with Victoria?”
    “I twisted my cousin Alberta’s arm. She has tentatively agreed to come to Wycherly till I can find a suitable companion. It is deuced hard to find the proper sort of lady. Alberta is really much too old, and the half dozen who answered my advertisement were either too young or too sly or too underbred.