“Well, what is it? Of course you must tell me.”
“Brother Dudley is going to be married,” said Hal with her usual directness.
“When?” And Sir Edwin gave a low exclamation of surprise. “Isn’t it rather sudden?”
“Very,” in dry tones.
“And I suppose you don’t want to love your prospective sister-in-law all in a hurry.”
“I don’t want to love her at all.”
“Then I don’t suppose you will,” with a little laugh. “Presumably you know her.”
“I have known her a long time. If I had been asked, she is the last girl I could have believed Dudley would care for. I don’t believe he does care for her in the real sense. She is very pretty, and she wanted to marry him, and she just played on his feelings.”
“What do you call ‘in the real sense’?” he asked pointedly.
A pink spot burned in Hal’s cheeks; she felt the question a little beside the mark, and did not want to answer it.