“Who won?” Peggy asked. She hadn’t even noticed.
“You don’t deserve to know,” he grinned. “You’re off on a cloud somewhere. Come on, ingénue, let’s go for a walk.”
They strolled through the lovely grounds, finding that one winding path led to another even more charming. Most of the landscaping was designed to offer the best possible view of the lake, and Peggy felt actively envious watching the boats dart back and forth like large birds.
“I’ve wanted to tell you, Peggy,” Chris said as they sat down on a large rock that jutted out over the water, “what fun it is working with you. So far I’m enjoying For Love or Money more than any other play we’ve done. It means more to me than just a play,” Chris went on seriously. “I feel that we do awfully well together—in almost anything.” He stopped, looking at her intently as Peggy caught her breath. She didn’t know what to say. Finally, a moment later, she tremulously suggested that they had better get back to dinner.
“Dinner!” Chris exclaimed with humorous disgust. “At a time like this, with romance in the very air around you! Honestly, Peggy, you’re enough to try anybody’s patience!”
Peggy wished with all her might that she knew what her real feelings were in regard to Chris. It was all so confusing, she thought, as they found their way back to the dining room through the maze of pathways.
Dinner was a sumptuous affair and a refreshing change from the good but rather plain food at Mrs. Brady’s.
“Cheddar cheese soup!” Michael Miller peered at his bowl like a hungry owl. “Haven’t seen this since Dad took me to New York last year!”
“Personally, I prefer turtle Madeira,” Alison said languidly, taking a few sips of the delicious broth.
“Listen to the prima donna,” Chris whispered to Peggy. “She was fine as long as she had all the leads, but now wait and see. For the rest of next week she’ll be impossible. I know—I’ve seen it happen before.”