" Her face was bright red with fear and embarrassment. She bobbed a curtsy, "Begging your pardon, Sir," Victoria gasped between deep breaths, "My mist...ess had put them out to throw away so I mended them for my own use." "Which mistress?" "Lady Jane, Sir." He eyed her suspiciously. "You didn't steal them?" She choked back a sob, "Honest, Sir. They were torn. I beg you to believe me." Mr Tannard was silent for a moment in thought. Victoria's legs quivered beneath her as she awaited his judgement,. “Are you sure you’re ready? We can wait until you’re not as sore, if you like.”A look crossed the women’s faces as they apparently realized they weren’t nearly as sore anymore. Both sat up and slid a hand down to touch themselves. With a grin and another quick look at her mother, Charlotte spoke again. “Suddenly, we’re ... not sore anymore – at least not much – and a little while ago, I, for one, was wondering if I would even be able to go to breakfast.”Ada chimed in with, “Me, too, but now I’m. Marjorie was in a panic. What to do about Kenneth? James was all for letting him fend for himself which Marjorie would not contemplate for a second. Could he go and stay with James’ sister Grace again? This was unthinkable, as far as Marjorie was concerned. Grace had a daughter, Daphne, the same age as her darling Kenneth. Kenneth’s excitement at the prospect, and her suspicions of just how close the two had got last year, were enough to rule that out. Then a solution seemed to be available. His legs still felt weak and shaky.They headed out the front door, around the side of the house. The backyard was deep shadows. He clicked on the flashlight."Wow," Roger said. "He needs to put fairy lights in the trees out here." The yard was beautiful, landscaped with flowers and deep green grass. "And a swing to sit on." From what I've been able to gather about Nick, he spends a lot of time on home improvement. This place was a major dump when he got it." You've been gathering a lot on him..