"Oh, Lucy. It's so exciting. Geoffrey's brother William is to be received at St. James Court. While Lord Wellington was driving the French out of Spai..., our soldiers were attacking two islands in the Americas. And apparently Captain Stanhope acted so promptly and courageously in covering their retreat both times that he may perhaps be knighted." How marvelous," Lucy said.'Isn't it?" Caroline gushed. "Oh and Lucy, Mr. Digby will be here at eleven o'clock."Lucy's face quickly darkened."I don't. ..so subdued, obedient and cheerful. How do you do it?"Peters shook his head sadly. "Gentlemen, you lack tack. Younever say NO to a woman. That's like waving a battle flag andtelling them to open fire. If it's something you don?t want to do or want them to have, you AGREE and say, ?Soon?. And youkeep saying soon until they give up. You see, you are inagreement; you?re not arguing with them, so there?s nothing forthem to get their teeth into. But again, I only use it for thingsI really don?t. "I'm a no-good, lazy and stupid sluggard of a jock. I shouldn't be allowed to roam loose in public."She peered at me. "That's true," she agreed. "Okay, no going out in public for you, jock. At least, not without a keeper. By the way, did you know that I'm a qualified keeper? Licensed and everything." Really? Can I see?"She reached for her purse and pulled out her learner's permit for driving, which she had just recently gotten. She handed it to me. "See? Right there," she said, pointing. "It. As much as she found herself wondering how Herr Ziegler’s lips would feel on hers, he was a soldier, and a Nazi soldier at that! It could never be. … ‘Claudette, darling, aren’t you excited for the gala? It’s been ages since we’ve had a new picture come to town and even longer since we’ve had a gala!’ Mamette gushed as she sipped her tea in the cafe. ‘I don’t think I’m going to go,’ Claudette smiled softly at her friend before taking a drag of her cigarette. ‘Oh but you must, darling!’.