Given by Lisa G. Riley, Roslyn Hardy Holcomb Page B

irresistibly drawn to her, and Mary Katherine knew that Mr. Adams had had many offers for her hand. Grace, of course, found even the idea of marriage revolting. Mary Katherine smiled. She couldn't blame her. “So,” she began, “why the sudden need for a new dress?”

    Grace looked at her with serious eyes for a moment before saying, “I seem to become especially clumsy while wearing dresses, and most all that I own have met with unfortunate mishaps: a rip here, a stain there. Why, one even mysteriously got scorched—right in the middle of the skirt.” She blinked. “Of course, repairs are not an option.”

    Mary Katherine looked doubtfully at the other woman, who was the least clumsy person she knew. In fact, her given name was amazingly apropos. “Grace, I can't believe that all of your dresses are in ru—”

    Grace suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand, looking at her with wide, innocent eyes filled with apology. “You can't know how guilty I felt about the expense—”

    “Oh, I'm sure I could,” Mary Katherine muttered wryly. She considered her friend in admiration. My God, she should be onstage.

    But Grace continued as if she hadn't said a word. “And I told Papa that I'd only be too happy to wear some of Matthew's old trousers, so as to save him the cost of new dresses.” Her eyes were still wide, and they still held regret.

    Mary Katherine just looked at her before patting her hand. “I'm impressed. Does that look usually work on your father?”

    Grace smiled without an ounce of guilt before pulling back. She pushed a wayward strand of hair back into her single braid. “Yes, it does,” she said with pride. “And it would have worked this time, t, too if that oafish lout Jacob hadn't come in and told Papa that it would be disgraceful to allow me to wear trousers and that I should just get new dresses, never mind the expense!”

    Mary Katherine laughed out loud. “I take it your father agreed and wouldn't hear of your making such a sacrifice as wearing trousers.”

    Grace's mouth twisted in disappointment. “I'm sitting here asking you about the blasted cost of gingham, aren't I? In fact, thanks to that interfering brother of mine, I'm to contribute to the cost with my own pocket money. I have to pay a quarter of the bill! Imagine! Not only am I being forced to conform, but I am being forced to pay for my own loss of individuality! Is that not intolerable?”

    Mary Katherine, seeing how upset Grace was, bit her lip to keep herself from laughing even more. “Was your father terribly angry, then?”

    Grace frowned. “Not so much angry as perplexed, as if he couldn't understand why, as a female, I do not, as he sees it, act like one.” She shrugged. “Perplexity is the expression you will most often see on my father's face when he's confronted with me. You might say that I am his own personal sphinx.”

    There was a lot of pain behind that light statement, but Mary Katherine didn't comment on it. She'd learned not to press, because Grace never responded. Instead, before she thought about it, she said, “Any offers this week?” She immediately wanted to bite her tongue. Of course Grace knew about Jacob's proposing to her, and now she'd just opened up the subject of him again. Muttonhead , she silently scolded herself.

    Grace grinned, causing Mary Katherine to blink. It was a rare occasion to see the intense young woman smile, and this grin was almost an exact replica of Jacob's. Mary Katherine gave her head a quick shake. She had to stop thinking about the man! She tuned in to what Grace was saying.

    “No, none, thank God. I think Papa has just about had it with me and is ready to throw me to the first man who smiles pretty, completely discounting my feelings in the process. What about you?”

    As single women considered well past marrying age, they found themselves almost inundated with proposals, especially Mary Katherine. She figured most of them came from men who were really