Sky Pirates

Chapter 30

Out of protocol, Cole sat at the head of the table with his sister to his left. When the servants arrived for instructions, they wisely stood between the two siblings so that Mildred, who was better versed at formal dining could chime in with looks, nods, and when necessary, whispers. Cole, while acting as head of the family, gladly deferred to his sister in such matters.

To Cole's right, sat Mr. Wickliffe, next to him his wife. While next to Mildred sat Miss Wickliffe; Horatio Wickliffe and Lorain Canton sat across from each other furthest from Cole, with Miss Canton sitting next to Mrs. Wickliffe and Horatio next to his sister.

Mr. Wickliffe did his best to spur conversation for the whole group, but to little avail. It wasn't long before he and Cole were deeply engrossed in conversations about the great inventions Mr. Wickliffe had seen both in his living arrangements and his travels.

Mildred turned to Miss Wickliffe and studied her face for a moment. She was a beautiful young woman, nearly the same age as her. Her dress was a lovely pink with many ribbons and bows, yet her hands seemed terribly sturdy for someone considered in the nearly leisure class.

"Miss Wickliffe—" Mildred began.

"Edith. You must call me Edith," her dinner companion offered with the kindest smile she'd ever seen.

It was in that moment, and because of that smile, that Mildred decided the two of them would be very good friends.

"Edith, do you study?"

"Well, I've never had a formal tutor, such as you have." Edith ignored Mildred's eye roll. "But throughout my life, my father has selected books for me to read. He's taught me French and a bit of Latin, although I must admit I dislike Latin. And, of course, he's also taught me to play the pianoforte. Mother has shown me the womanly arts of sewing and cooking, but," here she lowered her voice to a whisper, "I'm not very good at either of them."

"It's as if we're sisters!" exclaimed Mildred. "Our educational likes and dislikes align perfectly. Perhaps we could help each other by studying our Latin together?"

"That would be lovely."

Their conversation paused as the servant offered them a selection of delicate cakes for their dessert.

Mildred looked around the table. Cole and Mr. Wickliffe were quite engrossed in conversation. Mrs. Wickliffe was suffering some diatribe from Lorain. And, poor Horatio, looking handsome and fit, was seemingly alone in his thoughts sitting as he was away from all the groupings.

"Edith, should we engage your brother in conversation?"

"No. He'll simply bore us with his boyish ways. He cares not for anything that interests me. We do laugh a lot together, but we rarely hold any stimulating discussions. In fact, I can't really tell you what interests my brother, beyond being witty and self-amused."

Mildred considered that. She found her own brother dull in social settings, but enjoyed spending time with him when they could be alone. And, no matter how she was feeling about him at any given moment, she would never speak disrespectfully of him to another, as Edith had just done of her own sibling. As she continued her contemplation, she again looked around at their guests and familiars only to realize everyone was staring at her.

"Do I have sugar on my face?" she asked, touching a napkin to her lips.

"My dear sister sometimes becomes lost in her mental machinations," said Cole with a warm smile offered toward Mildred. He leaned closer to her. "The question at hand is how we shall break up our party. Shall we all go to the parlor, where you and Miss Wickliffe shall entertain us on the piano, or shall we men retire to Father's study for brandy and you ladies enjoy coffee on your own."