Robert glanced at the dress again. He had never realized that women only wore a dress once. He tried to picture of what his sisters wore and thought he had seen them wear the same thing more than once, but he wasn't sure. He had never paid attention to it.

He turned his eyes back on the young lady. "Well, that's a shame, for I'm certain few other ladies would be graceful enough to do justice to such a gown. But surely we'll pass here again on our way back to the market. I was about to promenade the east pier." That was a lie. He had been heading towards the 199 steps to climb the cliff and spend some time looking out over the town and sea, but that might be too strenuous for her. He offered her his arm. "And in the mean time, if you will, do tell me what's been going on in this town while I was away."