He offered his handkerchief politely, not awkwardly but in empathy. Then he offered his arm to usher her to the refreshment table. "Oh, no... That doesn't change my mind at all, Nettie, I still wish to court you. I just... wanted to do it properly out of respect for you is all." He offered a smile, looked into her big blue eyes and wished he could reach out and touch her face but it would be highly improper. The lad got her something to drink then and offered it to her. "Here now, have a sip and take a nice, deep breath. I am not going anywhere unless you want me to." He glanced over toward his sister and then did a double take. "I... think I might need to throttle a Carrington," he muttered. He hadn't seen Mister Culpepper so he was not in his sights, but Roderick Carrington sure was.