"She'll be delighted," Catherine replied. Then she turned to Jane. "So do I. I'm happy you've agreed to join us. I'll see you then. Goodbye and thank you for the tea." Then she let the maid show her out. She found Sarah waiting for her in the hall. She left two cards on the hall table, and as she and her maid drove home, she told Sarah all about the interesting young lady in the wheelchair.

"Well, Miss. It sounds like for all her misfortunes, that young lady is blessed with a kind spirit and a positive outlook on life that luckier folk could learn from," Sarah concluded when her mistress had finished her account.

Cathy stared out of the window and frowned. "I wonder if she'll ever marry though..."

She did not see her maid roll her eyes, nor hear the deep sigh.