Persephone stifled a gasp and she threw up her hand to cover her mouth. He loved her? And he knew so already? Feelings whirled about her mind and her attention slipped so she didn't hear what her father replied. She wasn't sure what she felt, and now she felt pressured to make a choice, even though she still felt it was too early for her to tell. She turned away from the parlor door and closed her eyes, breathing in and out. Harriet found her and tugged her away to see the new wallpaper in the girl's bedroom, and Persephone feigned calm when her sister questioned her sharp expression.

Wentworth Blythe fell silent once more. He took another puff on his cigar. Donald could probably tell by now he was a man who liked to think his words through. "A doctor, you say?" He pursed his lips and tilted his head. "Better than we'd hoped for. My daughter has never expressed a wish for children to me, though my wife and I would very much like grandchildren, so if she is unsure I am certain she could be persuaded. Harriet would know more of Persephone's motherly possibilities. You would find it best to ask her if looking for a trusted opinion." Another pause, another moment taken to smoke. "Persephone's dreams are far-fetched and strange for a woman to our family." Wentworth glanced out the window for a long, long moment. It was clear he was considering something and would be offended should Donald try to interrupt the silence. "If she is wed to you, however, our opinions would matter little, so long as she was respected a decent amount in Whitby. Which is where you intend to settle with her, is it not?"