"Yes, a little clean up.  And then I have some letters to write before supper."<br/><br/>He favored her with a discrete glance and a wider smile.<br/><br/>"You wish to join me for supper?  As a gentleman I must perforce accept, and gladly."<br/><br/>Was that a hint of a jest in his pompous choice of words?  Stranger things<em>had</em>happened already.