Each of the three seemed to have a different interpretation of his response; the Lord seemed to think he was being polite, and only encouraged it further. The daughter seemed to think he was playing hard to get. The wife seemed to be siding with the party, or, worse, thought he was already with them.<br/><br/>And, of course, no one would say anything about it overtly, leaving him stuck in the middle. Fortunately, dessert arrived, before anyone had a chance to let it explode over, and they were all treated to a delicious pudding with fresh strawberries.