When Alice arrives home that evening, she wants to sneak into her too but she is surprised to find her father, the Viscount, waiting for her. "Where have you been?" he demands, his eyes flashing with anger.
Alice's heart sinks. She has been sneaking out of the house for weeks, and she has thought she has been careful not to raise suspicion. "I...I..." she stammers, unable to find the words to explain herself.
Viscount Danbury's eyes narrows. "You have been sneaking out to God knows where, haven't you?" he says, his voice full of accusation. "What are you doing there that you can't do here?"
Alice bit her lip, her mind racing as she tries to come up with an answer that wouldn't get her into more trouble. Finally, she says, "Father, I just wanted to learn new things. I know that you want me to be skilled in embroidery, for my husband's sake, but I also want to learn about other things ."
