"Oh, come now," Max said, which might be taken only for waving off her courteous sentiments, but was rather a scoff of impatience in verbal form, a don't waste my time like this. If she truly was surprised, then Nicky must not have mentioned as much as he had suspected. But he knew for a fact Nicky knew he was here; he had had the letter from her to prove it.
But she would feel obliged to protect her sister, he supposed, and maintain a veil of secrecy. That she seemed slightly unsettled, Max decided, was proof enough that she was hiding something, and he knew just what. He deliberated just coming out and saying it, the very blatant reason he was here, the foremost reason he had so suddenly renewed his interest in the Dippet family. But better not. For all he knew, Nicky was listening on the stairs somewhere, and he didn't like to give her the satisfaction. "I'm sure I'm not the only recent visitor you've had."
But she would feel obliged to protect her sister, he supposed, and maintain a veil of secrecy. That she seemed slightly unsettled, Max decided, was proof enough that she was hiding something, and he knew just what. He deliberated just coming out and saying it, the very blatant reason he was here, the foremost reason he had so suddenly renewed his interest in the Dippet family. But better not. For all he knew, Nicky was listening on the stairs somewhere, and he didn't like to give her the satisfaction. "I'm sure I'm not the only recent visitor you've had."
