Briefly, Penny wondered if perhaps she was wrong to have answered his initial questions. He was smiling and joking (or so she thought) but what if her opinions had made him uncomfortable somehow? Noting subtleties had never been her strongsuit. What if his teasing was just polite deflection to cover annoyance?

"You ought to stay in styles you're comfortable in." The confidence that allowed her to voice her opinions about colors, handkerchiefs and the weather had seemingly vanished, leaving her feeling deeply off balance and flustered. "I'll just be over there when you've changed."

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