Ford rolled his eyes at Mama's comment about marriage, because he had basically decided he'd never be able to marry and he thought everyone else in the room at the time that the comment was made — Mama and Noble — would understand why. He couldn't even really afford to look after Mama, even if he did manage to get each of his sisters married. There was no way he was inviting someone else into all of this. Not, anyway, for anything more substantial than dinner, and when Grace returned and went straight to the table he was again regretting having even done that much.

"He's not even here yet," he called to his sister from the other room. He had risen from his chair and made himself a drink while waiting for her and Verity to reappear, and while listening to his mother casually berate him and Noble, but had remained in the parlor. He'd thought to remind Grace that she ought to be prepared to greet the guest before taking her seat, but thought better of it. Lestrange probably wasn't going to care about standing on decorum, and if they could all be spared Grace trying to manage a — well, gracious — introduction, that might be better. Despite his offhand comments earlier, though, Ford did imagine Grace would have to say something at some point, so it was only delaying the inevitable if he left her sitting at the table.

"I suppose it'd be too much to ask for everyone to just be normal for a few hours?" he said to no one in particular.