28th February, 1891

My shining Ruby,

I hope this letter finds you well and that you are finding your studies both stimulating and enjoyable.

I am rather embarrassed to have not to communicated with you sooner on this matter; please forgive me for keeping you out of the loop, as it were. As you know, your dear Papa is a poor substitute for a proper mother figure. To that end, I entrusted your aunt with a mission that I hold very dear indeed: seeing you properly attired for your upcoming debut.

While I know—do not worry—that you do not wish the life of a debutante in the conventional sense, I confess that to see none of my girls make their entrance into the Great Hall is a notion that pains me more than I would have expected. While it is important to me (and may well be to you, in the years to come), I am quite aware of my ignorance on the finer details—to that end, I had hoped Evelyn might prove a boon.

You have told her that you are busy for the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend and that is your prerogative. I only hope that you will find time to visit the modiste with her sooner than later and put a poor father's concerns to rest.