There was something wrapped up in her response that made Ford frown — the suggestion of loneliness even in a house full of people — but he wasn't sure if it was a genuine sentiment or just something to say in order to have her way in the argument. Better to forge on, he decided, and revisit it later if the opportunity presented itself.

"You have plenty to learn here," he retorted. "And unless you plan to debut in Paris, what you learn from watching Verity and Grace will be far more useful than authentic French," he concluded with a roll of his eyes.

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