They sat quietly and sipped their tea until Megan was calm again. She felt she owed Helen an explanation for her embarrassing loss of control."Helen, ...I said 'my fiancé' but I'm going to break off our understanding and I know how hurt he will be." Oh. Oh dear me. Is it because you live so far apart?" Not really. You see, like one of your daughters, I'm set on a career that I've dreamed about since her age. I can't give it up now. I do love him. I love him so much I couldn't just write to him. He. And I envied the ease with which she moved in her skyscraper heels.Somehow I managed to croak out the question, "And the third reward?"Gretchen smiled and said, "A tension reliever. Lower your panties toyour knees and I'll show you."I complied with that very welcome order.Gretchen stood face to face with me and said, "You're so sweet and such afast learner. I just know we're going to be great friends. We're goingto learn how to do make-up next and kissing lipstick to lipstick is suchfun. . By the time Dad was finished with Mom and Anna, I was ready to go back upstairs.I was getting ready for the most stressful week of my life. I don't mean stress like emotional tears. I mean stress like final exams. It was worse than preparing for my night of Chateaubriand at the Tally Ho. Half my time at the studio was being taken up with learning how to work with Jess in the field. Harvey sent us out to a local restaurant to do a report on their Polishfest. Fortunately, the owner was a funny. A grunt. A gasp. Another grunt. Simultaneous, yet from three disparate sources.What a fitting end to my most abject humiliation yet. I’m on the ground in full view of any who might pass, sandwiched between two men I don’t even know. Worse, I’m naked and weeping like a simpering idiot. I hope that, whoever they are, they’re high in the King’s counsels. Better yet, I hope they’re already well-known to me, and I to them. I hope they’ll depart and tell everyone they know what has happened on this.