Constructing Wilde

Part 1

Besides, Oscar found that Frank was quite clueless when it came to most matters of life, so it was completely expected of Frank to be a fool. Quite aside from that, Oscar was convinced that Frank's dear Aunt Augusta thrived on poking fun at her somewhat dense nephew; she certainly didn't strive to, as she would put it, undeceive him when it came to his lack of intelligence. Simply put, the woman thrived off opportunities to mock Frank's unawareness of his own fogginess.

"No more?" echoed Frank, the corners of his mouth turning down in an equally contrived look of disappointment.

"No more," confirmed the butler. "And your Aunt Augusta and Miss Langtry are waiting here in the hall."

"Ah, well..." sighed Frank. "I suppose there's nothing to be done about it. Come in, come in! So nice to see you, Aunt Augusta. Lillie, lovely of you to stop by. You may go, Lane."

Lane bowed briefly and exited with a quiet, "Very good, sir."

Aunt Augusta coasted in and eyed him superciliously; she clearly didn't buy his excuse.

Frank turned to her just as she composed her expression to a neutral one; he bowed his head with a sigh. "I do hope that tea cakes and muffins are okay, Aunt Augusta. I'm afraid that Lane was unable to get the cucumbers for the sandwiches I asked him to get for you."

"No matter," Aunt Augusta said, eyeing the empty, crumb-filled plate on the table. "I've already had tea with another friend; Lillie isn't terribly hungry either, I dare say, as she came from lunch."

Lillie inclined her head with a smile. "Truth be told, I'm not. Tea cakes and muffins sound fine."

With that, Frank went back to his usual jovial self as Oscar watched in bemusement. He engaged the two women in conversation and settled them in the chairs before taking a place beside Oscar on the sofa. Oscar watched languidly, listening to the conversation; he participated when the occasion arose, but for the most part, he was content to observe Frank's antics and the women's responses.

***

"Say, Oscar..." began Frank.

Oscar narrowed his eyes as he tucked into his dinner: steak, mashed potatoes, and a nice big slice of pecan pie. He waited; Frank would elaborate if he was patient.

Sure enough, Frank continued. "My aunt wants me over for dinner Friday. And I heard you were dining with the Harrisons' then."

"And?" Oscar mumbled, cutting a piece of steak and eating it.

Frank shoveled mashed potatoes into his mouth, wiping the gravy off his chin when it dripped. "And you might be a good chap and get me out of it."

"Why should I do that?" asked Oscar, frowning.

"Because friends support each other; and besides, you couldn't abide the idea of leaving me to suffer through one of Aunt Augusta's dinners. You know how she gets; I either end up with no company or too much of it. It's downright dreadful. So... Might you see about getting me an invite to Harrison's dinner party instead?"

Oscar sighed and set his fork down. "How long have you been putting this off?" he asked.

Shrugging, Frank said, "A month or so. What's the difference to you? I dined with her and her husband only last week, so I don't see why I ought to go to her party; once a week eating with family is quite enough for any sane person."

"I think you had much better go to your Aunt's as asked, Frank. She's a force to be reckoned with, and you didn't mention any prior engagements to her today. Friday's only two days away, and you've known about this for quite some time."