They were great friends; the sense of humour possessed by her mother-in-law took the sting out of the relationship.
* * * * * The dinner at Aylmer's house was a great success.

Bruce enjoyed himself enormously, for he liked nothing better in the world than to give his opinion.

And Aylmer was specially anxious for his view as to the authenticity of a little Old Master he had acquired, and took notes, also, of a word of advice with regard to electric lighting, admitting he was not a very practical man, and Bruce evidently was.
Edith was interested and pleased to go to the house of her new friend and to reconstruct the scene as it must have been when Mrs Aylmer Ross had been there.
Freddy, the boy, was at school, but there was a portrait of him.
Evidently he resembled his father.

The sketch represented him with the same broad forehead, smooth, dense light hair, pale blue eyes under eyebrows with a slight frown in them, and the charming mouth rather fully curved, expressing an amiable and pleasure-loving nature.

The boy was good-looking, but not, Edith thought, as handsome as Aylmer.
The only other woman present was Lady Everard, a plump, talkative, middle-aged woman in black; the smiling widow of Lord Everard, and well known for her lavish musical hospitality and her vague and indiscriminate good nature.