Not alone.

Tension engulfed the air, it could not be avoided. Ruth bit her lip as she had been caught in the lie and she had no idea what to say or how to defend herself. Worse still, grandma Mayfair had directly destroyed her lie and revealed that Phoebe was her granddaughter.

Ruth was quite the clever schemer and her mind came up with a solution to get herself out of the fire.

She softened her tone and smiled playfully. "Grandma, i was just joking. Of course i don't think that Phoebe my beloved best friend and sister is a bumpkin. I was just trying to hide her identity in case someone with bad intentions tries to take advantage of her.

You know that she did not grow up in our circles, as word of her existence spreads, there are so many rich young men that will approach her for all sorts of reasons. I have known Dickson for many years, but i do not trust him completely. I do not want him to meet my younger sister without checking his intentions first."