Anette leaned to the side as a footman placed a plate of food in front of her. “She is well. She has a peacock for a pet.”
“Did you say a peacock?” her mother asked, feigning shock.
“I did,” Anette replied. “Apparently, it is a rather ornery thing.”
“I have heard of women taking in peacocks for their feathers, but never to have as a pet,” her mother said.
“Roswell joked that they were going to have roasted peacock for dinner soon,” Anette shared.
“Dear heavens, I hope not,” her mother said. “Peacock feathers are quite the rage right now.”
Reaching for his coffee cup, her father remarked, “I have never heard of a more ridiculous pet than a peacock. If Octavia were wise, she would have gotten a dog.”
“May I have a dog?” Anette asked.
Her mother shook her head. “You need to be focusing your attention on finding a suitor, not entertaining a puppy.”
“I could do both,” she attempted.
“I doubt that,” her mother responded.
“It is true,” Anette assured her. “I would take Mr. Fluffy on a walk in the park and I would run into the most handsome of gentlemen. They will be so enthralled with my dog that I will have five- no, ten- offers each week.”
Her father grinned. “Mr. Fluffy?”
“Yes, I thought it was a good name for a dog,” Anette said.
“I don’t know. A dog is a big responsibility,” her mother started. “You tend to get bored with things easily.”
“Only unimportant things,” Anette countered.
Her mother turned her attention towards her father. “What do you think, Benjamin?”
“I am not opposed to it,” her father replied.
Anette's eyes lit up with delight until her father held his hand out to stop her. "If you insist on getting a dog, it needs to be properly trained," he sternly said. "I won't have an animal that behaves poorly in my house."
“I can read about how to train a dog,” Anette said.
“There is a book on that?” her mother asked.
Anette nodded. “I am sure there is since there is a book on everything.”
“What kind of dog would you care to get?” her father asked.
“I was thinking of a Pomeranian, like Queen Charlotte has,” Anette said.
“Queen Charlotte has many Pomeranians,” her mother shared. “She brought two of her dogs with her to England.”
Her father leaned closer to her. “What about a beagle or a collie? Those are fine dogs for a lady to have.”
“No, I want to carry my dog with me everywhere I go,” Anette said. “Mr. Fluffy and I will be the best of friends.”
“I heard that Pomeranians can be rather feisty,” her father remarked.
“That is perfect for me,” Anette declared.
Her father looked amused. “I will see what I can do about acquiring a Pomeranian for you,” he said. “But it might take some time. It took years before I received my hunting dogs.”
