Vanessa rarely seemed in the mood for conversation, but she was pleased when Agnes offered to read to her to pass the time. The girl tried out some short stories by Thackeray and Dickens, but Vanessa complained that they made her head ache so. In the end, it proved, the only literature tolerable to the sensitive head of the invalid was gossip from the Daily Sketch and snippets from Punch or Country Life. When Vanessa heard speculation about the coming London Season she seemed to brighten for a while, then would sink back on the sofa under her blankets looking wistful. What hastened her recovery was Raven’s return from Cambridge. He devoted his days to her, playing music, chatting and laughing, inviting round friends to cheer her up. There came a time when she began to eat better and the pinkness returned to her complexion. The doctor seemed pleased with her progress and advised her to walk regularly in the garden and even to take in sea air. Then, one sunny morning in late spring, when Gerald Melton was away, Vanessa refused her usual breakfast in bed and swept downstairs to join Agnes and Raven at the table, her eyes sparkling, the pallor of the previous weeks completely gone.
