Never Pretend to Me
At the garden gate she asks. She hands him Dr. Trent's letter. She cannot quite say I love you on the first try and takes refuge in flippancy, then says it. He sets terms: secrets, mail, no pretending, the island. She sets one: never treat her as an invalid. He is not in love. He has always thought she was a bit of a dear. They will not lie, especially a petty lie. The Stirlings revolve in their graves. She is less embarrassed by a yes than she would have been by a refusal dressed as brotherhood.
Key Insight
Honest love can sound like a contract. Romance plots hide the terms until they explode. Valancy and Barney put the terms on the gate. If you cannot name the non-negotiables before the licence, you are still performing courtship.
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