"I... suspected as much, but it seemed a somewhat lofty goal," Penny admitted cautiously. It was true that boys were considered marriageable much longer than girls, but Penny suspected that wasn't the reason that their mother was holding back on finding a perfect match for Bernard who was certainly very marriageable indeed. "I think Mother doesn't want Bernard to marry so she can keep him close to her," Penny said with a laugh.
Penny's smile turned a bit wistful as Gen expressed her feelings on their mother. "Don't you ever wish she was more tender with us? That she loved us rather than the idea of us and what we can bring the family?" she asked quietly. Perhaps it was just her, longing for affection as always; she felt quite silly sometimes, the way she craved it.