“I’m all tangled up in these dratted – ” she hesitated, wondering what to call the elaborate wooden curls and twists carved into the back of the settee. “ – swirladingles,” she finished. “Acanthus scrolls,” the man said at the same time. A second passed before he asked blankly, “What did you call them?” “Never mind,” Pandora said with chagrin. “I have a bad habit of making up words, and I’m not supposed to say them in public.” “Why not?” “People might think I’m eccentric.”
