No, it never came up. In the scheme of things it just wasn't that important -- to us, as readers of the story, and to the characters in it. Because don't forget the context here. The morning after that dinner party, Alred was called to Sigefrith's castle to lend his authority to the fake exile of his former best friend Egelric. It was the first time he had seen Egelric in a week, not since Gwynn pleaded with him to let Egelric go home (and by then Alred knew about the thing with Maire and knew why Egelric was in such a hurry). And it was the first time Alred had seen Egelric since Egelric said something so vile to Dunstan that Conrad dares not repeat it to Meggie.

I doubt Alred and Hetty even found out about the dress until after Egelric's fate had been decided, and by that time neither of them were in a condition to get worked up about a dress.

I don't know what he did afterwards. I expect that loyal Margaret did her best to minimize the effect. Perhaps preemptively mentioning it in a trivializing way. Sigefrith probably felt too awkward to admit to her father that it truly was a little risqué, since he had spent the entire evening within ogling-distance, and because he felt rather bad for Alred at that moment as it was.

The only person who would really take it upon herself to to say something is Eadie... and Eadie is known to be a wee bit prudish, so people would tend to assume things aren't as bad as she was describing.

I suppose Hetty was instructed to have a talk with her. But the thing is, everything I have seen of Gwynn since then makes me think Gwynn herself had already decided it wasn't such a great idea. Her memories of her triumph that evening are all mixed up with her sick feelings of that night (when she learned about Finn kissing Connie, and also that Egelric was accused of rape). And Margaret already talked to her that night. I just don't have the sense that she wants to repeat the experiment, or that she would have been the least bit defiant or defensive when Hetty tried to talk to her, which must have made for a very brief and uninteresting conversation.

Gwynn is just kind of mopey right now. All crummy-feeling. She's back to wearing her old dumpling dresses. She doesn't do anything with her hair. All the sparkle that she had felt on her snowpile-stomping day (prior to Finn's arrival) has gone out of her.

I imagine the topic of that nightgown dress will come up again. Emma, for one, seems unlikely to let it die. Finn may have his word to say. (It's the sort of thing he might fling out in the midst of some heated argument about something else: "Oh, yeah... and what about that nightgown dress, missy?" ) And maybe the next time Sigefrith asks to borrow Gwynn for the evening, Alred and Hetty will make extra-special-sure of her wardrobe.

Finn might have been planning to say something anyway, along the lines of the warning he tried to give about Cearball perhaps. But he scampered off to Dunellen the following morning (to avoid SOMEONE no doubt... whether Gwynn or Connie) and then followed his father into exile. So basically he never saw Gwynn again.

Anyway, I think the non-issue I have made of it in the story is in keeping with its relative importance in the great scheme of things. Gwynn breaks out with a very teenagerish move, something worthy of a grounding maybe, and the next day EGELRIC IS BANISHED for reasons of RAPE AND SODOMY AND CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT MURDER, and FINN WENT WITH HIM. And then MAIRE KILLED HERSELF which makes Egelric sort of an INDIRECT MURDERER. And then PAUL WENT BATSHIT and RUA BLED ALL OVER ALRED'S COUCH AND FLOOR, and yeah. Alred, Hetty, and Gwynn are all falling apart in their different ways. What dress?

I feel as if I should insert an "Ach".