MISS MANNERS by Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Carrie and Ashley are both good friends of ours. We enjoy their company and accept their social invitations when offered.

A few years ago, they had a kerfuffle that put a strain on their relationship. My wife and I didn’t want to play games or favorites, so we would invite them both to events. So far, every event where they’ve been in the same room has resulted in some sort of unpleasantness -- public enough to detract from the event itself -- and usually ends with one of them storming off.

In private conversations, when we try to mitigate future occurrences, they both express regret for such incidents and resolve to do better, which we believe is genuine in that moment. But inevitably, something

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