Sentence:  Highland had fallen into the habit of casually <WSD>bedearing</WSD> Mary when there were people about. "Well, dear," he said, "how about it?" "Oh," she said, "I think it's a lovely place, and so clean and tidy, and the sea, and all — I'd love to stay." 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To say "dear" to; address as "dear".