“Of course,” Miranda said matter-of-factly, pushing her spectacles higher on her nose. “Now, do tell us what’s going on, Charlotte.”
“I realize you must think me quite melodramatic.” A faint, nervous laugh escaped her. “But the truth is, something has happened—something that made me realize we can’t simply drift through our seasons, hoping the right match will fall into our laps. Not if we want to avoid poor Victoria’s fate.”
Miranda made a sound of agreement, while Genevieve and Adeline’s eyes went wide. Helena sat forward eagerly in her seat.
“Something has happened, hasn’t it?” Felicity asked.
Charlotte nodded, her throat suddenly dry. She swallowed. “I believe Sir Roger Leonard intends to court me.”
The reaction was instant: She saw five sets of eyes widen in immediate response. There was a collective gasp, followed by Miranda’s soft “Oh no….” and Genevieve’s perplexed “But why?”
“Roger Leonard?” Felicity looked mortified. “He’s quite…” She searched for a polite descriptor. “Flamboyant.”
“Flamboyant is one word,” Genevieve muttered. “Odious might be another.”
Helena blinked, then frowned. “Doesn’t he gamble to excess? And he… smells odd?” She didn’t bother disguising her distaste.
“I heard he drinks,” Miranda added, “and not in moderation.”
“And I’ve heard,” Felicity said, “that he forces conversations about hunting and hounds at every opportunity.”
“It’s all true,” Charlotte confirmed, feeling queasy as she remembered Leonard’s eyes on her the day before. The thought of his hands on her…. It made her ill.
Adeline exchanged a horrified glance with Miranda, who set down her teacup so hard, it rattled in the saucer.
“Surely your mother wouldn’t allow such a match,” Adeline put in.
But Miranda shook her head. “She likely would. He’s an earl’s second son, and so thetontolerates him. That said, I doubt you’d find a single woman who’d call him an ideal match.” She sighed, settling back in her chair. “Poor Charlotte. Are you sure he’s serious?”
“He called on me yesterday with a large bouquet,” Charlotte confirmed. “I had to feign a sore ankle to avoid promenading with him. And yes, he talked about both hounds and hunting. In detail.”
A collective murmur of commiseration passed through them.
Felicity reached out and patted Charlotte’s hand. “That must be awful for you. Is your mother truly considering him?”
“I don’t think she would outright insist upon it, no—but my options are thin. You all know that. And Roger Leonard, being an earl’s second son, isn’t an outlandish catch in society’s eyes. Worse, he seems determined. I fear my mother—and indeed, all of our guardians—are more concerned with our financial security than our personal preference.”
They all exchanged glances, hearing the honesty in these words.
“I’m not a prize in the marriage market,” Charlotte continued. “With my modest dowry, I’m hardly inundated with offers. If Sir Roger proves persistent, I can’t be sure how much pressure there will be. Mother wouldn’t force me, but…”
“It’s too easy to make it difficult to say no,” Genevieve finished for her.
For a moment, there was silence.
Helena broke it by shaking her head emphatically. “He’s a dreadful man. You can’t possibly accept him.”
“Of course I don’t want to,” Charlotte said firmly. “Which brings me to the real reason I asked you here.” She hesitated, looking between them all. “I’m not the only one of us who’s facing a grim prospect. We’ve each endured at least oneunsuccessful season. In truth, I’m worried that if we leave everything up to luck—or our parents—we’ll all end up like Victoria: Betrothed to someone who isn’t right for us and forced into a marriage we despise.”
There was another moment of hush as they all thought about their own pending fates. None of them could deny the truth of Charlotte’s words.
“So we have to do something,” Miranda announced, setting her shoulders back. “What are you thinking, Charlotte? How do you—any of us—escape this?”
Charlotte drew a breath and summoned whatever scrap of boldness she possessed. “I think we should join forces. Help each other ensure we find the right matches, or at least avoid the worst ones.”
Miranda crossed her arms over her chest, clearly intrigued.
Felicity’s eyes grew even wider. “But… how, exactly?”
