“And what of the next dinner party, the next ball, the next soirée that I am invited to?” Teresa replied, almost to herself. “I do not think I can do this for another Season.”
Beatrice waved a dismissive hand. “Then do not. Do what I have done since I was five-and-ten—pick and choose. If there is a year where you cannot compel yourself to be sociable, then do not. Everyone will try to convince you that it is not that simple, but it is.”
Not wanting to cause offence to her closest friend, Teresa held back from saying that not everyone had parents who ignored their children and let them do what they pleased because they did not always remember that their children existed. It was not Beatrice’s fault that she had been raised with absent parents, who only cared when she did something so wild that it could not be overlooked.
So, instead, Teresa said nothing, sinking into her thoughts, letting what Lady Juliet had said turn around and around in her mind. A carousel of stark honesty.
“Youcannotlisten to the likes of them, Tess,” Beatrice urged. “They are vapid, envious, awful creatures.”
Teresa tilted her head to one side. “If I never saw those ladies again, it would be too soon, but… I cannot deny that Lady Juliet made an excellent point.” She puffed out a sigh. “I cannot be oblivious to my situation.”
“What situation?”
Teresa scrunched her eyes shut and rested her head against the wall. “Being three years in society and still unwed.”
“Oh, do not worry about that,” Beatrice urged brightly. “I have told you before—Ishall take care of us both. If you did not think me serious, I must let you know, right this minute, that I am perfectly serious. You and I shall have a residence somewhere, all our own, where we shelter any other ladies who have no desire to marry.”
It was a beautiful thought. Whenever Beatrice had mentioned it in the past, it sounded like paradise, but it had also sounded like pure imagination: a spinster’s fantasy that could never come true. For Beatrice, maybe, but for Teresa? Impossible.
“I would adore that,” she replied in a faraway voice. “You know that I would not mind remaining a spinster indefinitely, enjoying life without expectation, just like you wish to, but… my brother will never allow it.”
Beatrice narrowed her eyes, clicking her tongue. “He is not your father, Tess. He cannot make you do anything.”
“He can,” Teresa replied. “For all intents and purposes, heismy father—he adopted that role when our father passed, just as he inherited his title of Earl. He has made his position clear on the matter of my marrying; he is too stubborn to ever renege upon his decisions.”
Beatrice sniffed. “And this would be the brother who is also unwed, and seems to show no indication of marrying anyone? The brother who does not even speak to ladies at these events, if he attends at all?”
With a resigned chuckle that she could not help, Teresa looked at her friend and said simply, “He is a gentleman.”
“And that should not make the slightest bit of difference,” Beatrice grumbled. “Either everyone should be forced into marriage, or no one should. It should not be one way for the ladies and another for the gentlemen.”
Teresa shrugged. “I agree, and perhaps one day society will be in agreement with us, but that day is not today. Nor will it be that way by the end of this Season.”
Beatrice shuffled around to face Teresa, taking hold of her hands. “Do you want me to find someone boring and rich for you? Do you want me to find you a gentleman who has no interest in being anything other than distant acquaintances? I know a few. You could be as good as a spinster, free to do as you please, yet ‘married’ to satisfy society.”
Teresa could not help but marvel at her wondrous friend, who seemed to know everything about everyone, and never gave away her sources, regardless of how keenly Teresa asked. It was as if the gossip of society was a tree, and Beatrice was somehow directly connected to the roots, sucking up the information and secrets of theTon.
“You might roll your eyes, Bea,” Teresa replied hesitantly, “but… if Iamgoing to marry, I would… perhaps like to find the love of my life and be blissfully happy, like my sister and Edmund. Like the heroes and heroines in my books. Like Captain Frostheart and Miss Savage.” She blushed, thinking of her favorite story—a clandestine novel that came to her in chapters by post every fortnight, the author anonymous. “My silly daydreams made real and, trust me, I know it is silly, but?—”
“Not silly at all,” Beatrice interrupted, giving Teresa’s hands a tight squeeze. “I may not want anything to do with any gentlemen, but you know I do not deride those who do. My choices are mine. Your choices are yours. All I need to know is that itisa choice, and not a coercion.”
Teresa shrugged her shoulders faintly. “To fall in lovewouldbe my choice. My preference, rather.” She swallowed. “I think I could be very happy if I were to fall in love and marry that beloved man.”
“Youdounderstand that they might not be a swashbuckling captain in scandalously tight buckskin pants and a billowing shirt, who would slash a thousand throats to rescue you from the wicked admiral, do you not? I must be sure of that, too,” Beatrice teased a little, flashing a mischievous wink.
Teresa laughed. “Alas, Idounderstand that.”
“Well, although I confess I shall be sad to lose you from my spinsterly plans, I shall help you and support you. Always.” Beatrice grinned. “That being said, I cannot help but wonder if you should just ask a man to kiss you and have your curiosity satisfied that way, instead. No need for marriage once you know that your daydreams are infinitely better.”
“Ah, but what if reality is better?” Teresa pointed out, her heart racing a little at the thought of kissing someone.
Beatrice wiggled her eyebrows. “Indeed. What if it is?”
“You shall get me flung wholly out of society with such wicked talk,” Teresa said, putting on a gasp of mock outrage. “Why, just think of the scandal!”
Beatrice leaned in, elbowing Teresa lightly in the ribs. “No, no, just think about the kiss.”
Teresa was about to make a joke about her beloved Captain Frostheart, seeing if Beatrice knew of any gentlemen whodidmatch such a man, when a voice sent a swift chill beetling down her spine.
