Helena hardly seemed to be listening, having climbed onto the bed to read over Lucy’s shoulder.
Anna gave an unladylike snort at the sight of them, then returned to her toilette. Her friends always managed to infuse every moment with a bit of chaos. She was the most middling and quietest of them. She satisfied herself mostly by watching the girls and occasionally mediating their most heated debates.
But that night, she was feeling a little emboldened by Helena’s argument, and by their destination. She took off her mother’s favorite diamonds and reached for a pair of chandelier earrings that her father had once calledthe height of vulgarity. To Anna’s eye, there was nothing immoral about them. They made her feel beautiful, like anything was possible when she wore them.
“But Helena was not done,” she piped up, shaking her head slowly and enjoying the tinkling of her new jewelry. “Because that education must come from somewhere…”
“Exactly.” Like kindling to a fire, Anna’s invitation to speak made Helena bolt upright, and she clapped her hands in excitement. “And there is only one culpable force…” She paused for gravitas, though they all knew what was coming. “Men.”
“Men,” Margaret echoed, rolling her eyes in disgust.
Lucy and Sophia nodded their agreement, taking on new fierce airs at the mention of their common enemy.
Anna did not feel as passionately about the topic as Helena. But she agreed with a low, damning murmur all the same.
“And that is why we cannot bend to their will this year,” Helena continued, commanding the room like a general with a hand on her hip. “We will not join the Season with the hope of finding husbands. We will attend their balls and dance and socialize with the rest of them. But in secret, we will forge a new way of living for ourselves, by reading and learning, by becoming women of culture—that which they fear most.” She leaped off the bed and landed loudly on the floor. Anna worried a maid would soon come asking about the racket. “And that is also why, above all else, we will never,evermarry one of them.”
“The League of Untamed Hearts,” Lucy intoned dreamily, having set down her book.
Anna cringed somewhat at the name. It had been Helena’s idea to start a society between themselves, like some of the fashionable women were doing in London. Their correspondence over the summer had taken on a new edge when Margaret had been snubbed by a bachelor in the country. Helena had come up with the idea shortly after, as a remedy to her friend’s heartbreak. Lucy had decided on the name, and Sophia had commissioned a unique set of wax stampers they could use to seal their letters to one another: a heart on a shield, guarded by two swords.
But unlike the bluestockings, Anna and her friends were not in a position to openly pursue their interests and express their disdain for society. Lucy, at seventeen, considered herself too young to be a pariah. Margaret and Sophia, despite joining in on the fun, still longed for happy marriages—Anna could tell just by watching them at soirees, where they tried to catch the eyes of passing suitors. Helena, despite believing in their rebellion with all her heart, feared the retribution of her parents. And Anna…
Well,I find myself sharing the same reservations and obstacles as them all. But most of all…
She shuddered.
Most of all,my father has already threatened to arrange a marriage for me if I cannot secure a husband this Season. If he knew of our intentions to turn into spinsters, he would marry me off to whomever he saw fit without delay. And I have seen the men my father socializes with. I would have an old boor for a husband, someone rich but cruel. That would be the worst life of all.
“Anna?” Margaret asked quietly from beside her.
Anna hadn’t even noticed her approaching. Helena, Sophia, and Lucy had started a new discussion on Lucy’s book, filling the room with happy conversation while Anna’s mind whirled. Margaret placed a hand on her shoulder and looked deeply into her eyes. Anna could sense her reading her thoughts. But instead of interrogating her, Margaret smiled.
“Those earrings look lovely on you,” she said, taking one between her thumb and forefinger. “I’m certain your cousin will love them too and want a pair for herself. Are you excited about watching her perform tonight?”
Anna nodded, grateful to Margaret for not exposing her. “I always am. Alicia has such a wonderful voice. She’s performing a Rossini opera tonight, and I know those are her favorites. Although I promised Mother and Father that I would take some time tonight to look for eligible bachelors among the opera’s patrons, I intend to spend every second watching her…”
Her mind turned to her talented cousin, and warm feelings washed over her.
Alicia was only five years older than Anna, but she had already traveled all over Europe with her opera company. When she had participated in the London Seasons, she had been the belle of every ball. Her voice was unmatched. While she bore a striking resemblance to Anna, she had a charm that was impossible to replicate.
Anna loved singing too, learning every opera that Alicia performed. But she would never measure up to Alicia—and that was fine.
“She always knows how to lift your spirits. I can always tell when you’ve been speaking with her. You sing more, and smile more too.” Margaret stepped back, but kept her voice low, not wanting to alert the others. “I hope that she can give you some sage advice tonight. Whatever is burdening your heart… you can overcome it, I am sure.”
Leaving to join the others and defuse the fight that was already starting between Helena and Lucy, Margaret left Anna to her thoughts.
She remained in quiet contemplation until the girls made their way downstairs. Anna had hoped to exit the house without attracting the attention of her parents. But the girls were running late, and she knew her father would not miss an opportunity to scold her.
She found her mother waiting for them by the open front doors, a cold breeze sweeping in from outside. Her father was discussing something with their butler, pointing at his pocket watch.
Rosamund Walford, the Countess of Bristol, was well-liked by the tonfor her gentle spirit and grace. Anna, however, knew a much different Rosamund than they did.
At home, the countess was a conduit for her husband’s will. By agreeing with all of his cruel decisions, she herself became cruel in the process. Anna saw glimpses of her mother’s goodness when they found themselves alone—like when they took tea while her father was working, or on their promenades in town. But those fleeting moments did not make Anna trust her, and she definitely did not consider her mother as an ally.
By contrast, there were no two sides to her father, Magnus. He was as unlikeable and cold to Anna as he was out in society. Somehow, the ton loved him for it. Anna didn’t know much about the way he ran his estate, but he was visited frequently by peers from all over England. And judging from their long sojourns in her father’s den, they must have enjoyed his company.
Her sister, Rebecca, older than her by nine years and married in her first Season, swore that Anna was mistaken and that she judged their parents too harshly. Their father may have been distant, but that did not make him a villain. Both of their parents only wanted the best for them.
