“Look at you.” Albina stepped forward to gently caress the side of her daughter’s face. “Such a beautiful young lady. You have inherited my good looks.”
Frances almost cracked a small smile at that, but then her mother said, “But none of my charm.If only you spent less time with your books and more time socializing, we would not be in this conundrum.”
Albina had a habit of complimenting her children, only to put them down in the same breath.
“Mother, I cannot really change myself so drastically overnight, can I? I am trying to do the best that I can.”
“You need to charm the men who take an interest in you,” Albina continued. “You must give them a reason to marry you—something that they cannot get from anyone else.”
Like taking care of their orphaned nephews?
Frances pushed the thought out of her head.
“I will try to not let you down.” She looked down at the floor.
Albina huffed, letting her disappointment be known, before she eventually left her daughter alone.
Shoulders slumped, Frances stared out the manor window.
This marriage was trickier than she had expected. As a young girl, she had always imagined not putting in much effort into finding a match—some handsome knight in shining armor would arrive to sweep her off her feet and bring her to her happily ever after. There was nothing about trying so hard to secure a match.
“Has she been on your case again?”
Frances started at the sound and turned around to find her sister Harriet before her.
“I’d rather not talk about it,” she replied quickly.
“It is Mother’s favorite pastime—giving her daughters a difficult time when they are of marriageable age. I shudder to think what she will do when it is my turn.”
“You’re better equipped at dealing with her, that is for certain,” Frances sighed.
Out of the three sisters—Esther, Frances, and Harriet—the latter was the most outspoken. She knew how to stand up for herself, something which Frances was not good at.
“Then learn to take a page out of my book?” Harriet mused.
“And learn to charm men at balls so that they fall in love with me at the first meeting?”
Harriet chuckled lightly. “That, too. But I had meant in regard to handling Mother’s insistent badgering.”
“I just cannot stand making meaningless conversation with gentlemen, which Mother forces me to do. What happened to letting a connection form naturally?” Frances groaned. “I am sure that she expects the same from me in the next event that we are scheduled to attend.”
“Naturally?”Harriet snorted. “You and I both know that word does not exist in Albina Cooper’s vocabulary. Are the men she introduces you to really that dull?”
“I do not want to say dull?—”
“You do not have to be so nice all the time.” Harriet narrowed her eyes at her sister.
“Fine. Perhaps they could be more forthcoming, but I am no better either. I let my shyness consume me, and then we get trapped in a long moment of silence.”
“That soundsawful.”
“Now you know.” Frances pressed her lips together. “I wish I could borrow some of your natural ability to converse with anyone with ease. Heaven knows I need it.”
Harriet put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You do not need anything that you do not already have. The right person will fall in love with exactly who you are.”
Frances searched for her sister’s face for any signs of insincerity, but it was not in Harriet’s nature to say things just to make people feel better.
Frances was about to respond when the thunderous voice of their father, William, startled them.
