“Few of the men would be a suitable husband for me, no matter how I stretch my requirements.”
“Martyrs don’t count the cost.”
“Then I’m no true martyr.” Ariana put the list back in her desk. “Do you remember Tessa Cornwell lamenting that when a lady was well into her twenties, all the best men of her generation were already taken? Perhaps it’s true, especially now with so many men lost in the war.”
“You could look at younger men. Your brother’s friends, perhaps.”
“Heavens, no! But I will try to find more suitable possibilities. We’ll be attending church tomorrow.”
•••
St. George’s was full and there were many men present. When everyone stood for a hymn, Ariana assessed the tall ones. They all seemed to be with ladies, and some were clearly with families. Two were possibilities, but how could she approach them? In fact, without a connection to introduce her, she couldn’t.
As they walked home afterward, her mother told Norris about the Wednesday entertainment. “I assume that will be all right, dear?”
“Anything you want, Mama. May I add a few names to your list?”
“Of course. Some younger guests would be pleasant.”
“Then Stuckley and Mifflin-Pole, both excellent fellows.”
Ariana resolved to seriously consider them if they had the height. A few years’ difference in age wouldn’t be impossible.
“Stuckley may want to bring his sister, who’s a decent sort. Perhaps also Miss Weathersted and Lady Phyllis Delacorte?”
Of course he wanted Miss Weathersted to attend, and Lady Phyllis could hardly be excluded. But Kynaston might escort her.
Ariana’s expression must have been revealing, for Norris said, rather huffily, “You object, Sis? They’re agreeable ladies.”
“I’m sure they are,” she said quickly.
“They’ll be most welcome,” Lady Langton assured him.
“Kynaston will probably attend,” Norris said, and he seemed as unhappy at the prospect as Ariana. “He’s always hovering over Lady Phyllis.”
“There’s nothing amiss about a protective older brother,” his mother said.
There wasn’t, but Ariana would have preferred that he be neglectful. “Kynaston can be difficult,” she said, “but that’s neither here nor there.”
“Difficult?” her mother asked, making Ariana regret her words.
When they arrived home and Norris took himself off, Lady Langton said, “I wasn’t aware that you’d spent time with Lord Kynaston. Apart from that waltz.”
“I encountered him in the house a few times,” Ariana said. “He seemed somewhat morose.”
“Lady Cawle is concerned, which is only natural. It’s a sad case, and she’s very fond of him.”
A sad case. So everyone knew he was sunk in drink and melancholy and beyond hope.
•••
Monday was taken up by the usual Town tedium of morning visits, but they were an essential part of becoming known. A number of ladies were old friends of her mother’s, and many gentlemen remembered Ariana’s father warmly. A Lady Knightly invited them to take a stroll around the shops, which Ariana found tedious. It was all bonnets and lace and no books.
That evening, after dining at home, Ariana, Norris, and their mother attended an assembly at the Admiralty. The invitation came from an admiral Ariana hadn’t known was on the family tree, and she went in hope of uncovering a whole new batch of possibilities. Naval officers were often away at sea for long periods, and an absent husband might suit her best.
Alas, she found the company rather short. Perhaps the cramped conditions on board ships deterred tall men from the career.
On their return Ariana looked again at her list of two. “I need new candidates.” She sat at her dressing table so Ethel could unpin her hair. “Tomorrow I’m going to rebel against morning calls. The company is mostly ladies and I have so many other activities in mind. I want to visit the British Museum, the Egyptian Hall, and Mr. Soane’s. And return to Mr. Peake’s to study his collections more closely.”
