“Lady Christine.” Lady Fosberry’s brow furrowed. “I can’t make out how she did it, as she’s a dainty little thing, but then a lady is known to find great reserves of strength when it comes to a pretty piece of silk.”
“If Lady Christine has chosen lavender,” Tilly observed, “It must be all the rage this season.”
“Indeed, my dears, there’s not a single scrap of lavender silk to be had in all of London.”
“Lavender, of all absurd colors.” Juliet began on another teacake. “It doesn’t flatter any but the fairest ladies, but then I suppose that’s why Lady Christine chose it.”
“Lady Christine’s machinations will serve her well this season.” Helena nibbled daintily around the edges of her own teacake, a thoughtful expression on her face. “The marriage mart is rather like the animal kingdom, isn’t it? The most aggressive members of the herd flourish, while—”
“Herd?” Lady Fosberry gasped. “I’m going to act as if I didn’t hear that, Helena Templeton.”
“The difference is, animals act by instinct alone, whereas the ton is motivated by cultural prejudices, social pressure, and economic gain. It’s perfectly logical in a civilized society to approach marriage thus, of course, but—”
“Love isn’t logical, Emmeline!” Lady Fosberry gave an offended sniff. “Neither is the heart a civilized organ, nor should it be!”
“Are we talking about love?” Helena asked innocently. “I thought we were discussing marriage.”
“My dear child, one hopes they’re one and the same.”
“You misunderstand me, my lady. I mean to say the ton would do better to approach marriage with an eye to complementary characteristics, rather than fortune and pedigree, but they limit themselves by choosing spouses only from their own exalted ranks. I don’t have anything to say against love.” Emmeline had nothing to say in favor of it, either, but she thought it prudent to keep that opinion to herself.
“Humph. Well, I’m pleased to hear you say so, as cynicism is not an attractive quality in a young lady.”
Was she cynical? Emmeline didn’t think so, though perhaps her own disastrous season had jaded her somewhat. Above all, though, she was a scientist. “When one considers the matter scientifically, matchmaking isn’t so very different from botany.”
“Not botany again!” Tilly buried her face in her hands with a groan.
Emmeline ignored her. “A mindful botanist doesn’t just cobble together any two roses that happen to grow in the same garden and expect a perfect bloom. They research a plant’s characteristics, study their growth patterns, then choose two that are ideally matched, plant them in fertile soil, and nurture them until the desired outcome is achieved.”
“Well then, girls.” Lady Fosberry looked between them, a calculating gleam in her eyes. “Since you’re all such accomplished matchmakers, who would you all choose for Lord Melrose? Who is his ideal match?”
“A lady from this season’s offerings, you mean?” Emmeline asked.
“No, I mean any lady, ton or not, and regardless of her family or fortune.”
“I’d choose a lady who is fond of the country, but equally at home in London,” Phee said. “A lady who delights in society, but who values family above all else. A lady of beauty, wit, and spirit. A lady of charm and vivacity, with some experience of grief to lend depth to her character, but who hasn’t been irretrievably damaged by it.”
Lady Fosberry arched a brow. “My goodness, Euphemia, you seem to have given Lord Melrose’s marriage prospects a great deal of thought. Who, may I inquire, is this paragon of womanhood?”
“A lady very much like…” Phee paused dramatically. “Miss Juliet Templeton.”
There was a brief, stunned silence, and then the room exploded in excited chatter.
“Juliet! Well, she is the prettiest lady I know. Much prettier than Lady Mariana,” Tilly declared, with a fond glance at Juliet.
“Certainly, she’s the only one of us with any pretensions to being a beauty.” Helena studied Juliet for a moment, then gave a decisive nod. “Yes, I think you’d do very well as the Countess of Melrose.”
Juliet and Lord Melrose? Emmeline cocked her head, considering it.
If there’d been another lady to rival Juliet among the ranks of the ton, Emmeline would have despaired of her sister having any chance at all with Lord Melrose, but his options this season were disappointingly few. The young ladies on offer were very much in the style of Lady Christine.
Lord Melrose didn’t strike Emmeline as the sort of gentleman to surprise them, no matter what Lady Fosberry said. Still, if he were willing to choose a bride from outside the aristocracy, he’d likely gravitate toward a lady like Juliet, for all the reasons Phee had mentioned.
That was a significant if, however.
While an animal would naturally choose their best mate when presented with them, gentlemen, alas, weren’t as clever as animals. Lord Melrose might be predisposed to choose a mate with Juliet’s characteristics, but first he’d have to abandon all the criteria by which aristocratic gentlemen chose their spouses.
Emmeline had yet to see that happen.
