Chapter Three
First impressions are a tricky business. It often happens that what one sees is not, in fact, what one gets. Anyone can act for five minutes, and far too many do. The question is how accomplished an actor are they, and why are they acting a part? Take a second look, if not a third, and if a third is not enough, give them an impression in return to remember.
-The Spinster Chronicles, 17 July 1816
He’d read the page four times in an hour, and then a further three more times that afternoon, chuckling to himself at times, nodding in agreement at others. It was well written, each article possessing just the right amount of wit to keep it entertaining. It was hardly shocking, despite what Hugh had said. The lead column the week before had borne a completely different tone, one with far more cynicism, but when addressing the subject of conversation at balls, it was perfectly fitting.
And downright hilarious.
Between the two of them, and the few others he had managed to track down, he’d almost come to a decision. He needed further information, however. Which explained why Tony was now on the front step of his cousin’s home, debating whether he could actually go through with this. It would probably end up being far more than he bargained for, but with nothing better to do and no one to dissuade him, this was his best course of action.
He raised his hand to knock when the door opened, and he had to step back.
Hugh stood there, hat on his head and gloves in his hands, looking all-too surprised to have Tony on his front step. Then his brow furrowed, and he turned mulish. “Good day, cousin. Have you come to berate me further about my behavior, or have you procured a commission for me so that I might find the order and maturity that I seem to lack?”
Tony frowned at his cousin. “No…”
“Oh.” Hugh’s expression changed to one of mild confusion. “Then what brings you here?”
“I came to…” Tony winced, shaking his head. “I came to ask about the Spinsters,” he mumbled.
Hugh grinned slowly. “Ah, piqued your interest, have I? Well, you are in luck. I am about to attend a card party where all of them should be in attendance, and you shall accompany me.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary,” Tony protested, hastily backing up. “Another time will do.”
“Not at all.” Hugh stepped out of the house and turned Tony in his direction. “The best way to learn about them is in person, and the sooner you begin the better.”
“I’m not agreeing to anything,” Tony warned him.
Hugh gave him a knowing look. “We’ll see about that.”
“I’m only curious.”
“Of course.”
“Because I read the column.”
“Naturally.”
“It raised questions.”
“I suspected it might.”
Tony frowned as Hugh entered the carriage. “I’m only asking for more information, Hugh.”
Hugh gave him a bemused smile. “Yes, I know. Get in, we’ll talk on the way.”
This was destined to be a very bad idea, but there was no help for it. Tony boarded and situated himself across from his cousin, sighing in resignation. “Whose card party is it?” he asked. “Will they mind an uninvited guest?”
“Not at all.” Hugh fussed at his berry-colored coat and gold waistcoat with a furrowed brow. “It’s Mrs. Wilton. She has three unmarried daughters, though only two would be considered of an eligible age. She’ll be quite delighted to see you.” He looked him over quickly, smirking. “Doubtless she will be disappointed at your lack of uniform, but there’s nothing to be done about that, and you look smart enough for a card party.”
Tony looked down at himself in confusion, not thinking there should be anything lacking in his general appearance. “Thank you, I suppose.” He narrowed his eyes at his cousin. “She’s not going to be insufferable about it, is she?”
Hugh shook his head quickly. “Not at all, Mrs. Wilton is the sanest mother of daughters I have ever met in my life. And her daughters are perfectly proper and respectable, pretty enough, and the fortune is admirable. A bit bland, but doubtless they liven up on better acquaintance.”
“Then why have the third out if she is so young and the mother not aggressive about marrying the girls off?” Tony asked. Really, was it not enough to have the trouble of two unmarried daughters? The complexities of Society and its concerns were overwhelming, and often unfathomable.
“As I understand it, the youngest Miss Wilton is determined and opinionated, rather unlike her sisters.” Hugh shrugged and looked out of the window. “She’s probably only out to avoid an all-out battle with her mother or sisters. I’d avoid that one, if you can.”
Tony shuddered. “I don’t need to have a child bride, thank you very much.”
That caught his cousin’s attention, and a sly smile appeared on his face. “Then what sort of bride would you like, Captain?”
Tony glared a warning at him. “One when I am ready, which is not at this moment.”
His words had no effect on his cousin’s expression. “Yet you want to know more about the Spinsters.”
Tony let the sounds of the carriage fill the silence, and then turned a sardonic look on him. “Would you like me to marry one of the Spinsters, Hugh?”
For a moment, his cousin looked pale and slightly ill. Then he laughed and retorted, “You’d never. They’re all tyrannical and interfering busybodies who can’t get husbands for themselves, and their bitterness about that has led to a campaign to prevent any young woman from anything remotely romantic. They’re all destined to be hags who huff and puff in the corners of ballrooms for the rest of their lives.”
“That’s very eloquently put,” Tony snorted. “Pity you didn’t have that passion and penchant for speech when you were in school, you might have received better marks.”
Hugh grinned rather smugly. “There is nothing like a cause to properly motivate a man to action.”
True, Tony thought. Very, very true.
But he doubted his cousin’s cause and his own would be the same. Unless Tony witnessed some great maneuvering in a military fashion from these women in a way that directly affected him, he had no intention of putting a stop to anything. His cause right now was sheer curiosity and fascination. And for now, that was enough.
Most of the spinsters he had known in his life had been shy, retreating creatures; wallflowers who never danced; blatantly plain or sometimes downright unattractive women with nothing else to recommend them; heiresses with higher opinions of themselves than of any man who might have tried for them. To be perfectly blunt about it, he’d not known too many spinsters who were under the age of forty. But most of them shared one thing: they were all exceedingly bitter about their state. Very rarely, in his admittedly limited experience, had he met a spinster that seemed comfortable with her situation, if able to find humor in it. The Spinsters, and their articles, seemed to be proof that such women existed.
Why that should interest him, he couldn’t have said, but he couldn’t deny that it did.
His dance with Miss Westfall had certainly proven something along those lines. She was the same sort of timid creature that he would have expected her to be, and the sort that was understandably, if unfortunately, a spinster. Yet as he had spoken with her, and eventually obtained consent for a dance, she had proven to be just as sweet-tempered as any other shy creature he’d ever met, spinster or not. She had only found difficulty with her speech for the first few minutes of their association, and it had eventually tapered off into something he barely noticed, once she’d grown accustomed to him. The embarrassed flush on her cheeks never dissipated, but the smile he had coaxed from her by the end had only been the sweeter for it. She did not pity herself and had even praised his patience and stamina for enduring her, laughing when she’d done so. A girl like that would have made someone a most excellent wife, and certainly a loyal, devoted one.
Not him, she was not his sort, but certainly someone.
It actually perturbed him now that no one had done.
They pulled up to the Wilton’s address and were shown up to the card room with remarkable haste and energy, which made Tony doubt Hugh’s claims of a sensible mother in Mrs. Wilton.
Yet her greeting of them was perfunctory at best, though perfectly polite. Tony caught a hint of a scheming look in her eye, but no daughters of hers descended on him after he’d left her, which was a pleasant surprise.
He and Hugh wandered about the room, making polite conversation and introductions as needed, and then took up position near a tall window with sheer curtains.
“Right, then,” Tony muttered, sipping at the tea he’d been offered. “Point out these Spinsters and let’s get on with it.”
Hugh chuckled quietly and indicated a far table where four women sat. “Two of them are there. The red haired one is Isabella Lambert, generally thought of as being a good sort, but without beauty or fortune, she has no hopes.”
Tony frowned at that. Miss Lambert wasn’t at all unattractive, and he would never have said she was without beauty. Why, when she smiled, as she did now, she had a very pleasing countenance. She did not have the universal attractiveness and charm of her friend, Miss Wright, he would allow, but neither was she so very plain as for it to draw comment.
“To her left is Grace Morledge,” Hugh went on, evidently not having anything further to say with regards to Miss Lambert. “Daughter of Lord Trenwick. Fortune enough, pretty enough, and accomplished enough.”
Tony looked at his cousin in surprise. “So why is she a spinster?”
“No idea.” Hugh shrugged as if it made no difference to him. “She simply is.”
This was becoming increasingly confusing. By everything he could see, Miss Morledge was everything a young woman could wish to be, and the idea that there was something lacking in her enough to be a spinster seemed laughable. Surely, if she had faults enough to remain unmarried, Hugh would have known about them and informed Tony of their existence.
“Miss Westfall you already know,” Hugh went on, indicating her in the corner, her eyes lowered as if she had been scolded. “Timid creature, and that would be a paltry description.”
“Be kind, Hugh,” Tony warned. “I like the girl.”
Hugh gave him a sidelong look. “But you see why she is a spinster.”
He had to nod at that, but he did so grudgingly. “I only think higher of the rest of them for including her,” he muttered.
His cousin groaned in annoyance. “Don’t think kindly on them. Miss Westfall is a very good girl, I’ll grant you, but none of the rest of them can be trusted.”
Tony would not believe that, coming from Hugh, but he would remain silent about it. “And then Miss Wright, correct? Does she round out the lot?”
Hugh scowled and shook his head. “No, I only wish it were so easy. The one you need to worry about is that one right there.” He gestured unmistakably to a tall blonde woman in a green sprigged muslin, currently speaking with another woman, similar in appearance, though her hair was darker, and she was not as attractive.
“And she is?” he asked, watching her with interest.
“Georgiana Allen.” Hugh shuddered for effect, which was not called for. “She is the most tyrannical, and their leader. A shrew in the making, if ever I saw one. The woman she is speaking with is Emma Partlowe, who was formerly Emma Asheley, and she was one of the Spinsters, too, before her marriage last year.”
Tony glanced at his cousin quickly. “Partlowe? As in Thomas Partlowe?”
Hugh turned to him, mildly surprised. “You know him?”
He nodded, looking back at Miss Allen and Mrs. Partlowe. “I used to. We were at school together. I hadn’t heard he’d remarried.”
“Well, he has,” Hugh retorted as he turned back to scan the room, “and he chose the tamest of the lot. She is close friends with Miss Allen, so it really should have disrupted everything. Unfortunately, I think the Spinsters are only emboldened and embittered by the change. I’m surprised Miss Allen is actually talking with Mrs. Partlowe after such a betrayal.”
Hugh continued to ramble, but Tony ignored him to the best of his ability.
Miss Allen was a handsome woman, anyone could see that. He wouldn’t call her beautiful, that was not his place and he couldn’t see her well from his position. But she certainly was not plain, and there was a hint of a smile when she spoke that made her countenance rather pleasing. She paused whatever she was saying and looked across the room, her eyes narrowing.
Tony followed her gaze and saw Elliott Harker speaking to a young woman that seemed rather taken with him. Harker was from a good family, but he couldn’t have said if the man himself were someone of merit. The girl, however, looked a trifle too young for him, and by her looks, she was undoubtedly one of the Wilton daughters.
The youngest one, if he were to put money on it.
Even if Harker had been one of the best men in England, he would have balked at the idea of him courting a girl of fifteen. But flirtation was not courtship, and he would be very interested to see if Miss Allen or the Spinsters would react in any way.
It could be very telling.
Another girl sitting at the card table suddenly stood and made her way, very nonchalantly, towards them. No one else in the room would have noticed had they not been watching, but Tony smirked when the young woman, who could not possibly have been considered a spinster, came alongside the Wilton girl and began taking part in the conversation. There had been no command to act, no distress noted on any of the faces of any Spinster he had seen, yet the situation had been diffused before it had become anything at all. That was not to say that there would not be further encounters between Mr. Harker and Miss Wilton, but at least there would now be extra care taken with her.
Tony glanced back at Miss Allen, who was smiling more fully in her renewed conversation with Mrs. Partlowe, and that smile made him wonder. It was not a superior or smug smile. There was no haughtiness in it, nothing to suggest a vindictive nature or any sort of bitterness. She looked perfectly at ease, laughing now with her friend, who had, by all accounts, surpassed her in all worldly respects.
What sort of spinster was she? And why such a reputation for their group? What was their aim? Surely Society was not so far gone as to require guardians of feminine innocence and virtue such as they were portrayed to be. Why not leave the rest of the young ladies to their follies, whatever they were, and let the consequences follow?
Why involve themselves at all?
What bound such a diverse group of women together?
And why did all the men in London seem to despise them?
“I’ll do it,” Tony heard himself say.
“What was that?” Hugh asked absently.
“I’ll do it. I’ll investigate the Spinsters.” Tony nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on Miss Allen while the rest of him filled with an odd sense of anticipation, rather like before a battle.
Hugh stood in front of him, eyes wide. “You’ll do it?”
Tony gave him another firm nod.
His cousin clasped his arms, looking far too jubilant at the prospect. “Tony, you have no idea how pleased this makes me.”
“I believe I have some,” he replied, stepping out of his hold. He gave Hugh a warning look. “Do not spread word of this, Hugh. I will stop at once if I am ever approached on the subject, mark my words.”
Hugh raised his hands in surrender. “They’re marked, they’re marked!”
Tony didn’t believe him for a second, but there wasn’t anything to be done about that. He exhaled sharply and looked back over at the Spinsters, who were dissipating into conversations with others present. “Now, what would be the best plan of attack, in your estimation?”
“Take out the leader.”
He glowered briefly at his too-eager cousin. “Yes, thank you, but how?”
“Oh.” Hugh frowned and turned to look across the room. “If you want to get to Miss Allen, you need to go through Miss Lambert.” Hugh nodded thoughtfully, a small smile on his face. “Yes, Miss Lambert would be the way.”
“Really?” Tony considered the copper-haired girl with the easy manners with interest. He wouldn’t have thought Miss Lambert to be so key in all of this, she seemed rather ambivalent in nature. “Why would that be?”
“They’re cousins,” Hugh replied. “And Miss Allen is living with the Lamberts while her parents enjoy the continent. I think Miss Lambert’s good opinion would allow you access far more easily than anything else.”
It was a good thought, and certainly a strategic one.
“Think of it as an attack from the side!” Hugh suggested, brightening at the idea. “You’re a soldier, you know how to maneuver when you see opportunity.”
Tony didn’t need his cousin, who had never even managed to play soldiers successfully, to tell him how to maneuver or that he could accomplish this task because of his training. He knew full well how strategic he’d need to be, and while he might not know the particulars of what he would do, he had a fairly good idea, and a knack for acting on his instincts.
And his instincts were always infallible.
Hugh sobered, looking speculative. “How long do you think it will take?”
Tony raised a brow at his cousin. “Are you anxious for the Spinsters to be disbanded for some reason? Is there a young woman you are being prevented from pursuing?”
His cousin shuddered, and he looked almost offended. “I should say not. I am in no hurry to be tied to a wife of any sort. I would rather enjoy several years of sowing my wild oats like any other gentleman.”
“I think you’ll find that there is nothing gentlemanly about sowing wild oats,” Tony informed him, disapproval rife in his tone. “No matter how popular the idea.”
Hugh tossed back the remains of his tea. “You spend your time in your way and leave me to mine.” He nudged his head towards Miss Lambert, who was preparing to sit for another game, though they were in want of another set of players. “Get to it.”
“I make no promises,” Tony warned him. “I cannot ensure anything.”
Hugh scowled grumpily. “Convenient.”
Tony put a hand on his cousin’s shoulder. “Come, I have need of you.”
That got his attention and Hugh looked at him with a mixture of horror and confusion. “For what?”
“Introductions,” Tony said with a smile, “and whist.”
Much later, Tony reentered his apartments with a tired sigh, rubbing at his eyes. He hadn’t set up a house for himself yet, and he saw no need to do so in haste. As things stood now, he only had to greet the porter at the gate and perhaps say a word or two to his valet, Rollins, and that would be the end of all required conversation at the conclusion of a particularly long day.
Tonight, he didn’t even have that.
Rollins had asked for the day to visit his sister in Richmond, and Tony had allowed it without a second thought. Rollins had served him the entirety of the war, and beyond. He had been an exemplary soldier as well as valet. Tony considered him more a friend than a servant, though Rollins would balk at being referred to as such. He was a bit particular about the distinction of rank, and while Tony had assured him that there was no rank to his name or his family, Rollins insisted that it remain.
At any rate, it was a relief to have Rollins gone for the evening.
Tony removed his jacket and draped it over the bed, loosened his cravat, and unbuttoned his waistcoat before dropping himself into a chair by the fire with a groan. The card party had not gone on long, but Hugh had dragged him along to his club and forced him to meet several other gentlemen, most of whom Tony had not been particularly impressed with.
It occurred to him now why his cousin seemed so changed from when he’d known him before. He’d spent too much time with these puffed up fops who had no idea of the ways of the world and only cared for their own interests. There was nothing of substance to any man there.
Now Hugh had become one of them.
But all of them, every single one, had spoken to him about the Spinsters. If he had any interest in pursuing a woman, he would need to be cleverer than the Spinsters, they’d warned him.
He thought it best not to tell them that he would have kept each and every one of them from any respectable young woman himself, with the conversations they’d been having.
Copious amounts of alcohol had never made a man better than he was, and it was never more proven than when combined with other men under the same influence.
Tony had kept his opinions to himself on several subjects, especially in conversation with his cousin. Hugh was so delighted that Tony was going to take on the Spinsters that it was as though there were no further problems in his life and he had nothing else to wish for.
Pity Hugh had no notion that he would derive no satisfaction from Tony’s efforts.
He could not say for certain until he met the Spinsters as a whole and had gained their trust, but he was of the opinion that there was no need for such a strongly bound group of women to be forced to give up their amusements, particularly when there was no harm being done. Harm to the pride of fools did not count, nor was it worth the breath to even say the words. And he saw no need to get in the middle of the affairs of young ladies of Society, nor did he think any man ought to.
More than once since he’d told Hugh he’d get involved, he’d thought better of it. There was nothing to be gained by it, not for him. But he was curious, and for a man with no desire to find a wife for some time, there was not much else to do but indulge in his curiosities. Until he was more settled in his post-military life, this would be it.
He was a misfit in Society at present, so why not look into another group of misfits and see what could be gained by it?
Tony grunted a humorless laugh to himself as he reflected on his card playing this evening with Miss Lambert. Hugh had remained for only two rounds, then begged leave to associate with others in the room. Miss Lambert’s partner, the second Miss Wilton, had also abandoned them, but at the behest of her mother, which had made the girl roll her eyes and smile indulgently. Left without partners, Tony and Miss Lambert were able to begin a real conversation without any pretense until other guests came to join in the card playing.
It hadn’t been anything extraordinary, he’d had dozens of similar conversations with young ladies before. He’d found Miss Lambert to be a charming girl, warm and kind, exceedingly polite, yet in possession of a hidden wit that made very brief appearances. She was absolutely without cynicism and knew every single person in the room.
He’d been completely upfront with her about not knowing very many people, now he was returned to London, and she had most kindly given him names and pertinent details of every guest without saying a single negative word about any of them. He suspected she knew less than savory details about some from the way her mouth quirked at times when speaking of them, but such words never crossed her lips.
And this young woman was supposed to be part of a group of meddlesome, bitter spinsters who were unable to mind their own affairs?
The idea was absolutely ludicrous.
Which only made everything more confusing for Tony, and, unfortunately, convinced him that his course of action was something to see through to the end.
Whatever that end was.
He would not be breaking up the Spinsters, he could say that without reservation. But it was entirely possible that he could diminish the extent of their meddling, if they truly were doing anything of the sort. Having made the acquaintance of both Miss Westfall and Miss Lambert, he highly doubted it. But having seen Miss Wright with her suitors, there were some questions. He could say nothing for Miss Morledge or Miss Allen, he only knew what he had been told, and nothing he had witnessed had supported the more outrageous claims.
He was undoubtedly mad for even considering this, and his fellow officers would have laughed in his face had they any knowledge of it. Was this what he had come to? Using the skills he had so proficiently honed through his years of service to investigate a passel of females because they bothered a few would-be rakes?
It sounded pathetic, even to his ears.
Tony rubbed at his eyes with another sigh. Tomorrow, if Miss Lambert’s careless words were correct, she and her friends would gather for tea. He would pay a call upon her, as if it were no more than that, and let events unfold as they would.
He did not suppose that Miss Allen would be as naïve as her cousin, having seen the calculating expression she wore, as if he could see her mind whirling. He knew that she would be the greatest obstacle for him for even gaining admittance into the company of the Spinsters, let alone their trust or confidence.
He needed to be sharp and be on his guard, and he needed to be perfectly above reproach. One did not have opportunity to undo a first impression most of the time, and while his conduct with Miss Lambert and Miss Westfall had been near perfection, they were only two out of the five. And most likely the easiest to sway.
It shouldn’t be too difficult to accomplish. He wasn’t much of a rogue even on his most wicked days, and he wasn’t stuffy enough to be intolerable. He was, by all accounts, the perfect man for the job.
All because he was bored and in need of a purpose.
Only time would tell if the Spinsters would be the cure for such an affliction.