Chapter Four
A gentleman with honorable intentions has no need to be false in any circumstances. He has no need of secrets. A young lady, however, is destined to have many secrets and cannot be expected to be fully forthcoming. Any man who takes issue with the discrepancy, which this author is fully aware of, ought to take his concerns to his mother and see how she responds to his complaint.
-The Spinster Chronicles, 24 October 1815
“You do not mean to refuse him, do you, Charlotte?”
“Of course, I do. Are you mad?”
Georgie groaned and leaned back against the divan, shaking her head in disgust. They’d been over this repeatedly, but Charlotte was unmoved. She had so many suitors and did not discourage any of them unless they were truly distasteful for one reason or another, yet when any of them proposed marriage, she turned them down with swiftness and certainty.
All in the name of love, it appeared.
“Charlotte,” Izzy tried in her most placating tone, “we all approve of Mr. Dale immensely. He is a perfect gentleman and is very well set up. He is handsome and kind…”
“And yet my answer will still be no,” Charlotte replied, looking thoughtful. “Hmm. I wonder why that could be.”
Izzy looked around at the rest of them in desperation. “It’s hopeless.”
“That’s exactly what I thought,” Charlotte said with wide eyes. “It’s hopeless. How can I consider marrying a man when it would be a perfectly hopeless match?”
“I highly doubt that’s what Izzy meant,” Grace muttered, shaking her head.
Izzy laughed softly. “It’s not.”
“Why is Mr. Dale hopeless?” Prue asked with an innocent look of concern.
Charlotte huffed irritably and adjusted her skirts. “He isn’t hopeless, to be sure. He’s a good man, and a kind one, but there’s no affection between us. I’m fond of him, but I can hardly marry a man I’m only fond of. I would be destined to dislike him within a week.”
Prue’s brow furrowed, and she looked at Georgie with a frown. “I’d like to marry a man I’m fond of. I think that would be delightful.”
“It’s not good enough!” Charlotte protested.
“It would be for me,” Prue admitted. “It’s more than I expect.”
“Me, too,” Grace murmured as she picked up her embroidery. “In our society today, that is all we can hope for. Affection, desirable as it is, is not a requirement.”
“No!” Charlotte half-shouted, her color rising. “No, I refuse to accept that! We should expect love, not just affection! No more polite matches or eligible matches or fortunate matches. We should demand love!”
“Hear, hear!” Elinor echoed passionately from her chair near the corner.
The rest of the room seemed to sigh in resignation. “Not all of us can afford such luxuries, Charlotte,” Georgie said as gently as she could manage.
It was as if the thought had never occurred to Charlotte before. She blinked slowly and stared at each girl in turn. “What do you mean?” she asked carefully. “Do you mean that you… you don’t expect to find love?”
Each of them seemed to shrug, and Elinor looked astonished by the revelation. Charlotte frowned and looked at Georgie expectantly, as if she were somehow supposed to resolve this issue.
“I’m sorry, Charlotte,” Georgie told her, as she sat up, smiling for effect. “I don’t expect anything anymore. But I think I would take a good match if I could.”
“I’d need a man to be interested before I could even think about matches,” Izzy broke in with a laugh. “Let’s start with the basics, shall we?”
That broke the odd tension that had filled the room, and they all laughed in relief.
Georgie exhaled slowly, grateful her cousin had such a way with people. Charlotte had never come out and said it, but she had little patience with the others for not seeing the world in the same way she did. She had a fortune and a family that indulged her whims, she had no need to marry at all, if she chose not to.
The rest of them, apart from Grace, perhaps, would come down in the world rather sharply with no husband to provide for them. It was harsh reality, but they all lived with it. Being a spinster was not something that one ought to envy or idolize, as Elinor had begun to. It was a miserable existence, if one thought about it too much.
Which was why Georgie never did and continued on as she always had done.
“Pardon me, Miss Lambert,” a maid asked from the door to the parlor. “But you… have a caller. A gentleman caller.”
A hush fell over the room and everyone stared at Izzy with wide eyes.
She had… a what?
Izzy’s mouth worked soundlessly, and she looked at Georgie in complete and utter bewilderment.
Georgie felt her pain. Izzy was a bit helpless when it came to things like this, having such limited experience, though she was warm and comfortable enough with anybody in social situations. But callers she did not have, especially of the male sort, and the idea that one should suddenly be at her door was nothing short of terrifying.
“Who is it, Bessie?” Georgie asked, putting a hand over Izzy’s soothingly.
“Captain Anthony Sterling, Miss Allen.”
Charlotte barked a surprised laugh, then covered her mouth quickly.
Georgie looked at her cousin very slowly. How, exactly, had her cousin come to know a man well enough for him to call upon her without telling her about it? They lived together, for pity’s sake! They had adjoining bedchambers!
Izzy shook her head quickly, her eyes still wide and her skin paling.
“Did he say what he wants?” Grace asked with all politeness, eyeing the cousins curiously.
“No, ma’am. He did say he understood it to be a little against custom, but as he is newly returned to London, he thought he might prevail upon Miss Lambert for a brief time this afternoon, as he knows nobody else.”
“He knows his cousins,” Georgie snapped. “Why not prevail upon them?”
“Now, now, Georgie,” Charlotte soothed with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “If our good captain has taken a fancy to Isabella, we mustn’t restrict his attempts.”
“I’ve only met him once,” Izzy whispered, still looking a bit windswept. “He was… he was very polite, very kind, and seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say. But it was never anything to suggest… He wanted to know about the other guests, and I told him. And then we played whist, and that was it!”
Charlotte clapped her hands, then rubbed them together. “Send the man up, and let us see what we have.”
Georgie shook her head at once as both Izzy and Prue looked utterly terrified at the thought. “No, he has come to call upon Izzy. I will accompany her as chaperone, and the rest of you will stay put until we return.” She looked at her cousin for confirmation, which was given in a brisk nod.
They rose as one and Izzy turned to Bessie. “You may show Captain Sterling into the drawing room, Bessie. Georgie and I will see him there.”
Bessie bobbed quickly with a soft “Yes, Miss Lambert,” and then turned to do as she was bid.
Georgie took Izzy’s arm and the two of them moved from the room while the other girls began to titter softly amongst themselves.
“Steady, Izzy,” Georgie murmured. “It’s only a call, not a proposal.”
Izzy snorted a soft laugh. “This is true. Poor man probably thought I expected it. I shall have to disillusion him slowly.”
“And very gently,” Georgie added. “These soldiering types may not understand propriety. He might be very confused by all of this.”
Izzy gave her a scolding look. “Now you’ve made him sound pathetic.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “He might be, you never know.”
“I’ve met him, remember. He’s not.”
Georgie bit her tongue and restrained a sigh. There was no point in pressing the matter, and Izzy was no longer nervous, so she had accomplished what she’d intended. Whatever Captain Sterling wanted, it was bound to be something to tell the other girls about, one way or the other.
They waited only a few moments for Bessie to bring Captain Sterling to the drawing room, and Georgie was surprised by the sight of him.
He was handsome, almost remarkably so, and very tall, which she had always appreciated. He wore the usual garb of a gentleman rather than his uniform, which instantly made Georgie more inclined to approve of him. Soldiers who had resigned their commission ought not to pretend to still be in possession of it, particularly when the sole purpose was to attract young women who were easily swayed by regimentals.
He bowed very smartly, and wore a small, polite smile, but nothing out of the realm of politeness.
Very odd.
“Miss Lambert,” Captain Sterling said in a warm tone, “I hope you’ll forgive the impertinence of my calling unexpectedly like this. I know it is not done, but I hoped I might further our acquaintance, and I did not know how else to go about it.”
Izzy smiled with fondness, as she usually did. “I don’t mind at all, sir. Do you know my cousin, Miss Georgiana Allen?”
He turned to Georgie and his smile broadened. “I do not. A pleasure, Miss Allen.”
Georgie curtseyed, as was polite. “Thank you, Captain.”
“Please, Captain, do be seated,” Izzy said, gesturing for him to do so.
He nodded and moved to the couch, and Georgie watched him carefully. There was something about him she did not trust, but she would reserve judgment until she had cause.
“It is actually quite fortunate that you are here as well, Miss Allen,” Captain Sterling began, still smiling. “I know very little of the members of Society, which is my primary reason for calling today. I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Lambert yesterday at Mrs. Wilton’s card party, and she knew so much about the guests there, I felt sure she would be an excellent choice to help me find my way about London.”
The words rang with truth and politeness and were certainly the things that Georgie would want to have said about Izzy. But she couldn’t give him the satisfaction. She tilted her head. “Would not your cousins be able to give you a fair introduction wherever you needed? They’ve been about Society long enough and know you far better than Isabella would.”
Izzy stiffened beside her, and Georgie saw her mouth tighten a little.
Captain Sterling, however, only raised a brow. “My cousin, Lord Sterling, is lately married, Miss Allen. I did not think Lady Sterling would appreciate my interference as they adjust to married life.”
“They’ve been married for over a year,” Georgie pointed out, not bothering to moderate the cynicism in her tone.
“And still quite besotted, Miss Allen. Trust me, I am safer here. Besides, I think Lady Sterling wishes me to marry, and I’ve no desire to let her choose a bride for me at every opportunity.”
Georgie nearly reared back in shock, and she fought a laugh. A man who did not wish to marry was calling upon a spinster for social introductions? It was so beyond anything.
But she kept her composure. She mustn’t let on that she found him amusing, if a little ridiculous. “And your cousin Mr. Hugh Sterling?” she prodded, still sounding doubtful. “Surely he could be of some help.”
Captain Sterling suddenly looked so sardonic, it was all she could do to maintain a straight face. “Would you want my cousin to give you any sort of social introductions?”
Georgie made a face. “I’m afraid not, but I don’t know Mr. Sterling well enough to say much.”
“Clearly enough to say something.”
“He’s not my relation.”
Captain Sterling smiled slyly. “No, Miss Allen, he is mine. And because he is mine, and I know him so well, I am here instead of there, because I have it on very good authority that between you and Miss Lambert, I am destined to find a far better introduction to Society than anything my foolhardy cousin thinks worth his while.”
Georgie heard Izzy give a very small laugh beside her and glanced over to find her cousin clamping down on her lips hard.
Well, that was not particularly helpful.
She gave Captain Sterling a hard look. “Why would a pair of spinsters be able to give you any better social advice than anyone else? Surely you’ve heard about us.”
He raised his brows in surprise and crossed one leg over the other, seeming to relax into the couch. “I have. And I stand by what I said. More than that, I’ve read the Spinster Chronicles, and I found it insightful, witty, and altogether too true.” He cocked his head, his smile fading back into a small one she could not read. “And written by more than one author, if I am not mistaken. Do you share the duties or is one of you the primary writer?”
“We share it,” Izzy answered before Georgie could tell him off. “Differing points of view, you know.”
He nodded sagely. “Very wise.”
“I’m sorry, Captain Sterling,” Georgie interrupted, sitting forward, “but what exactly are you doing here?”
He considered her for a moment, then let his lips curve into a more attractive smirk than she would have expected from him. “To be perfectly candid, Miss Allen, I came to offer myself to the Spinsters. With a capital S.”
Now Izzy did laugh, though it was more of a squawk than anything else, and she clamped a hand over her mouth.
Georgie stared at Captain Sterling with narrowed eyes, altogether too suspicious to find any amusement in his words. “And how would offering yourself to a group of well-educated, well-bred, well-adjusted young ladies be of any help at all?”
“Because most of London complains about the lot of you, despite rather enjoying your column, and I think there is a massive misunderstanding that needs to be explored.” He shrugged and folded his hands neatly over one slender knee. “I think you need someone to vouch for you on the other side.”
“You don’t even know what we do,” Georgie pointed out.
He considered that for a brief moment. “True, which would mean you would have to bring me into your confidence, at least partially.” He shook his head in a pitying sort of way. “Trust me, the impression of Society in general is much exaggerated and fairly skewed.”
“How would you know?” Georgie demanded, wishing she had the ability to raise only one brow so she might look more disconcerting. “You’ve only just met me.”
Captain Sterling’s look was rather frank. “And you’ve left an impression. One I am inclined to consider as your true self. Not to mention that I have met Miss Lambert and found her to be a perfectly agreeable young woman, which conflicted sharply with what I’d been told of your group. I knew the general consensus had to be incorrect.” He smiled blandly. “Except perhaps for you, Miss Allen, but as you said, we have only just met. Perhaps that will change.”
Georgie ought to have been offended. She ought to have stormed out of the room and demanded he leave her aunt’s house this very moment. She ought to have done any number of things. But heaven help her, she quite liked his frankness, and all she wanted to do was grin outright.
Which she could not do.
“Hmm,” was all she managed to say.
Captain Sterling quirked his brows at her, and Georgie let her glance slide to Izzy, who could barely contain herself, her cheeks flushed with emotion.
Georgie held up a finger and rose as gracefully as she could, which was actually quite graceful, and moved to the hallway. “Elinor?” she called, grateful the parlor wasn’t so far away that her behavior would be considered unusual.
“Yes?” came the almost frantic response, which told Georgie that the girls had been trying to listen without actually leaving the parlor. Soon enough, Elinor’s head appeared through the doorway, a would-be innocent expression on her face that could not contain her eagerness.
Georgie gave her a rather devious look. “What do we know about Captain Sterling?”
Elinor’s eyes widened, and she dashed out of sight.
“I beg your pardon?” Captain Sterling asked from within the drawing room.
Georgie turned to look back at him patiently. “One moment, Captain, if you please.”
He turned a quizzical look to Izzy, but she was as loyal as ever and only smiled indulgently.
“Captain Anthony Sterling?” Elinor called back.
“That’s the one,” Georgie replied, rolling her eyes. “Unless you know of another Captain Sterling.”
The man in question snorted softly, and Georgie gave him a warning look, which prompted him to put up his hands in surrender and compose himself.
“Single,” Elinor said as she appeared in the doorway, her journal in hand.
“Well, there’s a surprise,” Georgie muttered.
“I heard that,” Captain Sterling protested.
She ignored him.
“No outstanding gambling debts,” Elinor continued, “a commendable record with the military, no courtships of note, no jiltings, and no scandals.” She scanned down the page with her finger. “Let me see… Suspected fortune of around seven thousand a year, which has yet to be confirmed. One brother, a doctor in Dorset. His stepmother is still living, and there is an aunt, her sister. High marks at school, a fair rider, and…” She broke off with a hiss.
“What?” Captain Sterling called from his seat. “What was that for?”
Elinor wrinkled up her nose and gave Georgie a look. “No houses. Not a one.”
Captain Sterling groaned. “I’m a younger son! We don’t have houses!”
“Captain Sterling,” Georgie scolded firmly, “if you cannot behave yourself, you will remove yourself from the room.”
He glared at her. “Am I to receive poor marks based solely on the order of my birth? I haven’t had time to secure permanent lodgings for myself, because I have been in the army.”
Izzy cleared her throat. “This is true, Georgie.”
Georgie looked at her cousin with narrowed eyes, then turned to the impertinent captain on her aunt’s couch. “Captain Sterling, I congratulate you. You have attained a status of approved gentleman, which means that should you have been interested in courtship or marriage, we would consider you a respectable candidate for any of the young ladies looking for a suitable partner.”
He looked mildly surprised, then his brow furrowed. “Are you… matchmakers?”
“Sometimes,” Izzy chirped with a laugh. “You’d be surprised how many young ladies come to us for advice. We know quite a lot, particularly about the eligible members of Society.”
“The men?” he asked with genuine interest.
“Oh, the women, too,” Izzy replied. “Sometimes we are approached to assist in finding a young woman that would be suitable for a man we have approved of.”
“Do they know of your approval?”
Georgie scoffed loudly. “Of course not. We don’t need to have people parading about for our good opinion. I didn’t mean to encourage you or puff you up. I only wanted…”
“To demonstrate what you were capable of and intimidate me in a show of force,” he finished easily. “Yes, I could see that, and it was masterfully done. But it does not answer the question as to whether or not I could be of use to you.” He adjusted his coat and smiled very politely. “I have stated my reasons, and you have the resources to know of their certainty. If you feel you must leave to discuss the offer, please feel free to do so.”
Impertinent man.
Georgie glowered and was preparing a rather excellent vitriol when Izzy surprised her by rising and curtseying. “Thank you, Captain,” her traitorous cousin said with all warmth and gentility. “We shall only be a moment.”
Georgie sputtered as Izzy took her arm and pulled her from the room and back into the parlor with their friends, where she quickly gave them the basics of the situation.
“He wants… to be one of us?” Grace asked as she looked around in confusion.
Charlotte’s brow was furrowed in thought. “Or is he offering to be our spy?”
“I have no idea,” Georgie sighed, shaking her head. “It’s one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard. Clearly the man is absolutely bored and looking to have a laugh with some of his idiotic friends, all of whom are tired of our interference and determined to put a stop to it. I was going to turn him out of the house, but Izzy seemed to think it was worth some discussion.”
As if on cue, each of the girls turned to look at Izzy.
She stared at them and shrugged with a small smile. “What? He is very nice. And terribly witty, you should have heard the way he talked to Georgie.”
That piqued their interest, and now they all turned to Georgie. “Really?” Charlotte asked in a blatantly suggestive tone, a small smirk on her lips.
Georgie huffed a little. “He didn’t let me have my own way, if that makes you feel any better.”
“Oh, it does,” Charlotte assured her.
“I had a very good impression of him from the card party,” Izzy said now, her tone apologetic. “And if he is willing to help us, I don’t see why we shouldn’t let him.”
“Because we know nothing about him!” Georgie protested hotly. “Of course you had a good impression of him, he was trying to leave a good impression! Anybody can be polite for the course of an hour when it suits them!”
Grace made a pained face. “That’s very true.”
Even Charlotte looked unconvinced. “I have to agree, though I’m still inclined to let him try purely for the sake of adventure.”
“He was very kind and considerate with me,” Prue broke in softly.
Whatever anyone else was going to say died at those words, and they all stared at Prue in shock.
“Prue,” Izzy murmured, her eyes wide, “you… you know Captain Sterling?”
She nodded with a very small smile, her cheeks coloring slightly. “We were introduced at the ball the other night. He came over to pay his respects to Lady Hetty, and she introduced us. He sat beside me and talked to me as if I were anyone, and it was as if my nerves and stammer did not bother him one bit. And then he asked me to dance, and he was quite good at it. Very patient, considering I’m so shy.” She smiled further. “Lady Hetty likes him, she told me afterwards. And I did, too.”
Georgie stared at Prue in wonder, then frowned and looked back at Izzy. “Well, I can’t very well refuse both of you,” she muttered, frustrated at being so perfectly foiled, and at the warmth that had spread through her at Prue’s story. She rose and moved to the door. “Captain Sterling!”
Moments later he appeared in the doorway of the drawing room, not venturing into the corridor. “Miss Allen?”
“One further question.” She folded her hands before her, clearing her throat. “We must ask it, you understand, as you will take on much by joining with us. What would make you a proper candidate? By your own accounts, you’re not particularly well-known in London currently, nor are you likely to be, aside from altering your personality.”
Captain Sterling smiled. “You forget, madam, that I was a soldier for many years. There were numerous times when I was of service in less… obvious ways to my superiors. I am more than qualified to collect gossip on candidates of your choosing for the good of Society.” His smile grew on one side. “And I’ll admit, I’m anxious to see what you and your Spinsters are all about, and how you operate.”
Georgie stared at him for a long moment, then sighed heavily. “Oh, all right, come on over here and meet the rest of them.”
He inclined his head without the slightest hint of victory and came over to the door.
“Captain Anthony Sterling,” she intoned flatly, “may I present the writers of the Spinster Chronicles? Miss Westfall and Miss Lambert you already know. In the pink is Miss Morledge, in the blue is Miss Wright, and the girl in the yellow is Miss Asheley.”
Captain Sterling bowed perfectly, and each of the girls behaved appropriately as well. “Delighted to make the acquaintance of you all,” he said, sounding as if he truly meant it.
“A pleasure, Captain,” Grace replied with her usual charm and grace.
He nodded at her. “So how does this work, ladies? How does one become part of your group? There are several unmarried ladies in and about London, yet only six of you.”
“Five,” Georgie corrected quickly. “Miss Asheley is not of an age to be a spinster.”
Captain Sterling looked at her in surprise. “Yet she is here.”
Georgie nodded and gave Elinor a scolding look. “She refuses to accept that she cannot possibly be a spinster before three-and-twenty. And even that is a stretch.”
“I don’t see why not,” Elinor grumped, folding her arms petulantly. “I am not going to marry any sooner than any of you, so that should make me just as much of a spinster as anyone.”
They all groaned again, and Charlotte reached out to pat her cheek. “When you have lived as long as we have, darling, you might understand.”
Elinor scowled and batted her hand away.
“Elinor is very helpful,” Izzy said quickly, no doubt desperate to make up for the poor impression. “We value her insight greatly, and she has been useful in helping us find topics for our column.”
“No doubt,” Captain Sterling murmured, still eyeing the girl with some hesitation.
“I’m not sure I mind being a spinster so much,” Grace mused thoughtfully. “It’s all I know, so it’s really quite comfortable.”
Now Captain Sterling frowned. “So, you’re all spinsters… on purpose?”
Georgie turned to him with all seriousness. “No, Captain Sterling, not on purpose. Unless it is a unified plot by all of the men in England to abjectly avoid us. None of us chose our situation.”
“I did!” Charlotte proclaimed proudly with a wave of her hand.
Now Georgie rolled her eyes. “Except for Miss Wright, who is wildly unconventional and very disillusioned. Ignore her.”
Captain Sterling chuckled, and it was unfortunately a rather warm and pleasant sound. “Determined to be independent forever, Miss Wright?” he asked, considering her with a teasing smile.
Charlotte dipped her chin playfully. “Naturally. But it does not follow that I must remain unmarried. I simply refuse to settle with anything less than a man brought to his knees for love of me just as I am, and for my own heart to be inclined the same.”
Grace coughed in surprise, and Prue flushed at once.
“Oh, is that all?” the captain replied mildly.
“Don’t encourage her,” Georgie muttered. “She’s turned down five proposals already, and a sixth will come next week, and apparently she has decided to refuse that one as well.”
“Too right!” Charlotte crowed with a clap of her hands. “Nothing but the very best for me!”
“Which leaves a boring monotony for the rest of us,” Prue pointed out, giving Charlotte a serious look.
“I don’t plan on being boring,” Grace responded. “Married or not, I’d like to be exciting. Or at the very least, entertaining.”
“It’s a right sight better than being ‘nice,’ I’d imagine,” Izzy chimed in, making a face.
Georgie sighed, shaking her head. “This is who we are, Captain.” She cocked her head at him and put her hands on her hips. “Are you going to run for the safety of home now?”
He stared at her for a long moment, then slowly smiled, and something in Georgie’s chest gave a little at the sight. “On the contrary, Miss Allen. I don’t think there’s any place I’d rather be.”