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CHAPTER ONE

“ H ow long has it been? Surely she has not met her untimely demise in one way or another?”

A snort of disbelief cut through the sharp and pretty tunes of the orchestra, and its owner stated,

“I am sure if such a tragedy had struck, her family would have made a whole show of her passing to amass the sympathy of the ton. No, I think the disappearance of the quaint Miss Snowly is more suspicious than a dire affair. No one has seen or heard from her in six months.”

“Six months?” the first woman echoed, her voice tinged in surprise. “That is quite a long time. And with the season underway, whatever is keeping her out of the ton’s view is costing her a potentially good husband.”

“Perhaps she has already found one and has eloped. I would not be surprised – you know that is what many young ladies prefer these days.”

“If that were the case, then that would explain why her family has fallen silent. No one would dare show their face in public if their child chose to run away with some… unworthy charmer. However, I do see her mother quite often at the bakery and she moves like someone who has nothing to be ashamed of. Perhaps the Miss is merely ill.”

“One would have to be on death’s bed after being that ill for so long. Which would lead us right where we started. I think… she might be with child.”

“Oh, my!”

Anna Munro stifled the urge to sigh again as she refocused her attention on the group of ladies she had been conversing with, letting the gossip that had distracted her fall back into the background noise.

She did not care for it, the disgusting habit many women seemed to pick up without regard for what it made them look like as they tore other people apart with their words.

Those ladies might feign concern, but truly, they were only curious about what had happened to the subject of their discussion and not at all worried about the young lady’s well-being.

Anna gave a small glance around the ballroom, trying to find her mother among the people dancing about, her discomfort growing when she couldn’t catch sight of her.

“My mother has turned it into something of a show for our family, now. With so many suitors coming in and out of our home, she has asked them to write poems on any subject of their choosing, which they will share with us. It has been quite entertaining to listen to the extent of a man’s creative inspiration.

” Lady Bloomington sighed, as though she couldn’t find anything more tiresome than the affairs surrounding her search for a husband, managing to capture Anna’s attention once more.

Although she was fond of pretending as though she could do without the gentlemen who boldly expressed their interest in her, pretty much everyone else knew that Lady Bloomington was desperate for a match.

She had been heard by a passing maid begging a gentleman not to rescind his proposal behind closed doors, and the fact that she was still unmarried spoke volumes about the outcome of that secret meeting.

“I was fortunate to attend one of such readings and I must say – Lord Rutherford is certainly a highly ranked contender. The man’s voice sounds like it is coated with honey and his words felt as though they were meant for any maiden who happened to hear it.” Miss Cecilia stated with a dreamy sigh.

Cecilia was a close friend of Lady Bloomington and to the trained eye, it was clear to see that she envied the array of men her friend had to choose from.

She was far too whimsical and her fantastical thoughts always made men uncomfortable.

She had once told a gentleman caller that she expected that after they were wed, she would be expecting five months after the wedding and they were to have no less than seven children by the time she was thirty.

“Well, it wasn’t. It was meant for me.” Lady Bloomington huffed, looking irritated.

“My mama insisted that my betrothed accompany my father on a hunting trip before we are to be wed. She insisted that they got a chance to get along before he joined our family,” Miss Prudence Cabot quickly spoke up, trying to stop an argument from starting.

“Either that or she simply wished to give your father a chance to shoot the poor lad before he stole you away from the family.” Lady Bloomington smirked.

“That is not a kind thing to say, Lady Bloomington, not to mention horribly untrue. Miss Cabot’s parents are thrilled to have Lord Alderidge joining her family and are doing all they can to make him feel welcome.

Which is more than I can say for your mother’s choice to make your courtship into a spectacle, berating the men who might fancy you. ” Anna spoke up, stepping closer.

Lady Bloomington’s face turned bright red and she huffed angrily before storming off, her friend Cecilia following her closely.

Anna sighed and turned back to Prudence who looked relieved.

“Thank you. You did not have to do that, but your kindness is appreciated.” Prudence told her gently.

Anna shook her head.

“She had no right to say that to you when you are so excited to begin a new journey of your life. Many of us can only still dream of getting that far.”

Prudence had been courted by a Baron at the beginning of the season and although many tried to dissuade him from marrying her, he stood his ground and chose the woman he claimed to have stolen his heart.

It was quite fortunate for him that she thought fondly of him as well, enough that she was willing to marry him and leave London to live with him.

“Perhaps if she stopped playing games with her suitors and their affections, she would not be struggling to find a husband so much. Although, I owe my mother all the praise for my betrothal. If she hadn’t insisted that both Lord Alderidge and I admit our interest in one another, we would still be dancing in circles,” Prudence laughed, light and heartily.

“But, oh, how wonderful it has been since then. I’m so excited to marry him.

I do not believe I’ve ever wanted anything more than this in my life. ”

Anna smiled, happy for the young woman but her heart grew heavy with unease as she wondered if she would ever be so fortunate as to experience such a wonderful thing.

Although it seemed as though she had managed to attract the attention of a few suitors, they either fell short when it came to meeting Anna’s needs, or things got complicated due to her mother’s interference.

“I am glad to hear your mother was instrumentally helpful in your courtship. Mine… my mother has been acting rather strangely, as of late. My sister married a marquess a few months ago and I suppose it has made her quite… eager, to have me marry just as well. And I know – I really do – that she truly wants my future to be one of comfort and ease. But her methods are a little bothersome.” Anna confessed, feeling more anxious as more time passed without her mother by her side.

“Perhaps she is only trying to make absolutely certain that nothing goes wrong with your search for a suitable gentleman. There are only so many illegible bachelors with good, respectable families and ideal statuses. Maybe she only wants you to garner the attention you deserve.” Prudence reasoned gently.

Her words might have soothed most of Anna’s frayed nerves if her sister had not said something similar when Anna had first brought her concerns up.

“I would have thought that was the case, but her methods are causing me concern. She has been doing her best to ‘persuade’ gentlemen to consider me as their future bride. She has gone as far as pushing me into their paths and talking about me as though she were speaking of a cut of meat at the butcher. Once, she pushed me towards an Earl and promised that I was smart and well-mannered and my hips were a standard size and shape for seamless childbearing. On another occasion, she overheard two men complaining about how their hopes of promenading with the ladies they were interested in had fallen apart because the ladies had rejected their advances. And so, she stepped in their path, looked them in the eye and brazenly told them that I was free to go promenading whenever they were willing to call on me. After all, I had no prospects and so I wouldn’t refused.

“Whenever they try to dissuade her, she praises my value before them and tries to entice them by saying I am far too endowed with talents and beauty to be dismissed. Now many of them think me a snob who believes she is too good to even speak to them. She is so frightened that I might be a spinster, wholly unaware that her machinations might be what seal my fate.”

It was humiliating, each time her mother took charge of conversations between Anna and potential suitors, regaling them with tales of her wondrous talents, hoping to convince one of them to ask for her hand. All Anna had gotten were looks of disdain and irritation before they moved away.

Anna’s frustration had only grown and she was starting to feel as though she was running out of time to dissuade her mother from such behavior.

“Maybe you should tell her that her methods have been found distasteful. If she were to hear it from you, she would have no choice but to listen to reason,” Prudence suggested, her eyes wide with concern.

“I have tried – many times. But she claims it is all for my benefit. That she doesn’t want me to live a life that lacked comfort and luxury. When I brought up my own desires, what I wanted; love, comfort, a partnership, she claimed they weren’t necessary. I just do not know what else to –”

“Miss Munro?”

Anna turned at the sound of her surname, confused as a valet approached her.

“Yes?” she answered uncertainly.

“I have a message from your mother, Lady Munro. She asked that you meet her in the conservatory right away. She expressed that you make haste, as the situation is quite urgent.” The valet said to her.