A Taste of Honey by Lindsay Kiernan

suitor could afford.  Robin's fingers kept returning to the flowers in her hair, as if it was a reminder of some goal that she had set for the evening.
    Katherine felt less at ease wearing the beautiful cornflower blue dress and white pearls around her throat.  Before leaving she had glanced in the mirror, hardly recognizing the woman who stared back at her.  She was still unsure if that was a good or bad thing to feel.  She had never disliked who she was before but that didn't mean that she couldn't like who she was becoming.
    Before entering the large townhouse Robin pulled Katherine aside just as Mrs. Brentley was taken away by an old friend with new gossip.  “Don't forget what mother asked you to do.”
    Katherine could not imagine why her sister would now suddenly care so greatly about who she chose for a husband.  “Why do you care if I marry a titled gentleman or not?”
    “I can't listen to what Mrs. Brentley says.  I want a rich husband and I am going to get one.  However I have taken her advice to heart, I might find it difficult to fit into some circles unless I am the sister of a respectable duchess, or lady or something.  That means that you have to marry respectable.  You probably would have anyway for mother's sake but I just think it would be best for the whole family really.”
    Katherine hated how even now her family was asking her to help pick up after her sister's missteps.  Everyone was trying to guide her life and her own opinion did not seem to matter to them.  “I will do my best,” she said through clenched teeth.
    Robin did not seem to notice Katherine's remark before plastering a carefree smile to her face and striding purposefully into the house.  It told Katherine enough about her sister's mind set, and even worried her a little to see such drive so early in their husband hunting.
    She had to remember that both of them were there for a purpose tonight.  Not just for fun like most of the girls with their mothers or aunts who saw the event as mostly a source of amusement.  Even the more serious girls who wanted to pursue Dukes and Barons spent more than one season looking into their choices for husbands, refusing a few offers before selecting one to pursue.  The Wellings had no such luxury.  By the end of the season they would be dropped off at their father's home if they had not procured a husband, and that would be the end of their chance to marry well.  They needed to choose quickly; otherwise Katherine might never hear the end of it from their mother.
    The glittering chandeliers and rich golden hued ornamentation of the Emerson's Ball did not distract Robin nor Mrs. Brentley.  They each had clearly stated their goals and Katherine watched as both women sought out men using very different sets of rules to determine eligibility.
    Many of the men they were introduced to were handsome enough, and both girls accepted every request for a dance, often only to be polite.  Shortly after returning from such a dance the other women in the group who were friends of Mrs. Brentley would whisper back and forth about the advantages and disadvantages of the man, such as what wealth he had, if he was prone to scandals, or how many mistress he had been known to keep.  Katherine discovered that some of the women that surrounded them included Mrs. Brentley's previous charges.  They all treated Mrs. Brentley as the supreme authority on anything to do with husband hunting.
    Nearing the end of the night, neither Katherine nor Robin could find one man amongst those that they had danced with that would work very well for either of them.  Mr. Blackworth was far too poor, and had been openly searching for a rich bride over the past two years.  He danced with both girls before declaring them divine creatures and then leaving them alone for the rest of the evening.
    Charles Wentworth, Lord of Grinley, held an important seat in the House of Lords and was very kind, which quickly made him a