me about your sister.”
Julia blinked, trying to hide her confusion, certain the baroness knew about Michael. “I have no sister, only a brother who was lost at sea fifteen years ago.”
“Miss Charlotte Ransome, goose.” Lady Fairfax tapped Julia’s wrist with her fan. “My children are much taken with her. Percy speaks of her constantly.”
Ah, yes. That sister. The one hiding the letter Julia had accidentally seen in which a man declared his love for Charlotte and asked her to marry him. “Charlotte is a wonderful young woman. Very accomplished. But…I believe Commodore Ransome and his mother thinkher far too young to entertain any idea of a serious attachment. She is not yet eighteen.”
Lady Fairfax laughed. “I know it is no longer the thing amongst this generation to marry young, but in my day, if a woman were not engaged by her eighteenth birthday, she was considered on the shelf. And is it not true that you yourself would have married at Miss Ransome’s age if a certain handsome lieutenant would have but asked?”
Julia conceded the point by inclining her head.
“I understand Commodore Ransome has settled a small fortune on his sister. Ten thousand, is it not?”
Julia hated discussing financial matters in public. Mama had taught her it was vulgar and done only by shallow, vain people. But over the past year, she’d learned it was not only accepted, but expected amongst society. “Yes, ma’am. Commodore Ransome and his brothers settled that amount on her.”
“I am certain, then, that at her ball tomorrow all the gentlemen will be buzzing around her. It is good you shall be there to help her determine who is of an appropriate social position to pay his addresses to her. No one should be burdened by marrying outside of her station.”
And with that, Julia understood Lady Fairfax’s position clearly. Her son could be seen to flirt with a young woman with a ten-thousand-pound legacy, but the Fairfaxes would never tolerate his marrying the daughter of a common sailor, no matter her wealth or that of her brothers.
“Yes. I feel my duty in helping Charlotte find a suitable husband as a grave undertaking.” And her duty in warning Charlotte about forming any attachment to Percy Fairfax. Not that Julia suspected she had, but young women could be unpredictable, and she did not know Charlotte all that well.
“We would like to play our part.” The baroness leaned forward. “Charlotte is such a dear girl, quite a friend to Penelope. We would like to invite her to go with us to the country next week. Pen and Percy always have friends come in for a few weeks—parties and balls every night, practically. It would be a wonderful introduction to a larger society for her, to prepare her for a London Season next year.”
While Julia hoped Charlotte would accept the invitation to join the Fairfaxes at their country estate, she knew William and Mrs. Ransome would never agree to exposing Charlotte to the garish, soul-snuffing madness that marked a Season in Town.
“A formal invitation shall be sent, but I hope you might work on her mother tonight.”
“If I see her this evening, I will certainly inform her of your intention.” To Julia’s relief, the mantel clock chimed the quarter hour. “Gracious, I did not realize I had been here so long. I wish I could stay longer…” She let her voice trail off.
“I am certain you have many other visits to make, so I’ll not be greedy and keep you to myself. But we will see you again at Lady Dalrymple’s ball, if not before.”
Julia curtseyed in farewell and finally escaped. In the carriage on the way back to her father’s house, she imagined Charlotte interacting with the Fairfaxes’ acquaintances. The Fairfax family had been nothing but kind to Charlotte, and the opportunity they offered her to expand her social circle was something that the Ransomes had probably never dreamed of for her. They would be foolish to refuse the invitation. But with the
Julia blinked, trying to hide her confusion, certain the baroness knew about Michael. “I have no sister, only a brother who was lost at sea fifteen years ago.”
“Miss Charlotte Ransome, goose.” Lady Fairfax tapped Julia’s wrist with her fan. “My children are much taken with her. Percy speaks of her constantly.”
Ah, yes. That sister. The one hiding the letter Julia had accidentally seen in which a man declared his love for Charlotte and asked her to marry him. “Charlotte is a wonderful young woman. Very accomplished. But…I believe Commodore Ransome and his mother thinkher far too young to entertain any idea of a serious attachment. She is not yet eighteen.”
Lady Fairfax laughed. “I know it is no longer the thing amongst this generation to marry young, but in my day, if a woman were not engaged by her eighteenth birthday, she was considered on the shelf. And is it not true that you yourself would have married at Miss Ransome’s age if a certain handsome lieutenant would have but asked?”
Julia conceded the point by inclining her head.
“I understand Commodore Ransome has settled a small fortune on his sister. Ten thousand, is it not?”
Julia hated discussing financial matters in public. Mama had taught her it was vulgar and done only by shallow, vain people. But over the past year, she’d learned it was not only accepted, but expected amongst society. “Yes, ma’am. Commodore Ransome and his brothers settled that amount on her.”
“I am certain, then, that at her ball tomorrow all the gentlemen will be buzzing around her. It is good you shall be there to help her determine who is of an appropriate social position to pay his addresses to her. No one should be burdened by marrying outside of her station.”
And with that, Julia understood Lady Fairfax’s position clearly. Her son could be seen to flirt with a young woman with a ten-thousand-pound legacy, but the Fairfaxes would never tolerate his marrying the daughter of a common sailor, no matter her wealth or that of her brothers.
“Yes. I feel my duty in helping Charlotte find a suitable husband as a grave undertaking.” And her duty in warning Charlotte about forming any attachment to Percy Fairfax. Not that Julia suspected she had, but young women could be unpredictable, and she did not know Charlotte all that well.
“We would like to play our part.” The baroness leaned forward. “Charlotte is such a dear girl, quite a friend to Penelope. We would like to invite her to go with us to the country next week. Pen and Percy always have friends come in for a few weeks—parties and balls every night, practically. It would be a wonderful introduction to a larger society for her, to prepare her for a London Season next year.”
While Julia hoped Charlotte would accept the invitation to join the Fairfaxes at their country estate, she knew William and Mrs. Ransome would never agree to exposing Charlotte to the garish, soul-snuffing madness that marked a Season in Town.
“A formal invitation shall be sent, but I hope you might work on her mother tonight.”
“If I see her this evening, I will certainly inform her of your intention.” To Julia’s relief, the mantel clock chimed the quarter hour. “Gracious, I did not realize I had been here so long. I wish I could stay longer…” She let her voice trail off.
“I am certain you have many other visits to make, so I’ll not be greedy and keep you to myself. But we will see you again at Lady Dalrymple’s ball, if not before.”
Julia curtseyed in farewell and finally escaped. In the carriage on the way back to her father’s house, she imagined Charlotte interacting with the Fairfaxes’ acquaintances. The Fairfax family had been nothing but kind to Charlotte, and the opportunity they offered her to expand her social circle was something that the Ransomes had probably never dreamed of for her. They would be foolish to refuse the invitation. But with the
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