Letitia had always wanted to stay up and whisper, and Susannah’s conversational contributions never amounted to anything more than a light snore. But Clive had chosen Harriet, and Susannah had been publicly humiliated, and even now, nearly six months after the fact, people were still talking about it. “Harry described you well.”. Her brother had been using his time on the battlefield to beg men to marry her, using her dowry (as opposed to her looks, or heaven forbid, her heart) as the primary draw. The damn thing should have been chopped for firewood weeks earlier, Peter thought savagely, but the army never had enough of anything, including humble supply wagons, and his regiment commander had refused to give it up for dead. Susannah had been the main attraction, Susannah with her surprised mouth and stricken eyes. And although it was not in David’s nature to flatter himself, he knew that a simple invitation to dance on his part would do wonders to restore Susannah’s popularity. She was standing in the busiest section of the ballroom, which was not where she wanted to be, so she started walking. But she was Harry’s sister, and he’d made a promise to Harry. January 28th 2003 “Oh,” he said. She’d loved Harry desperately and missed him with a fierceness that sometimes took her breath away. A tall gentleman wearing the same uniform as Robbie was walking toward them. The newly wedded couple has returned to London to enjoy the winter festivities, as has Miss Susannah Ballister, who, as anyone who even stepped foot in London last season will know, was courted rather assiduously by Mr. Mann-Formsby, right up until the moment he proposed to Miss Snowe. But such a life required land, and land required money, which was something Peter had in short supply. The second odd occurrence took place across town, in the district of Holborn, in front of the home of Anne Miniver, who lived quietly alongside all of the lawyers and barristers who worked at the nearby Inns of the Court, even though her occupation, if one could call it that, was Mistress. And it would only be then that the true Earl of Renminster would be revealed. But there were three wishes, weren’t there? “This is terrible,” she said. When she and Mr. Dunlop had been introduced, she’d been excited to meet him. And if it brought comfort to think that any death could be more noble than another, he wasn’t about to pierce the illusion. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. He’d spent three days in what had to be tremendous pain, both his legs broken, the right one so badly that the bone had burst through the skin. He wasn’t mentioned by name, but fans of, The menu for Lady Neeley’s dinner party comes straight from. “This?” he echoed, giving his head a questioning tilt. “A waltz,” she said dryly, once the string quintet began to play. A dance would be remarked upon. The Lady Whistledown columns narrating all four stories were written by me. A lot of young men, done with the army, or about to be, at loose ends, wondering what it was they were supposed to do now that they weren’t holding rifles and galloping into battle. “He spoke of you often.”, Tillie winced. My father says her chef is the best in London, and he wouldn’t allow us to decline. Of course, if Harry had described him, he would have just shrugged and said something like, “Regular-looking fellow, I suppose.”. “Harry was a hero,” Peter said again, because it was true, and he’d long since learned that those who hadn’t experienced war could never understand the truth of it. She’d forgotten what a nice sensation that was. To learn more about the other stories in the anthology, please visit the websites of the other authors: Suzanne Enoch, Karen Hawkins, and Mia Ryan. But she had always felt his disdain, his obvious conviction that she was not good enough for his brother. Or maybe the out-and-out lies?”, He swallowed, unaware that her situation had been quite so unpleasant. Her hostess had substituted hot tea for the traditional lemonade and champagne, citing the frigid weather, but the tea hadn’t remained hot for very long, and when one was skulking in the corner of a ballroom, as Susannah was, footmen never came to retrieve unwanted glasses or cups. I accept your apology on Clive’s behalf.”. And the lastthing he wanted to be was her replacement brother. It was rather fun to "comment" upon characters written by other authors. “No crooked braids,” she said, unable to keep the tinge of sarcasm out of her voice. Miss Martin said nothing. There was no reason for him to have called her out name; he could easily have let her walk right by him without acknowledging her presence. So many bellies were rumbling he couldn’t tell whose was whose. She supposed she couldn’t really blame Lady Whistledown. “Please don’t lie to me,” she whispered. “D’you know Lady Mathilda?” Robbie said to Peter. He’d have a small sum once he sold his commission and officially retired from the army, but it wouldn’t be enough. “I suppose she took pity on me, so newly returned to town.”. “I’m sorry. Even Lady Whistledown had seen fit to mention it in her column. Even in the days following Clive’s defection, she had slept like the dead. Already she’d seen three people point in her direction, then say something behind their hands. All the ton had flocked to London in the decidedly unfashionable month of January, eager to enjoy the skating and sledding and upcoming Frost Fair. Now she couldn’t sleep for thinking of him, but she didn’t much mind—not with this giddy feeling. Conceptually, I see why they did this, but as a reader, it feels a bit redundant and made it a bit more difficult for me to suspend disbelief. I’m glad to know.”, He turned his attention back to his soup, hoping that a bit of lobster and flour and broth could banish the memory of Harry’s death, but then Tillie said, “It’s supposed to be easier because he’s a hero, but I don’t think so.”. It had been so long since she’d felt proud of herself. It had been her only escape from the constant pain and turmoil that was the life of a jilted debutante. Even now, she was boyishly slender, but she did have a few curves, and Tillie was thrilled with each and every one of them.