Chapter One
London, England
“I do not know why it is so difficult for me to choose something to wear to go someplace I am not allowed to visit. That would be the least of my worries, would it not? I should be more concerned about getting caught and ruining my reputation.”
Miss Sariah Kent didn’t really expect a reply from her maid, Sophie, as she rambled on, and yet, as the girl continued to dig through her wardrobe, she offered one, nonetheless. At least, all that she ever offered as a servant talking to her mistress. “What about this one, my lady?”
Sariah had been lying on her bed pondering how wise her actions actually were when she popped up and gave a frown. “If I wear that, it will surely be damaged beyond repair.” She tilted her head to the side. “I have been wondering what happened to that pink dress, though.”
The maid kept a polite expression on her face, revealing nothing. “I believe there had been a temporary detainment at the seamstress,” she murmured. “But the color has always suited you quite well, and it goes quite nicely with the straw bonnet.”
“Yet another reluctant item that I seem to have been missing of late.” Sariah’s lips twitched.
However, she soon discounted something that did not concern herself at this moment. What mattered was that, with both her parents currently out of the house, she was able to embark on an adventure. One that she had contrived with three of her best friends.
Together, they were going to brave the Peerless Pond and discover what all the excitement was about.
She had long wondered about the allure of the popular swimming hole in London.
Rumors abounded that men paraded about the area without their shirts!
As if that wasn’t irresistible enough temptation, the chance to mingle freely without worrying about a social mishap in conversation was a welcome change, indeed.
Sariah had never cared for the strictures placed upon well-bred ladies of the ton.
It was merely an accident of birth that granted her the right to be addressed as “my lady” and nothing more.
She could easily have been born to a commoner where the wardrobe full of dresses was only something that might have been viewed through a shopkeeper’s window.
It really wasn’t fair, especially when she had passed one season without any marital prospects.
She didn’t want to be married. She wanted to enjoy life and embark on a Grand Tour as her brother had been fortunate enough to do.
He would write back to their mother of all the wonderful places he had visited.
It seemed perfectly acceptable for him to fly the nest, and yet, she could not sample the same freedoms without being branded by some label like spinster or widow—or worse of all—ruined.
The very word sent shivers of horror up most ladies’ spines, but not for Sariah.
She would eagerly carry the brand—if she knew how to survive with it dogging her heels.
Thus far, she was quite sure that dancing the quadrille or dabbling at watercolors and embroidery was not enough talent to survive by those skills alone.
“Very well, I choose the pink gown and the bonnet. Perhaps their sudden resurgence was for a reason. And since you are so kind to be discreet about my activities today, and I should have already been getting ready, there is no need to detain you any longer from the rest of your duties.”
As the maid styled her hair into a simple chignon and assisted her into her undergarments, Sariah looked at her silhouette in the mirror. “I should like my waist to look especially narrow today, Sophie. Tighten the laces of my stays a bit more.”
The maid looked at her with a slight uncertainty. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea if you plan on dipping into the water. It may be difficult to draw a deep breath—”
“I shall be fine. I am a country girl at heart, having spent every summer at my father’s estate and splashing around the pond with my elder brother. If he has not found a way to keep me under the surface by now, then nothing shall.”
Conceding to her mistress’ wishes, the maid complied.
Once the laces were snug, the empire waist dress was lowered over Sariah’s head.
She inspected her reflection and gave a small pout.
“There does not seem to be much difference, does there?” She sighed.
“One can only hope that an indented waist will soon come back into fashion and these sackcloth gowns will be retired for good.”
A light knock sounded at her bedchamber door and Sophie walked over to answer. On the other side was one of the footmen. “A carriage has just pulled up with Lady Ava and Lady Margaret inside”
Sariah clapped her hands together with glee.
“Lovely! I shall be right down.” She pinched her cheeks to gain a bit of color but could see that her eyes were already bright with excitement.
She grabbed her reticule and glanced about, wondering if she should take anything else.
“I doubt a wrap will be necessary. It is early July and the heat has been almost unbearable lately.”
“’Tis the heart of the summer season,” her maid noted.
Sariah was already heading for the door.
“I shall be back as soon as our fun has concluded. Which may be some time!” With that, she headed downstairs with enthusiasm making her steps buoyant.
She practically skipped out the door to meet her best friends.
They had all debuted together and failed to ensnare a husband on their first try, each of them grateful for the brief reprieve.
She climbed into the carriage belonging to Lady Margaret’s father, the Earl of Blasingame, the crest emblazoned across the side of the coach, and greeted her and Lady Ava, the daughter of Viscount Holdton.
She enveloped each of them in an exuberant embrace.
“Can you believe this day has actually arrived? How fortunate it was that we were all able to find a way to escape our glamourous prisons to view how life might truly be should we be allowed out of our gilded cages for a time.” She lifted her chin and gave a whistle.
“We shall sing like songbirds before the day is through!”
The trio fell into laughter. “Indeed. I should almost like to see the look on my mother’s face if she were to learn of my daring nature.” Ava scrunched up her nose and tossed her blond curls.
“My father would surely expire in the midst of his club with a brandy in one hand and a requisite cigar in the other.” Maggie sighed in exasperation.
“He is so focused on convention and preserving the family name that I am quite overset by his insistence that I wed the perfect man. As if there is truly such a creature!”
A chorus of huzzah lit up the interior.
“And yet,” Sariah held up a finger. “They expect us to be able to walk with a stack of books upon our head in straight precision while birthing a male heir at the same moment. And they all wonder why we aren’t scrambling over ourselves to reach the altar?”
This time it was a round of applause.
Ava leaned forward, her blue eyes suddenly sparking with altered interest. “Do you really think the men are as bare chested as they claim?”
“Silly goose. Rumor has it that Thursday afternoons are the perfect times for viewing any such spectacle. That is the whole purpose of this endeavor is to find out for ourselves!” Maggie crowed.
“I tire of hearsay. I want to look upon a real-life rake in the flesh, not just on paper in the Brazen Belle’s broadsheets.
Yet, we are so protected and kept away from anything but stuffy gentlemen who would use us for nothing but broodmares that we are unable to decide for ourselves what sort of men might gain our interest. Perhaps I might want the chance to reform my own rake. ”
“I agree.” Ava shook her head adamantly. “From what I understand, there have been several gentlemen who were featured in the Belle’s column and who have now settled down quite amicably. I daresay anything is possible if you are given the chance to decide your own fate.”
“Exactly the point of this excursion,” Sariah said with a firm tone.
“Our parents have done their duty, but I feel it is our responsibility as adult women to forge our own path, and this is the first step to proving our independence.” She adopted a proud pose.
“Just as some of our English ancestors broke away from the Crown and gained their own government in the American Colonies, we too, shall be just as victorious.”
Her companions giggled. “It is fitting that it is their claim of independence today,” Ava murmured.
“I heard that another star was going to be added to their flag to represent the State of Missouri, another conquest in their deliberation to mark the country as their own,” Maggie added.
“At least we can be thankful the whaling industry is currently monopolizing much of Parliament’s time and keeping the House of Lords occupied with matters of state, giving us this rare opportunity to be left to our own devices.
Father often speaks of changes to ships and regulations, which must be discussed at length, of course. ”
“Of course,” Ava echoed, giving a roll of her eyes.
“If it were me, I would give all the authority to the British Southern Whale Fishery and let them make any necessary decisions with design and future implementations, but there has to be someone who makes the rules on their behalf because they believe it benefits the good of the Crown, while I feel it is just something else to discuss over tea.”
Sariah snorted. “No, that is what our mothers do. Our fathers are too busy congratulating themselves on their brilliance of mind.” As the carriage began to slow, she glanced out the window. “Oh, it’s even more magical than I could have imagined.”
“The row of trees is stunning!” Ava breathed.
“Let’s hope the gentlemen are equally enthralling,” Maggie drawled.