The Suitor List by Shirley Marks Page A

very busy household indeed.
    The thought of sharing her home with these dozen or
so masculine, attractive newcomers caused Charlotte's
heart to race.

    "What's wrong, Char-Char?" Muriel narrowed her
eyes at her sister. "You've gone pale"
    "There are so many of them." She felt her face warm,
then she dropped her shawl from her shoulders, hoping
it would cool her. "I am to attend the ball this evening. I
do not know how I am to-"
    "I cannot tell you how happy I am that my presence
is not required." Muriel held the opera glasses firmly to
her eyes.
    "But you have studied with the dance master." All three
sisters had spent months in lessons before Augusta's
departure. "Why would you choose not to try your hand
at
    "I have no intention of dancing this or any other evening, Char-Char," Muriel declared with firm resolve.
    "Oh, that is a shame. After all that time practicing."
Charlotte blinked, wondering if her younger sister felt
shy because of her age and needed a bit of encouragement. "You are really quite graceful and have a lovely
form, you know."
    Muriel lowered the glasses to regard Charlotte.
"Thank you for the compliment but I cannot see the point
in the attempt. I do not enjoy the exercise. Besides, those
gentlemen will only have eyes for you and Gusta, not
me.
    "I see" She understood that Muriel, only very recently
thirteen, might not be of an age to attract any gentlemen
of Augusta's age. But Charlotte, two years younger than
her eldest sister, could she truly be of any interest to
them? "Moo, do you think I can expect a dozen gentlemen to pay court to me when my time comes?"

    "Oh, I shouldn't think so" Muriel raised the glasses
to her eyes once more.
    Charlotte felt a bit calmer at her younger but wiser
sister's pronouncement. Being in the company of
numerous men made her nervous. Muriel was very
clever and could usually see the right of any matter.
    "I'd expect double their number."
    Charlotte grabbed onto the edge of the windowsill.
The various letters she held slipped from her hand, sliding to the floor. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep
breath.
    Oh, goodness.
    By that evening, the ballroom at Faraday Hall had
been cleaned, polished, and lit to perfection. The Duke
and Mrs. Parker had made sure to invite some local
ladies, enough to make the disproportionate number of
male to female guests not so obvious.
    Augusta wore a pink spotted muslin with a wide
satin sash, matching her pink dancing slippers and the
small rosebuds in her hair. The outfit was thought up by
her and her aunt during their travel home from London.
    Never one to allow idle time to pass, Lord Fieldstone
stepped forward moments after Augusta entered, and Sir
Warren Cantrell, close on the Viscount's heels, was the
second to claim a dance. Lord Carlton Wingate, coming
in third, insisted she reserve the supper dance for him.
    After her dance with Sir Benjamin Pelfry, Mr. Allendale, and Lord Tremaine, she noticed Lord William
Felgate and local baronet Sir Nicholas Petersham in
conversation with Miss Eleanor Jessop across the room. Despite the men outnumbering the women, Augusta
thought everyone behaved in a civilized manner.

    During the final steps of the current dance, Augusta
pulled her foot from under Lord Arthur Master's errant
misstep. Her sharp glance at his face told her he was
not attending. He had stopped dancing and merely stared
toward the entrance.
    "Who, I say, who is that ... creature?"
    Augusta could have guessed he wanted to use the adjective lovely, becoming, or simply magnificent, but her
presence had prohibited him from showing outright interest.
    Augusta glanced over her shoulder. "That, Lord
Arthur, is my younger sister Lady Charlotte."
    Charlotte entered the ballroom just after nine o'clock.
Several wide pale blonde ringlets framed her face, and the
golden threads which shot through the white silk of her
gown shimmered under the crystal chandeliers above her.
    At sixteen years