The Spinster & The Coquette Read Online Free Page B

very surprised!”
    Nodding his head in the direction of his damnable walking sticks, Frank winked at Hester.

Chapter Four

    When the sisters accompanied their aunt to the dance party, Cordelia was—perhaps unsurprisingly—surrounded by admirers within minutes. Who could blame the gentlemen for being drawn to her? With her chestnut hair, freckles, pale blue gown, and piercing green eyes, she was easily the prettiest girl in the room. Cordelia’s allure was so strong, it was as if every man in her vicinity had been struck by the arrow of Cupid.
    Much to Hester’s dismay, her sister was back to her usual habits: flirting and giggling and coquettishly simpering behind her fan. Cordelia thrived on male attention, and did nothing to discourage her many admirers, and she made it her mission to dance with every man who doted on her.
    Hester resisted the temptation to roll her eyes each time Cordelia rapped a young gentleman on the arm with her fan. In truth, she envied her sister. It wasn’t as if men ever doted on her . Hester had always been a wallflower, and that fact would likely never change, even though the scenery had changed. Plymouth was no kinder to her than London.
    After three dances and several minutes of neglect, Cordelia finally remembered her sister’s existence. When she returned to Hester’s side, her emerald eyes were glowing with excitement. “Hester!” She seized her sister’s arm and squeezed. “I can hardly believe it! There are more handsome gentlemen in Plymouth than I anticipated!”
    “Is that so?”
    “Are you saying you haven’t noticed? Good gracious, Hester, one might think you lacked a pulse! How could any woman with a decent pair of eyes fail to notice beautiful Mr. Snowley or handsome Mr. Hewlitt?”
    “Mr. Snowley, Mr. Hewlitt, and none of their brethren have been introduced to me.”
    “But surely you could have admired them from afar? They are easy enough to notice. Mr. Hewlitt is so tall, he towers above everyone. And Mr. Snowley’s hair is as black as midnight, and it looks so very soft and shiny. Have you ever been tempted to touch a man’s hair just to see if it is as soft as it looks?”
    “No.”
    “You’re no fun, Hes. Absolutely no fun at all!”
    “Then you need not waste your time with me, not when there are so many men who long to dance with the great beauty from London. I grant you permission to abandon me at any moment, Cordelia. Leave your ape leader sister to sulk in a corner.”
    “You are no ape leader!” Cordelia defended her sister.
“Am I not? I am most certainly a spinster, quite firmly on the shelf. And I have never been a beauty, not like you.” That much was true. In comparison to her sister, Hester might have been described as plain. Her straight blonde hair had no luster, her chin was a bit pointy, and her cheeks were pale and colorless. “I cannot begin to imagine what it must be like to be flirted with as relentlessly as you are.”
    “It is… pleasant,” the younger sister admitted.
    “But must you flirt with everyone ? If you carry on, every man in the room will end up horribly attached to you, only to discover your heart belongs to Lord Cavendish.”
    “I must confess, I enjoy the attention!” Cordelia exclaimed. “And my heart hardly belongs to Lord Cavendish. It is true that I cared for him once, but it wasn’t as if we had an understanding. My heart is anyone’s to capture.”
    “That is very good news for Mr. Snowley and Mr… Hewlitt, was it?” Suddenly, Hester’s mind recalled an image of Frank Boswell’s boyish face. If the boy was forming an attachment to Cordelia, as Hester suspected, he would have little luck.
    “Truth be told, I am particularly fond of Mr. Snowley. His voice is so deep and soft, and I quite like the way his dark hair contrasts with his pale skin. He is the only man I have agreed to dance with a second time. When he comes to collect me for the dance, do look at his eyes! They’re so dark. So