Dearest Grace,
Or perhaps Mrs. Wilson would be a more appealing greeting for you now. Though I must say that your new name is not nearly so pleasing to me. I do wish to have you to myself again and by my side. These past three months have been a torment for me, having lost my most intimate companion. If only I had been blessed with siblings, or a more social aspect so as to be capable of making other friends.
I do hope, however, that you are fitting in well with your new abode and town. I'm sure you shall never find another friend as dear as me, but I do hope the women there are welcoming and lovely. I so often hear rumors that the ladies in town are not nearly so pleasant as ourselves. I hope for your sake these rumors are false. I also hope that your wedding tour was pleasing and that your darling George was kind and attentive to all of your needs. When you have a spare moment I do desire you to write me in detail about every second. I long to live vicariously through you.
Though you are gone and life has been lonely, I must admit that there has recently been some added entertainment in our modest neighborhood. The ever-charming Mr. Musgrove invited a party consisting of four men and two ladies to spend the remainder of winter with him at Wildfell Hall. This, as I am sure you can conclude, has caused much discussion amongst us all. On this Thursday past, Miss Musgrove extended to mother and I an invitation to join them all for dinner. It was readily accepted and I assure you they were quite a lovely party. The two women were fashionable and each very accomplished. The first, and first because she is the eldest, is named Clarissa Uldaman, and she is to inherit quite a fortune when her father passes. Mind you, she did not tell me this. For that would indeed be quite an inappropriate conversation for a first meeting. However, I have heard that she had an enormous inheritance and from her rich clothing and style I am ready to believe it.
The second lady is roughly our age and she is very charming. Her name is Catherine Heaton and she, like us, expects no large fortune unless she is lucky enough to marry into it, which you have proved to be possible. However, I don't think Catherine will be marrying into money for she seems to be quite enthralled by the handsome Captain Dashwood who is a military man and not likely to come into any amount of excessive wealth. He is the third guest of Mr. Musgrove and unfortunately for Catherine, seems quite taken by Clarissa. Whether it be for her beauty, her talents, or her money, I could not say as of yet.
The fourth of this party is an older man, I would place him close to forty. He is Mr. Heaton, brother of Catherine, and he has a rather smug aspect about him and is very quiet. Throughout dinner he said perhaps five words: "Pass the butter," and "Thank you." But perhaps he is just a nervous man and doesn't feel open enough to share with us his true personality. Either way he watched Clarissa very closely while I was there and looked quite jealous whenever Captain Dashwood gave too much attention to her. I think this Clarissa is used to having men fight over her though. She was very collected and split her attention between the two men equally.
The last man was a military man as well. Perhaps I have saved him for last because he has quickly become my favorite of the group. His name is Henry Zambrano and he is a good friend of the Captain. He was a quiet man, though far more talkative than Mr. Heaton. He spoke only when he seemed to have something to add to the conversation, he was not a frivolous speaker, and you know how I quite despise those people. But on to his looks, which drew my attention quickly. He is blessed with beautiful golden tresses that he keeps tied back and dark blue eyes with which he seems to watch everyone and everything they do. I am afraid I may become quite infatuated with him, which of course would be a poor thing, for he is in the military and the only way to make money in the military seems to be to die.
But mama has received another invitation from them for tomorrow and I look forward to learning more about them all. Mr. Musgrove did, of course, ask how you were. I told him you had not written me, for you have been too busy with being a good and satisfying wife. I look forward to seeing you sometime in the future and do long to hear from you soon. Do not however, separate yourself from any moment of happiness on my account. Wait until you have had quite enough of the opposite sex and then feel free to come complain to me. It is likely I shall write again soon and not wait for your response.
All my love,
Abagail Lovelace
February 22
No comments:
Post a Comment