Caramel: The Musings and Adventures of a Miss Charlotte Marigold And of a Dr. Carlisle Cullen

 One 

        Charlotte Marigold sat upon the edge of a small guilt chair, her dark emerald eyes scanning the top of the ceiling out of both pure curiosity and pure boredom. The feeling that overwhelmed her most as she stared up at the plaster, painted sky with cherubs encroaching upon the center however, was that of complete and utter boredom.

            Honestly, she was not the usual type of young woman who would be found sitting alone in the shadows when the annual Quincey Ball was whirling about her. In fact, ever since she had come out into society three years ago, she was one of the most enchanting and amiable young women who attended the Quincey Ball each year.

            This year, however, was quite a different year. The strains and stresses of a tight fiscal year were evident all over London. And although the Marigold family had never been in perfect financial happiness, they were never in such a struggle to maintain their small amount of wealth. It became incumbent upon Charlotte, as the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marigold, to marry, and to marry well in order to support her parents in their old age.

            The young gentlemen who usually attended the Quincey Ball were handsome, rich, and amiable. Charlotte could generally figure out a way to enchant one of them into courting her before the evening had reached its end. At this particular year however, Charlotte felt as though she had not moved soon enough, and was now condemned to dancing with young men like Gerald O’Ryan, who had not yet grown out of their awkward stage and were being pushed to acquire a wife that they could not please or to acquire a wife who would not please them.

            Besides, the entire ballroom had been gossiping about her all evening. Charlotte had always been tall, but she had apparently reached a “looming, unladylike height” of five foot seven, making her less than two inches shorter than many gentlemen usually invited to such prestigious parties. Not only did she gain in height, but her waistline (which was rather slim, and had always been that way) had gained an entire inch and three quarters, while her bust had remained the same size. Therefore, her contemporaries no longer considered her to be a beauty, and therefore, Charlotte was no longer a threat in the flirtation and attracting of a husband.