Free For Myself Alone: A Jane Austen Inspired Novel by Shannon Winslow

tour of the continent to round out my education before taking up my responsibilities at home. He would not hear of it. Far too extravagant, to his way of thinking. So this trip to Bath is intended as a substitute, I believe. Hardly an even exchange, I grant you, yet I mean to make the most of it.”
    “How are you enjoying your stay thus far, sir? Are the amusements, scenery, and society all to your taste?”
    “Until very recently, I was undecided on the question.”
    “And now?”
    “Now I have good reason to revise my opinion,” he said with a meaningful look.
    “In which direction? For the better or for the worse?”
    “Oh, for the better. By all means, for the better.”
    I accepted this pleasantry as the gentleman clearly intended it, as a compliment to myself. I cannot deny the thrill of satisfaction it gave me. When my spirits recovered from this little flutter, I invited Mr. Pierce to tell me about his family and situation. He explained that he was the only son of his widowed father, his mother having died some five years earlier. His two sisters – one his senior and one his junior – were unmarried and still resided at home, that being an estate called Wildewood, in Surrey.
    “Have you been to that part of the country, Miss Walker? It is known for its beauty. ‘Surrey is the garden of England,’ as the saying goes. Have you not heard it called such yourself?”
    “Oh, yes, and I quite agree. I visited my uncle there many times. My brother Frederick has just inherited his estate, in fact. Perhaps you know of it; it is called Millwalk.”
    “No, I cannot recall that I ever heard of it. Still, Surrey is not that large. It may be that your brother and I are neighbors after all. So, now I know that you have at least one brother, and your honored father and mother I have met. Tell me the rest. Tell me about the place you come from and all your friends there.”
    In my limited experience, it was more usual for young men to rattle on and on about themselves and their own concerns, without thought for anyone else. Therefore, Mr. Pierce’s interest both flattered me and spoke well of his character. By this time, I felt so at ease in his company that I did as he asked. I told him about Tom, Frederick, Arthur, Agnes, and our home in Wallerton. About myself, I had little to say. As I saw it, nothing much had yet happened to me (except for receiving my inheritance so unexpectedly, and that I was not willing to divulge). “I fear there is not much more to tell. I have lived a very quiet life,” I concluded.
    “Well, this trip to Bath will add another chapter to your book, and a few more friends to your list, I daresay. How long have you known the Grahams, Miss Walker?”
    “Only a short time; just since they arrived here. My mother was acquainted with Mrs. Graham years ago when they were girls at school together. Apparently, Bath is the perfect place to find and renew old acquaintances. You and I both discovered a connection with the Grahams, which gives us something admirable in common, Mr. Pierce. They are excellent people – so friendly and obliging.”
    “Salt of the earth, I make no doubt. I must say that Mr. Graham seems a very worthy sort of man, although…” He chuckled, leaning forward and continuing in a much lower voice. “…my father is fond of saying that it is a great mercy that the man inherited his money for he is rather too simple to make his way in trade.”
    “Dear me. That is hardly fair, is it, Mr. Pierce?” I said, stifling a laugh.
    “My father’s words, not mine,” he disclaimed. “And they were spoken with good-natured affection, I assure you. As for me, I make no such judgments. I find the whole family quite delightful.”
    “I am relieved to hear it.”
    “Observing people is prodigiously interesting. Would not you agree, Miss Walker? It has become rather of a hobby with me. I am always diverted since I am always meeting with something unexpected. Mr. and Mrs. Graham are