Nonesuch Part V

Ancilla helps Mrs Underhill get ready to go to Bridlington with Charlotte, but Tiffany is in a sulk. She learns that thet the local young crowd have cooled on the Beauty a little, because of her bad temper and malicious remarks about anyone who crosses her. She had attacked Arthur Mickleby, the squires son when he criticised her mildly, and when she goes to a party she finds that many of her admirers are not clustering round her. Julian tells Ancilla that Waldo is doing up Broom Hall for his brats, meaning orphans but she gets it wrong and thinks that he is planning to instal his own illegitimate children there.. She is very shocked and feels that she must snub him if he continues to pay court to her. This is in my opinion one of the weaker points in Nonesuch. Usually, Heyer's heroines, even if they are very proper and virginal, are tolerant of men having mistresses and accept it as part of Regency life which it was. However, Ancilla is from a more stringent family and feels that a libertine is as offensive as a courtesan, and is even more shocked when its insinuated that there will be several children coming to Broom Hall... Another weak point is Tiffany. While her rages and tantrums are amusing, they are a bit over the top. Tiffany then finds out, after her aunt has left the house, that Julian is engaged to Patience. She called at the vicarage and found them in the garden with the vicar and it was obvious that they had become engaged. This gives the spoiled girl the first really bad shock she has ever had. Her admirer, a lord, has left her and is going to marry a girl who is only the vicar's daugher and reasonably pretty. She has her pride and is determined to not show her chagrin, so she makes a plan to escape. Laurie comes to take her driving and she tells him that she is going to go to London, where her bachelor uncle - on her mother's side, lives. She has 2 uncles in London who are bankers, and have a certain entree to society. Her uncle Mr Burford has always been fond of her and will take her in and bring her out into society properly. Laurie is shocked at her determination to run away, which will cause a scandal but he can see that arguing with her will do no good. He thinks its unlikely that a bachelor uncle will want to launch a girl of barely 17 on society and Tiffany's other uncle and aunt had refused to do so a little earlier.