Sophie stopped where she stood. The chill breeze rustled her heavy woolen skirts around her legs. “Am I keeping you from an appointment, sir?”
He stopped as well, turning to face her. His expression remained unreadable, but she thought she could detect a slight hardening along the firm line of his jaw. As if he were irritated—or even angry. “You are, Miss Appersett.”
An embarrassed flush crept into her cheeks. Here she was attempting to sever their relationship in the most delicate manner possible and all he could think about was his next meeting. He didn’t even care. The past two months had been as nothing to him. It was what she’d always suspected, but still…
It hurt. She had so wanted him to like her.
She clenched her fingers within the confines of her muff. “I will not detain you. If all is settled between us—”
“Yes, yes,” he said impatiently. “We do not suit.”
“Then you agree—”
“Perfectly. There is no reason to continue this charade.”
Sophie inwardly winced. A charade? Is that what he thought of their courtship? How utterly lowering. “No reason at all,” she concurred. She withdrew her hand from her muff and extended it to him. “I wish you well, Mr. Sharpe.”
Mr. Sharpe’s gaze dropped to her outstretched hand. It was encased in a red kid glove that was slightly worn at the thumb and the wrist. After a moment of hesitation, his much larger hand engulfed hers, clasping it just a heartbeat longer than was strictly necessary. “And I you, Miss Appersett,” he said.
And then he let her go.
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The Matrimonial Advertisement was inspired by two real life events from the late 1850s.
The editorial that Mr. Pelham writes for the fictional London Courant is a paraphrased version of an actual editorial which ran in The London Times on August 19, 1858. It addressed abuses in private asylums and revealed, among other disturbing facts, just how often sane people were committed by greedy relatives who were trying to gain control of their money.
The victims in these cases were generally members of the upper classes. When coupled with fictional accounts, such as the case of wrongful confinement outlined in Wilkie Collins 1859 novel The Woman in White, it was enough to send a chill through fashionable society. How often, peopled wondered, were sane men and women locked away and tortured with barbaric treatments until they were, in fact, mad? It was a situation almost too grim to contemplate.
Unfortunately, the editorial in The Times (and the newspaper articles that followed) effected no significant change in the management of private asylums. They were the province of the very wealthy and, as such, less subject to reform than public institutions.
The second true-life event referenced in The Matrimonial Advertisement is the Cawnpore Massacre. Also known as the Bibighar Massacre, it took place during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. What Justin describes happening as he escorted the women and children to the River Ganges really did occur. The rebel sepoys swept in, set fire to the boats, slaughtered the British soldiers, and took the women and children hostage. The hostages were later killed in a manner which shocked the Victorian public—and provoked a brutal retaliation from the relieving forces.
If you’d like to learn more about the Bibighar Massacre, or any of the other people, places, and events which feature in my novels, please visit the blog portion of my author website at MimiMatthews.com.
I owe tremendous thanks to those who helped to bring The Matrimonial Advertisement to life.
To my wonderful British and American beta readers, Sarah, Flora, and Lauren, thank you for your time, your generosity, and your immensely helpful feedback. I’m so grateful to you all for reading this book in its earliest stages. And so quickly, too!
To my brilliant editor, Deb Nemeth, thank you for all of your thoughtful comments and suggestions. Your advice was, as always, both insightful and invaluable.
To my talented—and very patient—formatter, Colleen Sheehan, thank you for making the interior of my books look so lovely.
To fellow historical romance authors Lena Goldfinch and Jayne Fresina, thank you for being so kind and so very gracious. Your encouragement means the world.
To the amazing team at Smith Publicity, especially Emma and Corinne, thank you for your efforts on behalf of my Victorian romances. Your enthusiasm and professionalism is so very much appreciated.
To my fabulous friends, fans, and followers across social media and print, thank you for your readership. Your messages and reviews inspire me to keep writing, even when things get difficult.
And, finally, to my parents, thank you for absolutely everything—especially for babysitting my noisy dogs so I could finish this book in peace!
Mimi Matthews writes both historical non-fiction and traditional historical romances set in Victorian England. Her articles on nineteenth century history have been published on various academic and history sites, including the Victorian Web and the Journal of Victorian Culture, and are also syndicated weekly at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes an Andalusian dressage horse, two Shelties, and two Siamese cats.
To learn more, please visit
www.MimiMatthews.com
NON-FICTION
The Pug Who Bit Napoleon
Animal Tales of the 18th and 19th Centuries
A Victorian Lady’s Guide to Fashion and Beauty
FICTION
The Lost Letter
A Victorian Romance
The Viscount and the Vicar’s Daughter
A Victorian Romance
A Holiday by Gaslight
A Victorian Christmas Novella
The Matrimonial Advertisement Page 33