Hopeless Romance

"He's home! Papa has returned from Mister Forsythe's manor!" Grace exclaimed from the backdoor to Addie and Tiana, unaware her sisters first saw their father's carriage arrive during their stroll through their overgrown garden. "Make haste!" she said before returning indoors. Addie and Tiana hurried inside to witness the pestering of Mr. Joyner by his youngest daughter and fretful wife.

Mr. Joyner barely made it through the door and out of his coat before Grace and Mrs. Joyner flocked to him like moths to a flame with endless questions about Mr. Forsythe and his conversation with him. Of course, Mr. Joyner had no opportunity to answer these questions as one quickly followed another on his way to the parlor where Addie and Tiana awaited him. Addie poured him a glass of icy water from the sweaty tin pitcher next to the armchair Mr. Joyner slowly settled into with the help of his cane. Dry coughs escaped Mr. Joyner before he took a long sip.

"Papa, you haven't answered any of my questions yet," Grace complained as he drank. "Do you mean to torture me?"

"That's precisely what I mean to do," he answered sarcastically. Only Addie found his suspense amusing.

"Is he as handsome and rich as they say?" Grace repeated.

"By your standards, my dear," Mr. Joyner said, "I would say he's quite handsome." Grace squealed.

"Is he charming? Is he kind and good-natured?" Tiana asked. Grace scoffed before asking about his height.

"He isn't particularly tall, but he certainly makes up for it in looks, wealth, and charisma," Mr. Joyner said to appease both of his daughters.

"Perfectly tolerable," Grace said.

"Did you mention Tatiana?" Mrs. Joyner asked referring to her daughter, Tiana.

"Mister Forsythe has been made aware of her existence per your demands, my dear," he said exasperatedly.

"Will he be in attendance at tomorrow's assembly?" Grace asked in anticipation. "Please say he will." Mrs. Joyner watched Mr. Joyner both carefully and impatiently for his reply.

"He shall."

Grace broke into dance and soon pulled Tiana from the velvet chaise to join her. Addie chuckled watching them.

"What does it matter that he will be in attendance if we haven't made his acquaintance beforehand?" Mrs. Joyner complained. "This is why you should have taken Tatiana with you to the manor as I insisted, or at the very least invited him to dine with us tonight." Mr. Joyner casually took another sip of water. "Need I remind you that Misses Higgins has bragged relentlessly about her humdrum family having already dined with Mister Forsythe, before us?" Mrs. Joyner said. "And Miss Higgins has already met and entertained him several times since his arrival, before my Tatiana and Grace!"

"I'm aware," Mr. Joyner said.

"It's unacceptable! Thank goodness beauty couldn't touch her with a thirty-meter stick." Grace guffawed while Tiana barely held in her laughter. Addie looked at the three ladies disapprovingly, upset by Mrs. Joyner's harsh words against her best friend, Ms. Martha Higgins. "Nevertheless, we should have been the first family to make his acquaintance. He's our neighbor for goodness sake!"

A month prior, news swirled across the small town of Braeland that Mr. William Forsythe, a wealthy bachelor from the city of Dalton, had purchased the old manor three kilometers from the Joyner estate in the Braeland Heights, a suburb housing the upper class that boasted beautiful meadows, rolling hills, and vistas that made the countryside one of the many highlights of the town. Mrs. Joyner, like many mothers of eligible maidens, had already set her sights on Mister Forsythe—and his fortune—for her eldest daughter, Tiana. She'd hounded Mr. Joyner daily about introducing Tiana to Mr. Forsythe well before Mr. Forsythe arrived. Days had passed since his arrival, however, and Mrs. Joyner was peeved to hear Mr. Forsythe and his entourage had already met several other families in the neighborhood.

"Forgive me for considering it important to carry ourselves with some dignity and not appear silly and desperate to the poor boy," Mr. Joyner said. "How odious it must be having strangers accost him with their unmarried daughters as though they are cattle to be sold quickly and cheaply."

"We're not speaking of cattle, John—we're talking about our daughters who will be left with virtually nothing when you soon leave this world!"

"Don't dig a grave for me just yet, my dear."

"And do you forget your wife, your devoted, long-suffering wife who will also be left to rely on the generosity of family and friends as she and your daughters are cast out of this house—our home—which will go to that dreadful Mister Redford thanks to your nefarious business dealings."

Addie, Tiana, and Grace mouthed the words "nefarious business dealings" in unison with Mrs. Joyner. They'd heard the phrase repeatedly since Mr. Joyner's major investments in the development of gold mines had failed, leaving the family with very little left of their once notable fortune. If the debts remained unpaid at the time of Mr. Joyner's death, their home would serve as collateral.

"Are you finished?" Mr. Joyner asked bitterly.

"Do you not see our advantage, the pristine window of opportunity before us, Mister Joyner?" she asked.

"Even in my old age, my darling, I see it clearly," he said. "I simply sought to judge the young man's character for myself before allowing him near our daughters as any good father should."

"Splendid. Now that you've won the award for Father of the Year, I shall take Tatiana to Mister Forsythe's manor tomorrow morning after breakfast. I will have a casserole prepared which we'll present to him as a neighborly gesture, and if he is indeed a gentleman, he'll at the very least promise Tatiana a dance at the ball as gratitude for our hospitality."

"I wish to go, too!" Grace whined. "Why must I squander a golden opportunity just because my old sister has no prospects?"

"Gracey!" Tiana said, offended.

"I have as equal a chance of charming Mister Forsythe as you," she argued to Tiana, "if not better."

Grace had recently come out to society following her nineteenth year, one year sooner than normal much to Mr. Joyner's chagrin. Grace had since made the most of her eligibility and wouldn't squander any opportunity to be in the company of a young man, especially a wealthy, single one. Grace also enjoyed competing with Tiana despite its one-sidedness.

"'Tis true," Mrs. Joyner said after mulling it over. "If for some reason he isn't instantly smitten with Tatiana, surely he'll be taken with Grace." Addie and Tiana watched a satisfied Grace sway with a smug grin.

"And if neither," Mr. Joyner added, "perhaps he'd be quite taken with Addie." Addie smiled at her father despite knowing the unfavorable odds of such an outcome.

"I've had just about enough of your sarcasm, John," Mrs. Joyner scolded. "Can you be serious for one second of the day?" Addie's smile faded as she vexingly eyed Mrs. Joyner.

"Apparently not," Mr. Joyner said. "In any case, visiting with any daughter won't be necessary."

"But, Papa!" Grace interjected.

"And why not?" Mrs. Joyner objected. Mr. Joyner rested the empty glass on the tray to his right.

"Visiting won't be necessary, my darling," he said with a mischievous grin, "because Mister Forsythe promised a dance with each of our girls tomorrow night." Screams pierced through the room from Grace. Addie and Tiana chuckled.

"You scoundrel!" Mrs. Joyner said. Mr. Joyner grinned, satisfied by his family's reaction. "Why didn't you just say so when you first arrived?"

"I must look my best tomorrow, even better than usual," Grace interrupted. "Tiana, my dearest sister, may I borrow your pearls for tomorrow night?"

"No," Mrs. Joyner said sternly before Tiana could agree. "Tatiana shall wear them to impress Mister Forsythe." Grace pouted. "Don't fret, my beauty. You still have time to secure a husband, unlike your sisters. By the sheer number of dance partners you already attract each assembly, there remains a great deal of hope for you." Though disappointed, Grace couldn't help gloating as she eyed her irritated sisters.

"Am I so pathetic to you, Mother, that you're so desperate to be rid of me?" Tiana asked.

"Nonsense." Mrs. Joyner said. "You're just too beautiful to be single at your age." Tiana had recently reached her 24th year, now the same age as her sister, Addie. "Remember, I married your father my twenty-first year, and I possessed only half your beauty. Time is not on our side." Tiana sighed and dissociated at yet another reminder that she was an old maid by her mother's standards. "Your pearls and dress will highlight your striking eyes, and Mister Forsythe won't be able to take his eyes off of you."

"Unless he sees me first," Grace countered.

"You'll be the beauty of the ball per usual, my dear," Mrs. Joyner said to appease Grace.

"Only if Addie, my dearest sister, will lend me her pearls," Grace said. "You hardly ever wear them anyway."

"Only if my dearest sister," Addie said, "will lend me her burgundy shawl."

"Consider it yours," Grace said quickly. Addie smiled and agreed. Mrs. Joyner watched dismayed at the exchange.

"That reminds me... I've been meaning to speak with you about tomorrow, Adele," Mrs. Joyner said to Addie. "Your father and I discussed the matter, and we agreed that it would be best if you didn't attend this assembly. Surely, you understand." Addie looked over to her father who seemed as surprised as she and her sisters were.

"I agreed to no such thing," Mr. Joyner countered.

"And," Tiana interjected, "Papa just said that Mister Forsythe promised to dance with each of us."

"Yes, as in you and Grace," Mrs. Joyner explained.

"No...as in all three of our daughters," Mr. Joyner clarified. An awkward silence filled the room as Mrs. Joyner's face flushed with rage.

"You told him about her?" she asked, failing to maintain her composure as she remembered giving her husband explicit instructions not to do so.

"Why does it matter, Mother?" Tiana asked. "Why is Addie unable to attend the ball with us as she normally does?"

"Because she is illegitimate, you ignoramus," Grace said before Mrs. Joyner could answer. All eyes were on Grace. "Well...am I wrong?" she asked.

Ms. Adele "Addie" Hughes was conceived during an affair between Mr. Joyner and his family's ex-servant, occurring months before his arranged marriage to Mrs. Joyner. The truth remained hidden until Addie's twelfth year, after her mother's death, and the scandal exposed three years earlier had rocked the town and tarnished the family's once pristine reputation.

"We only get to make one first impression with Mister Forsythe," Mrs. Joyner reasoned to Mr. Joyner, "and we already have one strike against us," she said, referring to their financial struggles. "What do you suppose will happen when the five of us enter the ballroom as a family and Mister Forsythe notices Adele bears no resemblance to us while you proudly parade her around as your daughter? Any chance Tatiana has to attract Mister Forsythe—or Grace for that matter—could be ruined instantly."

"If Mister Forsythe would be so shallow and judgmental a fellow, then I shouldn't have him dance with, or court, any of my daughters," Mr. Joyner argued.

"Papa!" Grace said disappointedly.

"Be reasonable, John!" Mrs. Joyner said. "Adele will have many more assemblies to attend."

"When?" he asked. "Before or after Mister Forsythe returns to Dalton?" Mrs. Joyner didn't answer. "Addie is going," he insisted.

"Even if it means squandering what might be our best chance to marry off our legitimate daughters to wealthy men who could save us from the jeopardy you've brought upon us?"

"I will not shun one daughter to advance another."

"You selfish man!" Mrs. Joyner exclaimed.

"I'm selfish?!"

"Please stop!" Addie said as she placed herself in between her father and Mrs. Joyner. "Papa, I won't go," she said disappointingly. Mr. Joyner's face crumpled.

"What?" he asked.

"Misses Joyner is right," she said, hating the taste those words left in her mouth.

"But, Addie..." Tiana said.

"The family needs to make a good impression, and I understand why my presence could hinder that," Addie said, confident that their new neighbor was already aware of Mr. Joyner's blended family, given the town's penchant for gossip. "While I hoped to witness and judge Mister Forsythe's grandiosity for myself, my sisters will surely relay the details to me upon their return from the ball."

"Are you sure?" Mr. Joyner asked after walking closer to her.

"Of course she's sure," Mrs. Joyner said. "She's a bright, young woman capable of making her own decisions." That was the nicest thing Mrs. Joyner had said about Addie in the twelve years she'd known her, but Addie knew the compliment was insincere.

"I was not talking to you," Mr. Joyner spewed with venom in his tone.

"I'm certain, Papa," Addie assured. "It's all right. You know I find the assemblies quite dull anyway." Addie wasn't sure if she was trying to convince her family or herself. While the assemblies were usually boring since no man, besides her father. would dance with her, she quite enjoyed people-watching and gossiping with Tiana and her friend, Martha.

"Then it is settled," Mrs. Joyner said, satisfied. "Thank you, Adele, for being so understanding and sensible," she said with a veil of kindness, and yet the condescension hidden in her words was still not lost on her or Mr. Joyner. Upset, Mr. Joyner abruptly left the room for his study. Addie tried to follow him but was halted by Grace.

"You'll still lend me your pearls, won't you?" Grace asked in a panic holding Addie's arm. "You promised."

"They're yours," Addie reassured her. "But only for tomorrow."

"Thank you, my beloved sister," she said as she hugged Addie. "I shall give you a thorough report of my night with Mister Forsythe," she said smugly as she looked over to Tiana, but Tiana was in her own world processing that she wouldn't be able to rely on Addie as a social buffer at the assembly this time. Addie knew she'd have to console Tiana later that evening, but she was more eager to extinguish her father's temper before it consumed him.

"I'm writhing with anticipation," Addie replied before rushing to Mr. Joyner's study.