Thorton opened it, and a footman in a livery she had not seen before handed the butler a slender sheaf of papers. “These are for Lady Eleanor Carpenter, compliments of Lady Lytton.”

The butler handed the footman a vail. “I will see she gets them.” Once the door closed, he turned to her. “My lady, would you like me to have them taken to your chambers?”

“First, what are they?” She was not expecting to receive anything. Thorton handed them to her. “Oh my.”

“What are they?” Alice asked.

“Information on mines in York. At least this one is.” Eleanor handed the papers back to The butler. “Please have them taken to my rooms.”

The front door opened and one of their footmen came in and bowed. “The coach is ready, my ladies.”

“Where is Grace?” Madeline asked.

“Here I am.” Grace came from the corridor to her study. “I had to finish a letter. Shall we go?”

Eleanor followed her sister out of the house. Fortunately, morning visits were something they had already experienced. The three of them had accompanied Grace on a few of them last Season, and they did the same in the country as well.

Once in the coach, Eleanor settled her skirts. “Where are we going first?”

“I thought we would see Lady Thornhill. She was a great friend of Mama’s.” Grace glanced at Madeline. “She is also a friend of your mother’s. You will all want to attend at least one of her salons.”

They had all heard of Lady Thornhill and her salons but had not been permitted to attend one before. “That will be interesting.”

Alice and Madeline nodded, and Madeline said, “I am interested in the philosophic discussions.”

“You will find several of them going on at once,” Grace said. “There is usually everything from the rights of women to politics, and discussions concerning Aristotle and other more modern philosophers.”

“Augusta said that many foreigners attend,” Alice added.

“It reminds them of the salons held on the Continent,” Grace said. “The French especially miss those sorts of events.”

Eleanor wondered if the people and conversations were only during the salons, or if any of them attended the morning visits. “I am looking forward to going to a salon.”

“Everyone in our family looks forward to them.” Grace chucked lightly. “After Lady Thornhill, we will visit Lady Bellamny. As you know, she is also a longtime family friend.”

Lady Thornhill greeted them as they entered her good-sized drawing room. Eleanor was happy to see Lady Lytton and her mother already seated and drinking tea. It was nice to know some of the other ladies. After Lady Thornhill exclaimed over how much Eleanor and her sisters had matured, she introduced them to the other ladies and one gentleman who had accompanied his mother, Lord St. Albans. From behind her, Alice emitted a low groan.