“Now then,” Sophie said, clasping her hands together. “We will begin, as always, by reading the latest column.” She held up that morning’s edition of the London Hearsay, folded open to The Debutante’s Revenge and its accompanying sketch—a gorgeous vignette of a gentleman nuzzling the neck of a woman wearing a smile that could only be described as satisfied. Indeed, the besotted expressions on the couple’s faces made Sophie’s chest ache. She shook off the familiar yearning and cleared her throat. “Sarah, would you like to do the honors?”

The pretty, auburn-haired young widow, still in half mourning, nodded eagerly. She stood and read aloud from her own copy of the newspaper:

Dear Debutantes,

A gentleman’s ability to please a woman has less to do with his sexual prowess than with his attentive nature.

If you wish to know whether a man will be a skilled lover, look for small, thoughtful gestures. Perhaps he insists you eat the last slice of cake or holds his jacket above your head to shield you from the rain. Maybe he picks you a bouquet of wildflowers or refrains from interrupting you while you finish the chapter you’re reading.

A man who happily puts your needs above his own is likely to be a generous and ardent lover—and that is the very best kind.

Several of the ladies fanned themselves; others sighed. For the space of several breaths, no one spoke; then Mrs. Abigail Sully, the witty, if weary, mother of three young children, piped up. “I’d settle for a man who changes nappies.”

“I’d settle for a man who took the time to remove his boots before climbing into my bed,” an older woman said mirthfully.

And before long, the women waded into a discussion that was sometimes playful, sometimes wistful, but always forthright and supportive. While they helped themselves to tea and scones, Sophie slowly retreated to her usual corner, where she could observe the proceedings to her heart’s content.

These meetings were the best part of her week, aside from visits with her friends Fiona and Lily. Fiona was the talented artist behind the sketches that accompanied the wildly popular Debutante’s Revenge column; Lily was the inspired authoress. The covert project had originated when their close-knit trio—Fiona, Lily, and Sophie—made a pact to faithfully keep journals about their experiences as they entered the marriage mart and fell in love. Over a year had passed since they’d first toasted to the debutante diaries, and so much had changed since then—for everyone but Sophie.

Fiona had married a dashing earl who adored her. Not long after, Lily had made a love match with a brooding duke. The diaries had morphed into the anonymous column all of London was talking about, and the column, in turn, had spawned the secret society.

Of their trio, only Sophie was still unmarried.