The Heir

Chapter 8

Though the situation with the Hamm family deserved our full attention, several other events kept getting in the way. Over the next week, the number of visitors to our home was staggering. We had young gentlemen of means hanging on the bell throughout the day, hoping to get the chance to introduce themselves to me. Not only were young men coming to visit, but their sisters, mothers, and female cousins came to sing their praises. I wanted to send them all away, but Mr. Cunningham insisted upon seeing them. He accepted every invitation to dinner parties and nights out on the town that came in the mail. 

On a rare slow afternoon, Mr. Cunningham and I were sitting up in my suite chatting, and the subject of our frequent visitors came up.

"Mr. Cunningham, doesn't the never-ending line of visitors bother you?" I asked because the constant demands of being perfect for strangers sure irked me.

"No, why should they? Besides, they aren't here to see me. I can step out when I've had my fill," he replied, scanning a newspaper.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. My relative ignorance about life at this time presented a challenge at times. I thought they were trying to impress Mr. Cunningham because he was such an important man, but as was so often the case, I was wrong.

"They're here to see you, my dear, not me," explained Mr. Cunningham, putting down the newspaper. "My social circle is set, and it is clear I will never marry. You are a young, beautiful, exotic heiress to a vast fortune, and unlike anything these stuffed-up Brits have ever seen. Getting their sons to marry you has several advantages. Even having you in their immediate social circle is desirable."

I groaned.

"I thought Mr. Hamm was bad enough," I said, half-joking. "Can't I be a hermit?"

"If you want to be miserable and alone, be my guest."

"How are we supposed to find out what the Hamms are up to if I don't have enough time to breathe, let alone spend time with Henry?" I asked, frustrated.

"Simple, we need to narrow down your social circle. You'll always socialize with much of upper-class society. Your closest associates are a different matter entirely," he explained matter-of-factly. "You have to choose a circle of friends that includes Mr. Hamm. Once you are settled in, the number of men coming after you will drop significantly."

"And how do we do that?"

"Socialize," he replied, returning to his newspaper. "You're going to make friends, my dear, and trust me, Mr. Hamm will find his way into any group you choose."

-----

One day in late October, I was hiding in my suite, looking over the diaries of former Heirs. I wasn't the first to be incessantly courted. The other three female Heirs had gone through the same thing. Men even tried to arrange marriages to Genevieve Norris and Louise Abernathy. I was lucky that in the 1800s a woman could remain unmarried without too much social stigma. In the 1600s, it was next to impossible. Arthur Gibbons, the second Heir, had to spread a rumor that Genevieve was barren to end the external pressure on her to marry and produce children. The Heirs have never married-- they never wanted to. Our secret was hard enough to keep from the outside world. I couldn't imagine having to lie to a spouse or children.

The male Heirs weren't immune to this either. Patricia Marston said Mr. Cunningham was a handsome young man, so all the young ladies were in love with him. One named Edith Mills stalked him for six months! In his diary, he described his joy when he heard that Edith had found another man to marry. Mr. Cunningham's life hadn't been boring. From what I could tell from his diaries, he had enjoyed it. 

I was currently mad at Mr. Cunningham because my social calendar was ridiculous. I didn't get any say in how I lived my life, and I had no intention of getting used to this lack of control. The sheer number of people coming to the house for visits was insane. Also, I had afternoon tea or dinner scheduled every day for the next two weeks, including Sundays! The current situation was about as far from narrowing down my social circle as humanly possible. I was at my wit's end. This ended now!