Cordelia had loved the outdoors since she was a child. Father was pleased at this, and had taught her many male accomplishments as she grew up in place of a son. Jo always had her nose in a book, while Emily was too frightened of strange things, and Phyllis was too little. Now Father was gone, and Cordelia missed him dearly every time she rambled the fields.

            She also got along quite well with horses and dogs, which again set her apart from her sisters. Emily adored the small furry beasts of the household, including the tiny, wiry dogs which only annoyed Cordelia. She was also incredibly bored with most feminine accomplishments, and found herself in complete accord over them with her oldest sister. Jo would rather read than eat, but Cordelia longed to ride with the hunt as would be her privilege if Father had lived. They couldn’t afford that now.

            On top of that, she had no idea how Phyllis and Emily could embroider for hours on end, though she was certain Mama appreciated their help with the mending now that most of the servants had moved on to other households. Even Jo took a hand with the needle at times, though she preferred to read out loud to amuse others who were actually sewing instead.

            Cordelia understood exactly how her oldest sister felt about this ball. It was a cattle show, and she had everything but ribbons around her horns. They’ll have to offer a high price to auction me off! she thought, and pasted a smile on her lips while one subaltern on leave bragged about his adventures in Spain. If she heard one more tale of a boring siege enlivened only by the occasional sortie, however, she was going to erupt and tell the fool it was his fault his horse threw a shoe at the exact wrong moment anyway.

            At last she broke away from that idiot. She was so tempted to go out to the gardens, though it was not the thing to do so alone, or out to the stables to see what sort of horses their guests had brought. Or, she thought with a sigh, I could stay here to do my duty. Mother and Jo worry so much whenever bills are brought to the house, and they probably have good reason. What should I do?

Click here  if she stays in the ballroom.

Click here if she goes out to the stables.

Click here if she goes out to the gardens.

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If you want to exit the game--please click here.