Cecelia was chaperoning her tonight. This was Hanna's best opportunity, she thought — she had not made any dire social missteps this season, but she also had not found Her Future Husband. So she tucked herself into the powder room at the start of the cocktail hour, one drink in, and took the luck charm she had bought at Lochrin's Protective Goods out of where it was securely tucked into a hidden packet in her puffy sleeve.

A husband she thought, pressing the amulet into her hand so hard that she was sure it would leave a mark for a few minutes. I need to find a husband.

When she looked back at the mirror, she thought she looked a little brighter — more color in her cheeks, and as if the way her actual necklace was catching the light was more delightful. She was wearing marigold tonight; she always felt more confident in marigold, but now she felt bolstered. The amulet was going to bring her her husband.

She tucked the amulet back into her sleeve and left the powder room. Hanna reached to grab a drink from the platter of one of the waiters, and her fingers grazed the hand of a man who was reaching for the same drink — instead of pulling back, she looked and smiled at him, thinking is this him?

She was delighted to see it was Mr. Hudson, whose acquaintance she'd made only a few months beforehand. Hanna moved her hand away from his, a second too late to claim that it was instant, and grabbed hold of another drink. "Mr. Hudson," she said, "It's a delight to see you again."