Blackwood, G.

Pros:

— I've already met her
— For some reason she insists on continuing to talk to me, so it would at least be convenient to locate her.

Cons:

— Her personality.
— Her personality.
— as a note: only listed first because I'm going alphabetically.

Bones, R.

Pros:

— works, so presumably wouldn't have much time to nose about my business.

Cons:

— didn't debut, so not sure if she's even an option
— would be very hard to make her acquaintance since I never see her at parties
— presumably I would have to injure myself which seems like too much work

Cosgrove, C.

Pros:

— finished, pureblood

Cons:

— ??

I don't know anything at all about her; is that good or bad?

Crawford, H.

Pros:

— ??

Cons:

— halfblood
— young
— hangs around the flower shop a bit too much, from what I've heard; might smell like lavender which I've never liked
— seen talking to that American bloke whose fiancee ran off last year, so it would be a bit cruel to swoop in and steal her away, wouldn't it?

Dantes, A.

Pros:

— connected to Peter Salvage who is at least interesting
— foreign - is that a pro or a con?
— her father trades in opium so presumably would have access to some good opium

Cons:

— halfblood
— might, now that I think about it, actually make it harder to get opium because she might know too many people in the business for me to do it quietly, which would be quite annoying

Fawley, O.

Pros:

— well connected, good family
— Witch Weekly seems to like her

Cons:

— a bit young
— never actually met her

Higgs, E.

Pros:

— seems charming enough

Cons:

— halfblood
— might be friends with Blackwood which would mean seeing the latter more often

Lecuyer, N.

Pros:

— finished and pureblood

Cons:

— courting; might not be available for a while and even if she is available later she'd be all heartbroken and I don't have the energy to comfort her
— some family scandal, which I have more than enough of on my own

Lestrange, T.

Pros:

— certainly not a match anyone could look down their nose at
— presumably would be half decent at being a society wife and wouldn't require too much of my time

Cons:

— would be connected to the Lestranges, which sounds tedious.
— I believe she's already courting, so there's that.
— certainly doesn't strike me as the sort to have any fun.

Scrimgeour, A.

Pros:

— might be desperate because of her family scandal.
— no father I'd have to convince so maybe less work.
— might be some fun, if she's anything like her sister
— alternatively, might be incredibly repressed, which would at least be low maintenance

Cons:

— unclear. Ought to get to know her better. Strong possibility.

Skovgaard, M.

Pros:

— works; see Bones, above

Cons:

— if she hasn't shown an inclination to marry yet, likely will not be much interested in doing so quickly
— halfblood

Zabini, B.

Pros:

— seems to be well connected

Cons:

— halfblood - see below
— not as interesting as her sister, from what I can tell

Zabini, C.

Pros:

— throws fun parties
— I've already met her and could continue the acquaintance relatively easily.
— likes art? maybe?
— older, as far as debutantes go, so perhaps might be more inclined to overlook rumors and marry quickly

Cons:

— halfblood but with solid family connections so perhaps it could be overlooked. It's not as though I'm particularly interested in children anyway.
— might want to be interested in helping plan or execute my parties and I'd prefer to keep them to myself.

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Belby, B.

Pros:

—  pureblood
— according to the latest WW she may be pregnant, so would be suitably desperate to marry soon
— rumors that she's promiscuous, so might be some good in bed

Cons:

— if she is pregnant people would think I'm a cuckold
— would have to deal with a child

Browne, L.

Pros:

—  pureblood
— connections to various parts of society, all respectable
— seems very quiet which means I could probably stash her away at another residence and not be much inconvenienced by her

Cons:

— smaller dowry, probably

Chevalier, T.

Pros:

— very pretty, obviously
— works (see healers above)

Cons:

— works (again; see above)
— veela blood might actually sabotage this whole gambit; someone might think I do only like men and could only get it up for a woman with the help of magic
— best to cross her off the list

Delaney, C.

Oughtn't even to have an entry at all because she is engaged, if rumors are to be believed, which is maddening. If I must marry I could at least have gotten in roads to a new shipping market, and no one else on this list can offer that. Blasted timing; if only I'd done this a year ago it all might've been settled by now, with no rumors and a good deal more money for me.

Drago, S.

Pros:

—  pureblood

Cons:

— too young 
— — religious?
— if family is any indication, FAR too religious 

Farley, D. & Z.

Pros:

— pureblood
— older one may be less discerning as she's getting on

Cons:

—  smaller dowries
— eccentric family

Fernsby, J.

Cons:

—  young
— halfblood
— family works in fashion industry so she might make comments about my wardrobe choices

Gallivan, C.

Pros:

— Reputation for being charming and personable
— fairly pretty

Cons:

— halfblood
— aggressively interested in Quidditch, apparently

Greengrass, V.

Pros:

— already met her, and she wasn't awful
— pureblood

Cons:

— a little plain
— lots of siblings, I think, which might mean more involvement in family affairs; undesireable

Harrington, V.

Pros:

— pretty enough, I suppose

Cons:

— family includes actual muggles
— already rumored to be 'off' after some interlude in Diagon Alley this year

Lytton, C.

Cons:

—  older and may have already given up on marriage
— halfblood
—  a fashion designer, so might have better taste in clothes than I do which would be mortifying

MacFusty, T.

Pros:

— from the slightly less insane branch of the MacFustys

Cons:

— a MacFusty
— brothers are also MacFustys
— halfblood

Scamander, M. & H.

Pros:

— pureblood
— rumors suggest H. would like to marry into money so might be interested in a match

Cons:

— M. seems vaguely intimidating 
— H. seems too eager

Urquart, D.

Pros:

— Probably would prefer to keep a low profile, given her sister's situation

Cons:

— would likely attract attention regardless
— smaller dowry, no doubt
— halfblood
— might give people the idea I was liberal which might give them ideas

Vane, B.

Pros:

— works in the court so if I was forced to listen to her talk about work it might actually be passingly interesting
— not really sure what her situation is but might be unable to have children which would be convenient since I don't want any

Cons:

— halfblood
— crippled

Vorona, A.

Pros:

— Hogwarts professor which is quite an intriguing possibility, as she'd be stowed away of her own accord most of the year and I wouldn't have to spend much time with her
— pureblood
— managed to make it this long without children so might be inclined not to have them

Cons:

—  might actually enjoy children, if she can tolerate them at Hogwarts all the time
— would be difficult to actually court her since she's always tucked away at the school. Still a viable option if I have no suitable prospects by summer.
— may not be interested in romance or remarriage since she's old. 

Zabini, L.

Pros:

— foreign (see Dantes above)
— fairly pretty
— pureblood
— assume she is related to Camilla Zabini somehow which would mean if we had to attend parties because of family obligations at least they wouldn't be awful

Cons:

— being the less wealthy branch of a wealthy family is a little embarrassing, to be honest
— heard her mother can be a handful and have no desire to replicate Daniel's marriage

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Updates - February
Belby, B.	Must meet her but haven't had an opportunity since the WW article. I suppose if she is pregnant she may have gone into hiding and might be unavailable indefinitely. Terrible bother if so, but I can hardly write her out of the blue and ask if she might like to make my acquaintance as I'm considering marrying her. Particularly not when she's supposed to be a pariah.
Browne, L.
Cosgrove, C.
Farley, Z.
Fawley, O.
Greengrass, V.
Scamander, H.	Had a gallery seat for the Sonata, which either speaks to her love of music or her desire to marry up — likely the latter.
Scrimgeour, A.	Met her; I believe if she married me she would sooner or later die of shock. I had previously wondered if she was repressed or rebellious; definitely the former. Probably a low-maintenance wife, as far as they go, but I would have to get through a courtship and engagement with her and I'm not sure I could manage it with a straight face.
Vorona, A.
Zabini, C.	Really is a shame she's halfblooded, though I suppose if she wasn't someone would have snatched her up by now. That's the trouble with debuting at 17 or 18; by the time you're at all interesting you're likely already married. But the idea of choosing a child and simply hoping they mature into someone I don't loathe in a few years is rather odious. But as to Miss Zabini — it's not as though I care much about blood status, really, since I've no desire for children, but I'm afraid marrying a halfblood might make it too apparent that I have no desire for children, which might lead people to talk. Damn people, talking.

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Updates - March
Belby, B.	Still haven't met her but have heard she's attending things again, so will go out of my way to find her this month
Browne, L.
Cosgrove, C.	Met her at a ball; her friends are the squeamish sort. Suppose she might be the same, but at least doesn't faint quite so easily.
Farley, Z.
Fawley, O.
Greengrass, V.
Scamander, H.
Scrimgeour, A.	Might be corrupting her just by virtue of continuing to talk to her. It's sort of fun. Maybe I can ruin her by the end of the season.
Vorona, A.	Must be a catch. Terrible in-laws? Should investigate this.

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Updates - April
Belby, B.	Met her; she's not awful. Distinctly possible but we didn't have a chance to converse much — it was that silly party the Blackwoods threw and I'd have rather talked to her literally anywhere else.
Browne, L.	Still haven't chanced upon her at any of the events I've been going to — is she some sort of social pariah, locked away in her house? Surely I would have heard were that the case. Two or three of her sisters married advantageously (depending on your definition) so what is the matter with her? Is she a hunchback, or something?
Cosgrove, C.
Farley, Z.	Too much competition for her attention, and to be honest it hurts my pride to think of some foolish young woman comparing me against other gentleman; they can have her.
Fawley, O.	Unexpectedly interesting despite her age. Unfortunately her brother-in-law seems to have perished in the shipwreck so I imagine she'll be in mourning moving forward. Poor timing.
Greengrass, V.	Went to her sister's debut and the whole family seems tedious, all too eager.
Scamander, H.
Scrimgeour, A.	Also in mourning, apparently, so that likely means the fun is done. It's probably for the best, as I couldn't have married her with a straight face anyway.
Vorona, A.	Summer will prove the real test, I think — letters and whirlwind weekends aside it will be interesting to see how this affair sustains itself.

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   Angelica Selwyn

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Updates - May
Belby, B.	Has been harder to pin down lately. I enjoyed our conversation but I may have to give her up if she's not inclined to occupy herself with parties.
Browne, L.	Still haven't met this one and ready to give up on her, I think.
Cosgrove, C.
Fawley, O.	May be out of mourning by next month, depending. Not a poor choice at all if nothing better has come up before then.
Scamander, H.	Haven't met her yet (in any significant way, anyway) but not quite willing to give up on her as she does have a reputation for being the sort of woman I'm after: always at the center of parties, poised, etc. She would certainly take the threat of speculation away and I imagine by now she's desperate to marry, particularly if she's able to marry rich.
Vorona, A.	Family works in my industry, apparently. It's food for thought. May also have some connection with Prewett, the reporter.

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   Angelica Selwyn

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Fawley, Octavia Rose

Will return to social events sometime this month, and though it might still be a bit too soon to begin courting without people beginning to talk, I doubt she would mind. Rumors might work in my favor, as it would at least prevent anyone from spreading rumors to another effect. The sense that I get from her is that she would be easily swayed by the promise of adventure; she might marry me for the honeymoon that I could give her. She is beautiful and graceful. One of the benefits of marrying someone so young might be that I think she would follow my lead on most things, which might mean only slight changes to my lifestyle, if any at all. It would be helpful if we had some public-facing hobby we shared. I ought to see if she rides well. Maybe if no suitable events are being held to test it I could throw one and invite her and see how it goes. That would also be a good opportunity to see how she handles herself in a large social gathering, since as I mostly know her through letters I've been missing this piece in my analysis.

Scamander, Helga

More shrewd than she lets on, I think; I expect that her response to my card was calculated as precisely as the initial bouquet was. I don't know her well enough yet to speculate on what her aims are, aside from the obvious, which makes her more of a risk than Miss Fawley. If she is able to secure the wealthy, pureblood husband she clearly wants, what would she turn her mind to next? It occurs to me, however, that I will have little occasion to find out her aims and methods without courting her. Like most women, she has a mask she wears for society which would cover any ulterior motives from view. The ground here is treacherous. And the reward may be less worthy, as well; her family brings no connection I would particularly benefit from, so the only merit to the match is contained in the woman herself. The one major point of consideration is the surety of it — as long as I went through all the proper channels and performed the overtures I am almost positive she would marry me, and would probably not expect romance after the wedding day, which would mean less performing on my part, but: what are her aims? And is she determined enough to obtain them were we to go head to head?

Vorona, Angelica

What can I even say about her? She leaves me enraptured and frightened; she is wondrous and terrifying. To say the same paltry things here as I have about the others would be to profane her; to offer considerations about her abilities as a hostess or the utility of her family connections would be entirely beyond the point. I lose myself to her every time I'm in her presence and every time I read her letters, and if I were to wed her she might know how entirely at her mercy I am. (And what if she refused me? She has made no mention of courtship or marriage)

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My list has dwindled, which I suppose means it is time to make a decision. The end of the month will see me courting, which means perhaps the end of the season will see me engaged and the end of the year see me married. I've always been good at flattery and seduction, so I don't imagine it will take long to secure the match once my mind is made up.

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   Angelica Selwyn

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June 30, 1891

How irritating. Just when I thought I had reached the conclusion of this tedious task, I find myself back at the beginning, and not even through any fault of my own. How utterly tiresome, how unspeakably exasperating.

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   Angelica Selwyn

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July 6th, 1891

Cosgrove, C.

The more I turn it over in my mind the more it seems like the ideal solution. Taking her off of the list before was an oversight, but the abundance of letters with Miss Fawley made me overconfident I suppose (I had always thought wooing a debutante would be easier than wooing a married woman but it turns out the opposite is true — with married women one never need concern oneself with wooing their parents or brothers). 

The challenge with this situation has always been to find someone who works for two purposes that are somewhat at odds: they need to be young and desirable enough that society is inclined to believe I am actually smitten with them, not merely marrying for a convenient cover for any deviant behavior; and they need to be easily courted and kept, so that the marriage doesn't entire up-end my life otherwise. I was counting on Miss Fawley's naivete to accomplish the latter in her case but the truth was that keeping up that letter exchange for so long was already a little draining. How long might I have been expected to be charming before I could let the ruse drop and resume my usual activities? But Miss Cosgrove presents an unexpected solution to the second difficulty, because she has seen me in exceptionally ill-humor and was not put off. In fact, our exchange of flowers has been quite amusing — perhaps courting her would not be so much of a chore.

She is coming for tea on Friday and I believe time is of the essence for this decision; while Miss Fawley's parents have been circumspect so far they may not continue to hold their tongue if they see me beginning to court another woman, and if my rejection in that quarter becomes widely known it may impact my reputation and therefore my ability to continue with this plan. Quite obnoxious.

In any case:

Pros:

— comes from a wealthy pureblood family so would be seen as a natural match
— parents are apparently not so high in the instep that they forbid her from attending Liliana's wedding, so unlikely to be met with a rejection (at least for the same reasons Miss Fawley's parents gave)
— finishing has put her timeline at odds with some other debutantes — she is twenty-one, I believe, which is a more comfortable age for me than the rather childish eighteen, but only in her second season so has not been deemed irredeemably undesirable
— good sense of humor, if the flowers are any indication
— reasonably pretty
— wants to travel (a boon for marriage in either case — if I enjoy her company we can go places together, and if I find her tiresome at any point I might dispatch her abroad for a time and claim work keeps me in England)

Cons:

— unsure of her notions of love and romance; she may be one of those young women with her heart set on them and may not be interested in the sort of proposal I would make
— may have competition for her affections; I haven't been able to deduce this on such short time
— I am a little concerned that going from our first genuine conversation a week ago to her visiting my house will give the wrong impression (but what kind of wrong impression)?

  

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