A tea drinker's novel

the long version

Can Lady Caroline stay single in the Victorian world of social stigma? Can her gay, bachelor friend who also wishes to forgo marriage avoid the altar? This is the humorous story of the unusual attachment between the confirmed bachelor about London, Sir Erskine Wald, and his childhood friend, the winsome but delicate daughter of the Earl of Chilverton, Lady Caroline. Avoiding marriage in Victorian England is an admittedly tricky business. How can this unlikely pair withstand the clever opposition of the commanding Aunt Clara amidst the pressures of Victorian society? With the help of Sir Erskine's formidable mother, Mrs. Hortensia Wald, the improbable becomes a possibility.