The Rose Code

by Kate Quinn

Better to live an old maid with a shiny desk and a salary in the bank, proudly achieved through the sweat of her own efforts, than end up disappointed and old before her time thanks to long factory hours and too much childbirth.

Mab may want a better life for herself and her little sister Lucy, and the fastest way to achieve that is a gentlemanly husband—but I included this line to show that Mab's plans aren't solely aimed at marriage, and she's not going to throw herself at just anyone for a wedding ring. If she can't find a well-to-do husband, she's still going to get the life she wants, and on her terms. A Kate Quinn heroine always has goals, but those goals are never just “Find a man!”