Patricia Brent, Spinster

"Patricia Brent, Spinster" by Herbert George Jenkins is a tale set in the early 1900s, it follows Patricia Brent, a twenty-four-year-old lady navigating the pressures of society while living in Galvin House, a bustling boarding establishment. Patricia, stung by others' pity for her single status, unexpectedly announces that she is engaged to an imaginary officer. To maintain her story, she seeks the assistance of a real officer, Lt.-Col. Lord Peter Bowen, in a popular restaurant called the Quadrant Grill-room. The story is driven by Patricia's quick thinking under social pressure and the humor arising from her attempts to maintain the fabricated engagement, while also highlighting the constraints placed on women during that time.