It happened, singularly enough, at the time of the Jacobite expedition, that Lancaster and Preston abounded in pretty girls. Always famed for the beauty and fascinations of the fair sex—who have been designated the “Lancashire witches”—the whole county was remarkably rich in feminine attraction at that particular juncture.
Of the Preston belles we shall speak hereafter. F or the present, we must confine ourselves to the beauties of Lancaster.
If we said there were a hundred really handsome young women in Lancaster at the time of which we speak, we should be under the mark. We believe there were double the number, and they were all as gay and good-humoured as they were beautiful.
Since we cannot describe them all, we shall select three of the most attractive—namely, Dryope Dutton, Nicola Glasson, and Aurelia Heysham.
Had they not been nearly of an age, these three lovely girls might have been taken for sisters, so much were they alike. Each was between nineteen and twenty—each had delicately-formed features, blonde tresses, and blue eyes, capable of the tenderest expression—and each was tall and graceful. All three knew how to set off their charms to advantage by dress.
Dryope Dutton, however, was considered the prettiest girl in Lancaster, and had the greatest number of admirers, all of whom were sent about their business on the arrival of the rebel army, their places being immediately filled by gallant young insurgents. None of her new suitors were discouraged by Dryope, but she appeared to have a decided preference for Captain Shaftoe.
Following Dryope's example, Nicola and Aurelia dismissed their lovers, and laid themselves out to captivate the new-comers, in which design they were eminently successful.
The rest of the pretty girls did the same thing. None of them would now be seen without a Jacobite admirer.
During their stay at Lancaster nothing was thought of but flirting by the amorous youths, who were completely enthralled by their lady-loves, and had these syrens desired to turn them from their cause, we fear they might have succeeded.
Luckily, all the girls professed themselves ardent Jacobites, and if they fancied their lovers were lukewarm, strenuously urged them to go on.