We apologize, but it appears the headstrong and romantic nature of Miss Bridget Belle, warped by her excessive reading of novels, has led her from the path of innocence to debauchery. To wit: she kissed a man to whom she was neither married nor engaged.
Such behavior may eventually lead to a woman becoming a wife—or even a duchess. So before one pontificates on the evils of women and reading, consider that while the end does not justify the means, one cannot deny the favorability of the odds.
Still … kissing men when one is not married is simply not the done thing, even if you read about it in a book.