The Debutante by Jacqueline Masterson
In 1950s Britain, a group of decadent aristocrats operated their own 'secret season', an alternative to the tedious official round of balls and court presentations. Instead of being groomed for marriage, pretty young 'debutantes' are trained, tormented and finally auctioned off in a bizarre parody of the real debutantes' presentation at court. Angela is inducted into this secret world. Though the punishments she endures turn her on, she becomes increasingly alarmed as she realises she will end up as the property of a wicked aristocrat. Soon she is consumed by the question that torments many of the 'secret season' debutantes: which of these cruel men and women will acquire her?