Bell was in Bucharest in 1888 and 1889, where she lived with Frank Lascelles: he was the brother-in-law of Bell's stepmother Florence. Lascelles was the British diplomatic representative in the Kingdom of Romania. There Bell met Valentine Chirol, the journalist for "The Times" in the area. Through Chirol, Bell met Charles Hardinge and started to learn about diplomacy between the Great Powers. Bell returned to Britain in 1899, after first going to Constantinople. For three years she did charity work and was part of the London "season" in the summers.