Page 98 of A Life Diverted
“Sed, SED!” Lady Marie demanded her husband’s attention.
“What is it, Marie?” the Marquess asked.
“I swear I just saw Priscilla being escorted out of the ballroom by the Darcy heir,” Lady Marie insisted. “Why would she run as soon as I entered?”
“If it were my ex-wife you saw, it may have something to do with the disgraceful way your family treated her when the King forced the divorce on us,” the Prince stated, none too quietly. The couple had forgotten he was nearby.
“Your Royal Highness,” Lord Sed gave a deep bow while his wife gave the deepest of curtsies.
“I was but twelve when my father did what he felt he had to,” Lady Marie managed. She was not able to explain how her father had forced the decision on them as the Prince spoke again.
“Do you try to defend their despicable actions toward their own daughter in my presence?” the Prince bristled.
In his anger he missed that the younger lady had said it was her father’s decision alone.
“I understand you were a young girl at the time, but how many letters have you written since you came of age, since you married?”
“If you will excuse us, your Royal Highness, I think my wife is overwrought and we need to depart,” the Marquess stated and then gently guided his wife out of the ball room to collect their outerwear and call for their carriage.
“Is the Marchioness not well, Lord Sed?” Lady Edith asked when she saw the distressed look Lady Marie was displaying.
“It seems that is the case. Lady Holder, Mrs. Bennet, Lord Matlock, please accept our good wishes on your daughters’ entry into society and our apologies for not being able to remain for the ball.” The Marquess led his wife out to call for their carriage.
“Sed, I promised your parents that the royals did not hold the actions my parents took against us, as my father stated what he did was done in support of the crown,” Lady Marie cried as their coach pulled away down the drive towards the exit from Holder Heights.
“It seems your father may have been incorrect in his calculation, Marie,” her husband said blandly. “Are you sure you saw your sister?”
“My eyes did not lie to me, Sed,” Lady Marie insisted. “Unless there is another who looks just like her, that was my sister.”
“You need to write to your father and inform him the opposite of what he thought has happened as far as the royals are concerned,” Lord Sed suggested. “My parents are not going to be happy, especially with my mother being a distant cousin of the Queen.”
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Elizabeth and Mary were escorted back to the ballroom. To assuage their confusion, they were told that the perceived threat was not an issue any longer. The two soon forgot about the oddity as the former was engaged for the first set by William and the latter by Richard.
Richard had Cassie’s supper and final sets. The two had become close over the last few times Richard had liberty from his unit and both realised that they were forming tender feelings, one for the other. The feelings were creating a quandary for Richard.
He was not the typical poor second son; he owned an estate within five miles of Pemberley’s western boundary called Brookfield.
Richard had not joined the army out of necessity, but rather out of a sense of duty.
If he were to ask for and be granted a courtship with Lady Cassandra Carrington, his honour would dictate he must resign from the army because unless he took a commission in the militia, he would not be able to ensure he would not die on a battlefield soon after engaging Cassie’s affections.
As he saw it, his only honourable option would be to remain silent until after the upcoming deployment, and then, if he survived, he would be ready to resign.
The danger in such a course of action, however, was he risked losing the lady to another if his deployment was long.
It was a conundrum he needed some advice to help him sort through.
While Lord Holder was dancing the first set with Cassie, Lord Matlock and Bennet were doing the same with Anne and Jane.
The three debutantes shined like the jewels of the first order they were.
While they danced, Ladies Elaine and Edith, along with Fanny and Frederick, met in a corner out of earshot of anyone.
“When the Duke and Duchess of Bedford declined and sent the Marquess and his wife in their stead, I did not consider who he had married,” Edith apologised.
“Edith, we all went over the guest list carefully and we all missed that fact,” Fanny reassured her friend. “I am sorry she was upset, but even had she remained, Lizzy was out of the ballroom, and, at best, Lady Marie saw Lizzy from the back as William escorted her upstairs.”
“What I said to Marie was not just to take her attention off Lizzy,” the Prince stressed. “I am still angry at the way the De Melvilles treated my beloved, and I honestly believe that the treatment at the hands of her family was a contributing factor to taking away her will to live.”
“If the De Melvilles write to Priscilla now after this confrontation, what should we do?” Elaine asked.
“We do nothing, they will receive the letter after Lizzy turns eighteen,” Fanny stated firmly.
“Any contact now will be disingenuous, a reaction to a public berating by Frederick in front of many prominent members of the Ton . They proved what their priorities were when they cut Priscilla; if they suddenly deign to write, there will be no answer.” Fanny paused to rein in the ire she felt towards the De Melvilles.
“They had almost sixteen years to initiate contact, to make any sort of inquiry about Priscilla, and they did nothing. It will be Lizzy’s decision if she desires a connection with them after her eighteenth birthday, not theirs. ”
“I agree with Fanny,” Frederick stated simply.
The Prince knew it was unfair to unleash his anger against his Priscilla’s younger sister.
He hoped the Marchioness would relay his displeasure to her parents.
Frederick was sure the Marquess would not hide the confrontation from his parents, the Duke and Duchess of Bedford.
With the decision taken, the small group drifted back to where their family members were.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Jane, Anne, and Cassie were enjoying their ball immensely.
All three received more requests to dance than spaces on their dance cards.
Jane had the pleasure of dancing the second with Andrew, while Cassie danced with her brother.
Anne danced the third with Jamey with much pleasure.
Other than the small disturbance near the start of the ball—the reason for which none of the debutantes was aware—the ball was meeting and exceeding all of their expectations.
For Elizabeth and Mary, their first ball and dancing experience could not have been more pleasurable.
After dancing the first with William, Elizabeth had the pleasure of his father’s company for the second set.
The three sets before dinner were taken by Andrew, Richard, and Jamey, respectively. The supper set was Lord Matlock’s.
Mary enjoyed dancing with the dashing Captain Fitzwilliam in his regimentals.
Even though she was young, she was not blind and rather perceptive.
She had not missed the looks which passed between Cassie and Richard, and unless she was misreading the situation, they were a couple in the making.
She danced the second with William, then Uncle Robert, Jamey—on whom she had a secret crush, notwithstanding the closeness between him and Anne—followed by Andrew, and then for the supper set she had the pleasure of her father for her partner.
Cassie and Jane each danced with their selected Fitzwilliam brother for the supper set, while Anne had the pleasure of Jamey as a partner for that set, so they had the pleasure of their partners’ company for supper.
When Jane and Andrew took the last two seats at the table with Lizzy and Lord Matlock, Mary and Bennet, Anne and Jamey, and Fanny and the Prince.
Seeing there was no room for Cassie and Richard, Jane and Andrew volunteered to move, but were waved off by Cassie.
Cassie and Richard found a table close with another two couples, but neither of them had anyone sitting next to them. When Richard returned with their food, he noticed Cassie looked a little sad. “Cassie are you not enjoying your ball?” Richard asked softly.
“The ball is wonderful, Richard,” Cassie replied. “I am just a little sad as I may have misread a situation.”
“What is it?” Richard asked. “Is there aught I may do to alleviate the situation for you?”
“I had hoped so, but it does not seem so,” Cassie averred.
“Please speak plainly, Cassie,” Richard requested. “In the army an order is an order, there is no need to interpret it, unlike how people speak in society.”
“Are you sure you want me to speak plainly?” Cassie verified.
“Yes, please. Mayhap if I understand what the issue is, I will be able to assist,” Richard confirmed.
“Is there something wrong with me, Richard?” Cassie asked. The question was not one Richard was expecting, and he had to collect his thoughts.
“Why would you ask that?” Richard replied. “You are all that is good and proper, and any man who is lucky enough to win your hand will be most fortunate.”
“Just not you, it seems,” Cassie stated as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
“What has given you such an idea?” Richard asked with alarm.
“You, Richard; you have given me that idea,” Cassie answered quietly, her mouth close enough to his ear he could feel her warm breath.
Seeing the quizzical look, Cassie expounded.
“You used to be so warm and open with me, yet tonight I find you withdrawn. You did not ask me for a third set. I had started to believe you might return…” Cassie stopped herself just before she made a declaration.