When Lady Louisa entered the room, she was taken aback by several sensations all at once. First was the brightness inside the room. It seemed that every inch was lit with lanterns and tables lined with candles.
Along all the walls were chairs for the participants to rest. The main portion of the tent was opened into a dance floor with temporary wood planks on the ground. At the far back of the tent, a platform had been raised, to host the night’s musicians.
Though Lady Louisa was used to orchestras of various sizes, she had never seen one quite like this. It was just four gentlemen. each tuning their instruments for the first set of the night. Other than the violin, she had no idea what the other instruments were. One was a rather large bag with several wooden flutes protruding from it.
Another sight to behold, was the mass of people. Even on market day, Lady Louisa had not seen so many people in this little village. She wondered if perhaps this was a main event of the year, drawing participants from both near and far.
The smell of all the bodies in such a close and confined area was a little offensive to the nostrils. Lady Louisa was determined not to raise her handkerchief to her nose, however. She had to guess at least three hundred bodies had crowded themselves inside the tent.
The three Hendrickson ladies walked in with chins held high, even Miss Mary. Often crowds parted and many greeted Lady Hendrickson. For her part, she mostly nodded in the direction it suited her as she waved her fan casually before her.
Lady Louisa suspected that up until the appearance of the Duke, the Hendricksons had been the closest members of society to attend this village’s public events. She let herself ponder on the thought of the Duke for just a moment.
She wondered if he would, in fact, come to the event tonight. It would be understandable if he chose not to, as Lady Hendrickson suspected he would. On the other hand, there was a small piece of Lady Louisa interested to see him again, and to see him in this setting instead of the side of a road.
“Lady Hendrickson, it is always a pleasure to have you and your beautiful daughters join us,” a gray-haired man with a decorative cane said, coming up to her.
Lady Hendrickson held out her lace-gloved hand for him to take. Lady Louisa did her best to hide the shock on her face that her aunt seemed to flaunt her ladyship over all present.
“Well, you know how much my girls love this type of things,” she said rather bored, with a wave of her fan in the direction of the three young ladies behind her.
“I believe you have an added member to your party as well. I don’t believe I have had the pleasure yet,” the man said, hoping for an introduction.
Lady Hendrickson looked back as if she was checking to see if her niece was still there and not halfway down the road towards home.
“Yes, this is my niece. Lady Louisa Frasier, this is Mr. Drewton. He is the vicar at the church and often hosts many community events.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet your, Mr. Drewton.”
“Are you Lord and Lady Gilchrist’s daughter by chance then?” he said with a bright smile warming his aged face.
Lady Louisa had to do her best to keep her eyes on his and not the large, wild, white whiskers protruding from either side of his cheeks.
“I am, sir.”
“I knew both your mother and father very well. Perhaps you don’t remember, but your father did, in fact, spend some time in his county seat when you and your brother were very young. They too would often join us from time to time, what with your mother having such close connections to this area.”
“How wonderful. I had no idea,” Lady Louisa replied, happy to be conversing with the man.
“Why your presence tonight is actually quite providential!”
“Why is that, Mr. Drewton?” Lady Hendrickson interrupted, not happy with the vicar's words.
“Well, as I am sure you are aware, the Duke of Rowland has returned from his worldly travels. Upon hearing of our humble festivities, he graciously donated the cornucopia spread over at the far table. You really must go look at it; I have never seen such a wonderful spread of meats and pies and dried fruit pies.”
“That is very kind of His Grace,” Lady Hendrickson interjected again quickly before the man could continue. “I suspect it is a very kind way for His Grace to send well wishes since he won’t be attending himself.”
“Oh no, Lady Hendrickson. He is to attend! I heard the news with my very own ears from His Grace, himself. That is what makes your niece’s presence so perfect.”
“In what way?” Lady Hendrickson said with a snap of her fan and narrowing of her tiny eyes.
“Well, we, of course, made the Duke the honored guest of the evening. It is only right that he opens the dancing himself. It was a sensitive subject as he would have no lady in mind to open the dance with. I feared to ask one lady over the other here, as it might cause contentious feelings,” he said waving his cane to the crowd.
“But with Lady Louisa in our presence, it would only be right that she opens the festivities at his side.”
Lady Louisa was just as startled at the announcement as her aunt no doubt was. Lady Louisa did understand the vicar's natural progression into that train of thought. At the same time, she feared what consequent thoughts it conjured in her aunt and Miss Elisabeth’s minds.
“How interesting for you to suggest such a thing,” Lady Hendrickson said after a beat. “I am afraid my niece is very shy, however. I don’t think she would take to being paraded around before everyone here,” she added with a little chuckle.
Lady Louisa was quiet by nature, and certainly not confrontational. She would never go against her aunt’s words, however untrue they were, in front of another. In fact, most of her life she was healing problems, not causing them. She was rather fine giving up the dance to mollify any enmity.
“Nonsense. The matter is settled. I will go and find the Duke and inform him now,” the old man said before turning and leaving the group.
“That ridiculous old man,” Lady Hendrickson said under her breath. “He thinks that just because he is a man, he must have the final say in every situation. The impertinence.”
She then turned to her two daughters. Miss Mary had been waiting quietly by her side. Miss Elisabeth, on the other hand, had found a friend of her own that she was conversing with. That had stopped at the announcement of the Duke’s presence.
“What shall we do now, Mother?” she asked with a bit of a squeak in her voice.
Of all the situations she had planned for on their trip into town, the presence of the Duke was not one of them.
“To start, my dear, you may calm down. Certainly making a scene will not help in the least. Let us take a turn around the room and see who else is present tonight. It may work considerably to our advantage to have the Duke here after all,” Lady Hendrickson said in a calm, demanding tone.
However, before they began their turn around the room, they were overtaken by Colonel Jasper. As soon as the man saw the small gathering of ladies he knew well enough, he made a line straight to them.
“Good evening, Colonel Jasper,” Miss Elisabeth said with a flutter of her dark eyelashes.
A quick glance over at her younger cousin caused Lady Louisa sadness. Miss Mary looked rather pitiful.
“All you ladies look magnificent tonight. If one didn’t know better, one would think I was standing with the Queen herself,” he said with a charming smile.
“Yes, my daughters do have a very sophisticated air about them,” Lady Hendrickson proceeded. “I am often told that they could easily be mistaken for countesses or, say, duchesses.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” the Colonel said, smiling politely.
“I, myself, consider such a thing not just a matter of breeding. I believe parentage alone is not sufficient to create a proper lady. This also requires the right education,” Lady Hendrickson continued.
“Well, then it should be no surprise to you why I have come to seek you ladies out,” Colonel Jasper replied cryptically.
“And why is that, Colonel?” Miss Elisabeth asked with a flash of her own sweet smile.
“Well, Mr. Dewton just informed me that Lady Louisa and Rowland will introduce the first set. I was rather hoping to place my name on some dance cards as well before all the sets had been scooped up,” he answered.
Though Colonel Jasper did not speak of a specific lady from the group, his eyes falling directly on Miss Mary told a different story. Lady Hendrickson’s mouth broke into a gallant smile.
“Do you mean to fill Lady Louisa’s card? How very thoughtful of you. How very interesting that you felt the need to come here straight away,” Lady Hendrickson announced.
Clearly, she thought that the Colonel had set his eyes on Lady Louisa. Perhaps she thought it a proper match, and at the very least, a way to keep Lady Louisa from distracting the Duke any more than she already would with their first dance.
The Colonel, not wanting to seem rude, didn’t correct her, though disappointment could be felt from three of the five present.
“I am not sure if I will have the energy to dance two sets in a row. Perhaps you would allow me to defer your invitation until the third or fourth set? I do hate to disappoint you so, however. Perhaps if my cousin, Mary, would be willing, she could take the place of the second set in my stead,” Lady Louisa said smoothly.
The Colonel and Miss Mary exchanged a quick look. Mary was overcome with happiness and embarrassment at the same time.
“I would be happy to step in, if it would suit you,” Miss Mary replied, barely above a whisper.
“I would like that very much,” Colonel Jasper said with a bow before excusing himself from the group.
“Well, it looks like our cousin has an admirer,” Miss Elisabeth said in teasing fashion after the Colonel left. “He was just begging to get his chance to dance with you. A little poetically too if you ask me,” she added with a snuff.
Lady Louisa was confused as to how her elder cousin could change so easily from false flattery to utter distaste in the matter of moments, as well as for the fact that both her and Lady Hendrickson seemed utterly unaware of how Mary and the Colonel seemed to have eyes only for one another.