I didn't return to the party as I thought I would.

The butler led me through a door that was designed to blend in with the rest of the wall—a door that you wouldn't find if you weren't looking for it.

As we walked, I brushed my hand against the walls on my right. I could still hear the soft music playing in the party room. That meant we were in some private passageway that led to somewhere else in the house.

I could tell Lord Baines wasn't aware of his mother wishing to meet me, presenting me with the perfect opportunity to delay his family's approval.

I nearly giggled out loud. How were things falling into place so smoothly?

The man stopped in front of two large brown doors that somehow seemed welcoming. Maybe my joy was making me loopy. “We have arrived, Miss Danbury. The marchioness is expecting you.”

I smiled. “Thank you.”

The door creaked as I opened it. Directly facing the doors was a woman who looked around forty, sitting in a chair that I was surprised that it accommodated her ballgown. Her brown hair was in an elegant bun. From what I could see, she maintained a healthy figure and had not allowed her age to determine her physique. My eyes finally settled on her face which had a motherly smile on it. She looked…kind. Nothing like someone who had raised that man-child.

I immediately felt sorry for all the times I had called him a bastard or the son of a female dog which his mother was anything but.

Her gloved hands set down a teacup at my arrival. “Miss Danbury, come. Take a seat.”

“Thank you, Your Grace,” I said and perched on the edge of a seat facing her.

She clapped and a maid appeared out of nowhere and filled a teacup for me. She gestured for me to take a sip. After I did, she took a small sip from hers.

“How are you enjoying the party, Miss Danbury?”

I contemplated my answer.

Although Marchioness Baines was a public figure, none of us were certain of how she would act towards me behind closed doors. I had automatically assumed that only a dreadful person could raise someone like Edward Baines and had planned to disgust her to the point she felt tempted to throw me out but wouldn't only out of respect for her son.

However, being in her presence for only a minute told me that she didn't seem like the type to get disgusted easily so I decided to take an approach of making her feel sorry for me. If I become a girl who doesn't want any pressure, she could disapprove not because she doesn't like me but because she feels I'm not strong enough to handle high society.

I gazed into my teacup as I answered in a soft tone. “It's wonderful. I never imagined I could ever visit a house this grand.”

The marchioness’ eyes softened. Bingo.

“Oh? You have never been to a tea party?”

“None this good. I've only been here a half hour but it seems like a dream.”

She stayed silent as if trying to figure out how to say the next words without me running. “You realise that such events would become commonplace for you if you marry my son.”

I gasped. “M-marry Lord Baines? W-Whatever brought about such a notion? I could never.”

Her expression turned confused. “You do not wish to marry Edward?”

I shook my head. “Your Grace, Such dreams are beyond people like me.”

She stared at me in silence for a few seconds, probably wondering what was going through the head of the crazy girl sitting in front of her. “If you two love each other, I might consider giving you my blessing despite your unfavourable status.”

Please, don't make me throw up in my mouth.

I shook my head. “You misunderstand me. I do not have such feelings for Lord Baines because…um…”

Her eyes immediately lit up, showing that my trailing off had passed the message I intended. “There is someone else?”

The blush came easily. It always did when I thought about Lincoln.

“Is he more impressive than my Edward?”

I stared into space, thinking about the intelligence I saw in his eyes whenever we spoke. Compared to other brilliant men I had met in my life—and I have met many—his modesty and humility were a breath of fresh air. Not to mention the fact that he genuinely cared for me. “He’s the most impressive man I've ever met.”

The marchioness leaned closer slightly. “Is he courting you already?”

The blush on my cheeks deepened, the lie sliding smoothly off my tongue. “He's busy at the moment. He fears that he would neglect me if we begin to court so-”

“You're opting to wait for each other.”

She had no idea how much I wanted that to be true.

Although I had succeeded in making myself sad again, pining after a man whose feelings towards me are uncertain, I had at least been able to call to Marchioness Baines’ hopeless romantic side and get her sympathy for my ‘situation’ however fictional it may be. If Baines dared mention marrying me even by accident in front of this woman, I was almost sure that she would fight like a tiger. After all, noble marriages happened when there were things to be gained and there was nothing to be gained from marrying me.

“I’m still a little unclear about the relationship between you and my son. He seemed quite insistent on inviting you without providing a reason.”

I smiled cheekily. “Lord Baines owes me something like a favor.”

“A favour? My son owes you a favour and willingly wishes to repay you?”

I nearly burst into laughter at the disbelief on her face. “It’s not a favour per se. When we met, he misunderstood the relationship that my lover shared with me. Lord Baines thought my lover was harassing me and tried to step in the defend me. Explaining the situation was embarrassing so he thought to give me something to compensate for causing me discomfort.”

When the marchioness melted, my heart clenched because of the half-truths that my mouth kept producing. She stood and came to sit beside me. Grasping my hands in hers, she said, “I apologise on his behalf. He has always been a boisterous child. I hope he didn’t cause you and your man any problems.”

“Quite the opposite. He brought us closer together.”

“You wouldn’t find it bothersome if I asked for details, would you?”

Her enthusiasm filled me with joy for some reason. She reminded me a lot of Fiona which was weird considering the fact that the marchioness could be twice my sister’s age. I wonder how the sharks in society hadn’t ripped into this woman.

Maybe she was really good at pretending to be tough.

“I certainly don’t mind.”

Immediately, the marchioness clapped and a different maid entered and walked to the table to pour our tea. As she moved, her skirt brushed the edge of the table and a folded paper fell and landed near my feet. I would have looked past it had the handwriting not been familiar. I darted to pick up the paper, realising a little too late that my haste would attract attention. My eyes latched onto the paper’s content as I tried to formulate a possible reason for why I picked up anything that fell out of a maid’s pocket and refused to let go.

I looked at the girl with an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry. This poem reminds me of one my father used to read for me before he passed away. Do you mind if I take a look?”

When the girl shook her head slowly, I opened the paper almost reverently. After reading a few lines, I let out a sigh of relief. “It is a work of Williams Wordsworth. One of my favourite.”
Fondness grew in the marchioness’ eyes. “I didn’t know you appreciated poetry.”

I glanced down at the paper, a shy smile on my face. “I read some occasionally.”  Whenever I was at Lincoln’s house at night because the weirdo loved reading poetry every day before he slept. I guess I’ll have to thank him for bailing me out of this one when I get home.

Since I had confirmed that it greatly resembled one of the handwritings on the documents in the first publication accusing the duke’s heir of treason—the one on the copies of financial transactions, I reluctantly handed the paper to the owner.

Before the paper entered the scared maid’s hands, the marchioness stopped us. “Lydia, why don’t you let Miss Danbury have the paper? It’s only to practice your writing, isn’t it?”

My enthusiasm must have shown because the girl’s eyes suddenly softened and she looked at me like one would look at a little child. “Of course, Your Grace. If it makes you happy, Miss Danbury, I would very much like you to have it.”

“Thank you so much.” Your kindness would be invaluable in throwing the man-child behind bars.

After the maid left, I fiddled with the paper, thinking of Lincoln and Christine’s reactions when I told them that we’d found another mystery person in all the people we were looking for.

Lydia, was it?

The marchioness cleared her throat, pulling me from my thoughts. “I do believe I was promised a story.”

I smiled at her barely concealed interest in my love life. I began to wonder the last time the marchioness had sat and had genuine girl talk without anyone trying to analyse or subtly insult her. She would be a great mother-in-law, just not mine.

I inched closer to her, getting ready to talk about one of the only things that made my life seem less bleak. “It started on a-”

The door suddenly slammed open, interrupting me. Edward Baines stood in the open doorway looking as dashing as ever, his eyes darting around the room before finally settling on me. They narrowed. “What are you two doing together?”

“Do I need to seek your permission to talk to my party guest?”

Baines gritted his teeth. “She's my party guest.”

“I don't recall you signing her invitation,” his mother snapped. Gone was the kind woman from a moment ago. In her place was a snarling tigress with fury in her eyes. The tension in the room informed me that the small interaction was not the start of their troubles. I stayed silent for fear of being caught in the crossfire, like at the beginning of the book.

“I just want to know what you were talking about.”

“If you must, we were talking about the rather unpleasant interaction between you two when you met.”

Baines stilled. His eyes turned murderous. Behind his mother's back, I rolled my eyes.

His mother, unaware of our violent exchange, kept talking. “I am a little pleased with you for immediately rectifying your mistake. It shows that there is at least a warm bone in your body. For a second, I thought you had finally shown interest in a woman. A gentle one, no less.”

Baines blinked in confusion. If this guy ruined everything for me, I would pass him off to his mother as mentally indisposed. With the right words, I was half sure she would believe me.

“Shown interest in a woman?” he asked stupidly.

His mother looked at him with a sneer. “Yes, Edward. I thought you wanted to marry Miss Danbury. Have you had too much wine?”

Baines' eyes twitched. “Thank you, Miss Danbury, for enlightening the marchioness about our platonic relationship.”

Barely existent is more like it.

I stood and dipped into a curtsey. “You're welcome, my lord.”

Marchioness Baines raised an eyebrow. “Edward, leave us. Miss Danbury and I were having a conversation.”

Just then, someone knocked on the door. “Some of the party guests are requesting your presence, Your Grace.”

“I will be with them soon.” She turned to me and grasped my arms again. “I'm sorry to interrupt our meeting. I have to attend to my guests.”

She stood and walked out of the room with two maids behind her. I was about to leave as well when a hand reached out to block my way.

“What did you tell my mother?”

I rolled my eyes. “That the invitation to the party is nothing more than an apology for meddling in a meeting between myself and my lover.”

His face turned a dangerous shade of red. I leaned closer to him and whispered, “Or would you rather I tell her that you're plotting her murder, treason and forced marriage.?That wouldn't end well for either of us, don't you think?”

“Who's your lover?” he asked like that was the only thing he had gotten from my speech.

I smiled at his stupidity. “Wouldn't you like to know?”

“Miss Danbury?” his mother called out from up ahead.

“I'm on my way, Your Grace,” I replied and scurried away from Baines before the red on his face became purple.

I entered the party, a few steps behind the marchioness. All eyes gravitated to me. I could feel their jealousy and hatred boring holes into my skin. If I cared about their opinions about me, I would have curled up in a ball and began to cry.

Marchioness Baines signalled me forward. “I am your chaperone for this event.”

I didn't need a chaperone but I knew it was a big deal and it would be unwise to reject the opportunity. “Thank you for this great honour, Your Grace.”

Not much later, I discovered something. Noble women shared brain cells because there was no other explanation for why all their conversations and speech patterns were the same.

The only thing that made the hours of torture worth it was the chocolate melting in my mouth. I was sitting near the refreshments table at the corner to hide from as many people as possible and stuffing myself as much as my corset would allow. The small chocolate pieces that were wrapped in foil had found their way into hidden pockets in my dress.

“Don't you think eating so much is ill-mannered for a young lady?”

Great. Another one.

“I'm sorry. The food was made to be eaten, wasn't it?”

The young woman flushed. “T-That doesn't mean y-you need to eat so crassly.”

“As you may have noticed, I'm not high born and am not inclined to waste food. If you would just go back to your business, I shall return to my meal,” I said as politely as possible.

Her nervousness increased when she saw my smile. “Your behaviour would be a disgrace to the Baines family.”

I cocked my head, feigning confusion. “The marchioness told me to enjoy the treats.”

“I-I mean to Lord Edward Baines if you marry. Your conduct would embarrass him at social-”

“Why do you think I'm marrying Lord Baines? Do I look like I intend to?”

The girl bit her lip thinking. “He gave you the first dance of the night. That is-”

“He's merely repaying a favour. We haven't been together for the rest of the night.”

“That’s true,” the girl whispered under her breath and then glanced behind her at a woman who stood, staring at her with a harsh glare. “S-Stay away from him. You'll bring nothing but shame to all the nobles in this country.”

It was a pity that these girls were not allowed to have opinions about anything except the dresses they wore and even that was restricted by societal trends. The one before me seemed like the last place she wanted to be was here, talking to me. She was one of the only few that looked like they had a good head on their shoulders.

“Chin up. Back straight.” Her body followed my instructions like it had been conditioned to. “Walk back to your mother with the most arrogant expression you have.”

She nearly broke down. “Thank you,” she whispered and left.

I stood up, suddenly losing my appetite and wanting to return home. I turned towards Harry who was seated near the entrance. He was already watching me. I gave him a tired smile and began to walk toward me. Understanding the message, he met me halfway.

“Are you ready to leave?” he asked me.

“Yeah. I think I need to thank Marchioness Baines for her protection, right?”

“Yes.” He looked above me. “She's already watching you. Let's go meet her.”

When we arrived at the marchioness' table where she sat with other mothers of high society, Harry bowed and I curtsied.

She stood. “Miss Danbury, you look exhausted. Would you like to be on your way now?”

“Yes, Your Grace. Thank you for your guidance.”

She waved her hand. “Oh, it's nothing. Do come by sometime. We still have a conversation to finish.” She looked at a maid who stood by her side. “I understand that you arrived in my son's carriage. I have made arrangements for you to use one of mine to return.”

The looks of surprise and disbelief on the faces of the other women present told me that this wasn't normal.

As if I couldn't draw anymore attention to myself.

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

She smiled. “Go on. Follow Martha.”

The maid led us out of another door beside the entrance. When we rounded the corner, we saw a beautiful blue carriage waiting with a coachman standing beside it, wearing the most blank expression known to man.

Just as we were about to enter, I heard someone yelling behind me. “Miss Danbury. Miss Danbury.”

I looked behind me. “Lady Danbury, what a pleasure it is to see you again.”

“I've been so busy being hounded by guests that I couldn't have a decent conversation with you. If I send you an invitation to my home, you will attend, won't you?”

“Would there be chocolate?”

She nodded. “There's always chocolate.”

“Wonderful. I'll see you then.”

She hugged me briefly. “Yes. Goodbye. You also look like a work of art.”

I laughed and entered the carriage and waved. I was definitely looking forward to seeing her again.

“Did you have fun?” Harry asked when the carriage started moving out of the compound.

“Some parts were fun.” I stared at the beautiful foliage of the house, wondering why the social divide had to be this great. “Can we stop at the Castilla house?”

“You want to see Mr. Castilla?”

“Yes.” Harry raised an eyebrow. “I found something I thought you all might be interested in. Besides, Bella helped me put on the dress. If I take it off, I might ruin it.”

Harry hummed, clearly not believing me but still reached out to inform the coachman of our destination. I smiled at his silent acceptance, watching the city change from large empty estates to smaller closely packed buildings. After what felt like two hours, we arrived at the two-storey building that had become my second home.

I stumbled out of the carriage and to the door. Before I could knock, the door opened and I was pulled into a tight hug.

“I was so worried,” Bella cried.

“Bella.” I wheezed. “Whalebone. Whalebone.”

She pulled away. “I'm so sorry. Are you okay?”

My head felt like it was spinning. Why was I so tired? My knees gave way. Before I could collapse to the floor, a pair of strong arms grabbed me. I leaned on him as he led me to the couch.

“Are you hurt? Did Baines hurt you?” Lincoln said, looking over the exposed parts of my body.

“I'm alright.” I pulled out the folded poem from my pocket. “I found this.”

Lincoln collected it and glanced through it quickly at first. His eyes narrowly and he slowly began to read every word. “The handwriting is familiar.”

“That's what I thought too. It belongs to one of the maids at the Baines' house,” I whispered.

“Didn't we plan to go there to sway public opinion? Why does it seem like you were doing investigative work? Do you know how dangerous that would have been if you were caught?”

“It was an accident,” I said before launching into a summarised version of the night's happenings. By the time I was done, the inhabitants of the room—Harry, Bella and Lincoln—were staring at me wide-eyed.

“The marchioness likes you?” Bella asked.

I shrugged. “I guess.”

“Weren't we trying to achieve the opposite?”

“She didn't seem like someone who could hate me so quickly. I had to change my approach.”

“If she likes you, doesn't she think you'll be suitable for her son?” Harry asked.

“I told her I had a lover.”

“What?” they exclaimed in unison.

I yawned, drowsiness overtaking me. “I never mentioned a name but if we happen to run into the marchioness, you'll have to pretend to be my lover who's too busy to court me and is waiting for the right time.”

Right before I slept off, I heard Bella say, “Isn't that the reality?”