Chapter 11

"Are you ready Miss?" Atali asked as she stood with Astrid in front of the ornate double doors that led to the ballroom. The day had been trying to say the least. The morning formalities she had to go through when the bureaucrat visited, involved her own father glaring at her as the mantle was passed on. The family signet ring on her finger, denoting her new status in High Society, gleamed in the lamplight as she stood ready. Her father would already be in the ballroom, schmoozing with the other nobles, trying to keep their favor since he had now lost his position and power over the household.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Astrid muttered as she straightened her back before motioning to the knights at each side of the doors to open it. An elderly man stood at the ready on the other side and as Astrid stepped through the doorway her presence was announced to the hall by his surprising booming voice. "Presenting Her Ladyship Astrid Maria Julietta Hofferson, Marchioness of House Hofferson!"

The guests clapped as Astrid descended the stairs while holding one side of her long skirt so she would not step on it and trip while her other light blue satin-gloved hand was on the marble railing. Once at the bottom of the stairs her father approached and held out his arm as if to escort her but she noticed the twitch of brows in momentary confusion.

"What are you wearing?" The man whispered a bit angrily but still put on a pleasant appearance to the guests, pretending to play the happy supporting father.

"A dress. It is what one typically wears to such occasions," Astrid deadpanned as she too gave a smile to the crowd that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"The others will be appearing momentarily. You stay here. There are some people that I need to introduce you to." Samuel said as he let go of his daughter's arm and hurried back to the stairs. Astrid actually snorted if her father thought she would stay still. She had guests to greet herself without his interference. There were people she actually wanted to talk to so she looked around the room and then she smiled when she spotted Lady Heather amongst the crowd. But before she could take a step in Heather's direction there was an audible gasp from the guests. Astrid turned to look at the balcony she had descended to see her Stepmother, dressed in a dark green and black gown with a somewhat revealing neckline, Edwin, in his black tuxedo looking prim and proper but like he wanted to be anywhere else but there, and Rosalinda wearing a very extravagant dress. A white dress at that. It was just as Astrid thought, Rosalinda wanted to upstage her but it wouldn't go the way the girl planned. Already murmurs of shock and surprise were being uttered in the ballroom and Astrid caught some of what was being said.

"Is that girl insane?!"

"She's a Noble, she should know better!"

"The absolute audacity! To wear white to her own sister's Coming-of-Age!"

"This callous behaviour, if she wasn't part of the Marquis household I would never even associate with her,"

Samuel seemed to be seething and this time he wasn't hiding it for propriety. He pulled Rosalinda aside in an alcove and proceeded to speak with her. Astrid couldn't hear what was being said by either party but gone was Esmeralda's haughty gaze as she took in her husband's demeanor. Especially once Rosalinda gestured towards her mother.

"I can't believe the sheer audacity of her," Lady Heather said as she came to stand next to Astrid. She looked at what Astrid was dressed in and connected the dots quite easily. "But you already knew that, didn't you Marchioness Hofferson."

"What happened to calling me by my first name Heather?" Astrid quirked a brow.

"I am simply following social etiquette." Heather replied as she folded her lace fan. "You are now officially a rank higher than my House. Normally the sister of an Earl has no social standing to even talk to a Marchioness."

"None of that Lady Heather. I consider you a close friend. One of my only friends really." Astrid announced sincerely. "To have you refer to my rank instead of my name is just dastardly."

"I'm so glad to hear that. Especially after Lord Nelson's boasting. Honestly, I feared you were like-minded." Heather relaxed a bit but now Astrid was confused.

"Lord Nelson? As in Lord Thuggory Nelson? Your ex-fiance?" She questioned. "What does he have to do with your worries?"

Heather looked around for a moment, worried about something, "Not here. There are too many ears."

"Heather, it's alright. Wait, let's go to the balcony for a moment." She said and then slightly gestured with her head to the balcony adjacent to the ballroom's bay windows.

The ladies shivered as they stepped outside in the cold air but Astrid was more worried about what Lady Heather had not said in the ballroom. Once they were sure that no one could overhear them Heather's face was full of expressions. Some ranging from shocked to hurt and Astrid wondered what this was all about.

"You still remember Lord Thuggory, right? Heather questioned seriously.

"How could I forget that scum-filled-mulch-bucket that drove you to tears!" Astrid growled in a very unladylike manner.

"Yesterday when I went to the jewelers to pick up the set that I had ordered for the ball I ran into him," Heather sighed. "He was there to pick out an engagement ring Astrid,"

"So the prick is getting married. Woe to the girl that he's asking." She muttered.

"That's just it, Astrid! Thuggory spotted me and rubbed it in my face that he was asking you to be his betrothed." Heather said in all seriousness. "He literally rubbed it in my face that he was glad he didn't marry me as he could now... as he said it... trade up in rank."

"EXCUSE ME WHAT?!"

"I guess I let my fears take over after that," Heather sighed as she held Astrid's hands. "Lord Nelson is known to look down on commoners and those of lower rank than he. He even looked down on our engagement even though both my brother and he are Earls."

"Heather I would never!" Astrid exclaimed. "Frankly this is the first I've even heard about it."

"I'm sorry, I let my emotions get the best of me," Heather muttered before hugging her friend. "To imagine you ending up with that douche is deplorable."

"Thank you for telling me Heather. I'll handle Lord Nelson," Astrid said as she hugged back. "Why don't we head inside. It will be a blessing to not have my toes freeze." This got a laugh out of Heather as the women entered the ballroom again. Edwin had been standing near the doors and flagged them down.

"Father wants to talk with you," Edwin stated "he didn't look happy,"

"He can come to find me later. I have guests to greet." Astrid stated. It was rather rude to ignore one's parents but she had a good inkling on where Lord Nelson got the idea that he was to marry her if he just asked. After all, her father and Lord Nelson had been business partners at some point. Her family dealt in jewels and ores while the Nelsons owned several jewelry stores that sold their items.

Astrid's eyes widened when she spotted a familiar lanky figure near the other end of the ballroom. She had just cast her eyes around and hadn't expected to spot him. Green eyes locked with hers and she smiled. "Edwin would you be a dear and keep Lady Heather company? I just spotted someone I need to say hello to."

Edwin and Heather were left alone as Astrid eagerly made her way across the room. She briefly stopped to talk with several Nobles that congratulated her but everyone inferred that she had an objective. Edwin, who had only met Lady Heather twice, coughed nervously. Sure Astrid and Heather were known as good friends in the social circles but young men seldom associated with the activities the ladies hosted so he hadn't known much about her. "Uhm..." he said hesitantly and Lady Heather turned to him with a laugh because she probably knew he was shy.

"Lady Deranged, I was... uhm... wondering if.... if ... you could introduce me to Lady Camicazi," Edwin finally managed to enunciate. "I took notice of her at last week's hunting competition and I... I..."

"You wanted to be acquainted with her?" Heather smiled as Edwin nervously nodded.

"I was hoping to ask if I may write to her. Her proficiency with the bow was incredible." the young man confessed.

"Well, we could ask her. She should be somewhere around here. Probably in one of the lounges. She does hate walking in heels for too long." Heather commented.

"Come along then. Let's go find her."

"Now?!" Edwin asked as his eyes widened.

"Young sir, She doesn't bite..... Much," Heather laughed as she gestured for Edwin to follow her.

Meanwhile, Astrid had made her way to her target. Hiccup was impeccably dressed. A black high-collared tuxedo, a silver ascot tie paired nicely with a dark green vest that matched his eyes. "I am so glad you could make it," She said with a genuine smile.

"I... I'm glad to be here.. Marchioness." Hiccup stumbled a bit in his sentence as if he hadn't expected her to be such a high standing Noble Lady. He seemed a bit embarrassed too and didn't know what to say. That was until Gobber, Thor-bless-his-soul-Gobber, nudged his godson slightly with his elbow as his hand was holding a platter of horderves.

"Ask her to dance you fishbone!" Gobber whispered and then wagged his bushy blonde eyebrows suggestively causing Hiccup to blush and Astrid to laugh.

"W-Would you like to dance Milady?" Hiccup nervously asked while holding his hand out.

"I would love to," Astrid said and she meant it. She took the offered hand as Hiccup led her to the dancefloor. "And please call me Astrid," She told him as he put a hand high on her waist nervously while the orchestra started the beginnings of a waltz.

------------

AN: So, as many of my dear readers know or probably have guessed, I am not a Native English speaker or writer. My native language is Dutch and the grammar punctuations are very different from English. That being said a couple of days ago I ran into my first Grammar Nazi that seemed to have a problem with me. Normally I am very receptive to grammar corrections and try to incorporate them as I don't know everything about the English language but this person was just plain RUDE.

The review I received on FFN reads as followed:

Please fix your grammar in the summary and improve the summary. If an author cannot bother to write a proper summary then what does that say about that author's writing? Out of the probably hundreds of fics I have read, only one had good writing and a grammatically incorrect summary.

On that note, please fix your run-on sentences. I am cringing at the last 6 paragraphs of your story even though I didn't read it thoroughly.

Yes it's that bad. But look on the bright side, you finished.

I only have one response for this person:

Paragraph 1 sentence 1: repetition of the word summary, poor grammar-use, and alternative.

Sentence 2: There needs to be a comma between summary and then.

Paragraph 2 sentence 2: use words rather than numerals for numbers less than ten.

Paragraph 3 sentence 1: Needs a comma after yes.

Please fix your own grammar before harping over someone else's.

(Drops Mic)