Chapter 13

"Earl Deranged," A voice tore through the silence of the study Dagur was in. He looked up to see the Crown prince Grimmel barge inside looking rather angrily.

"What brings you here my prince?" Dagur asked while indicating for the man to take a seat. "I'll instruct the maids to bring refreshments."

"There is no need, I won't be staying long. I've only come to ask why you were so vocally against the Campaign meeting today." Grimmel asked with a frown. "The older generals are making a stink."

"The old generals should retire. My Prince, don't you think enough is enough?!" Dagur grumbled. "The soldiers are tired. They are battle-worn. The war with the Northlanders is still fresh in people's minds. To suggest another military campaign now..... And a winter one at that!"

"We won the last winter campaign didn't we?" Grimmel retorted.

"By the sheer luck on our backs!" Dagur uttered. "Even I know that our soldiers were fortunate enough to be able to cross that frozen river that led to the Northlander border. Ill-prepared winter campaigns have a high mortality rate. Why do you keep pushing for one, and at Berk especially?! What do they have that is even remotely strategic for us?! They're an island kingdom in the middle of nowhere!"

The prince sighed and muttered, "That is confidential." but Dagur crossed his arms and frowned. "All I can tell you right now is that there is more to that Kingdom than we realize. They are a bunch of barbarians, yet they managed to grow their cities to the neighbouring islands. Our scouts haven't been able to penetrate far into their territory and that denotes a very high level of security. Just what are they protecting?"

"You are forgetting that the Berkian kingdom is our allied nation. There is a treaty in place. We cannot just attack carelessly with no provocation." Dagur stated as he sat back down behind his desk.

"That's another thing that's suspicious don't you think?" Grimmel sounded impatient. "The treaty was proposed by the Berkians first and I highly doubt that it was from seeing our Kingdom's fearsome might as we unified the mainland." Grimmel's laugh didn't meet his eyes. "They sent a volunteer to marry my grandfather. Lord only knows what her background was. The woman that came bearing the treaty even had the audacity to suggest that she wanted to keep her family name after marriage,"

"Yes, yes, we all know the story of Consort Hofferson." Dagur sighed dramatically. "Be that as it may, I will not support any winter campaign let alone one that would have us declaring war against an allied kingdom. You and the old Generals can come at me all you want. My stance won't change."

"You really need to rethink your stance, Earl Deranged." Grimmel said as he too stood up and headed for the door. "It would be a pity to see your sister's fall from grace so early into her social debut. I met your sister on the way here. Fine woman, she has become. She's engaged to Earl Nelson right now, such a shame for such a profitable marriage. Truly a shame."

"HOW DARE YOU MENTION MY SISTER!"

"I do hope you come to the right decision here. Earl," Grimmel said as he exited the study. "Tarry too long and my hand might just..... Slip." The prince opened the door and said lastly with a smirk "Have a good day Lord Deranged."

"DAMNIT!" Dagur exclaimed while banging his fists against his mahogany desk in anger. "DAMNIT DAMNIT DAMNIT!"

A few weeks later an anxious Dagur stood on the steps of his Summer manor bidding farewell to his sister in the early morning. "I still don't understand why you have to go all the way back to the capital." Heather frowned. "You're one of the Commanders of the Royal Navy, it's not like his Majesty will ignore your missives."

"This is just very important Heather. I have to speak with the King directly," Dagur stated as his carriage arrived. "I won't be long. A day or two at best. You should enjoy the summer social season with the other ladies."

"I won't keep you if work is so important but you'll be missing Lady Milton's picnic today." This caused Dagur to groan.

"Must you tease me so," He grumbled. "You know I have a soft spot for Lady Milton's confections."

"What about Lady Milton, hmmm?" Heather inquired while smirking.

"No... no... I will not have you play matchmaker again," Dagur announced with a huff. "The last time ended badly enough!"

"That was your own fault brother," Lady Heather rolled her eyes. "What gentleman shows a lady his weapons collection on the first date?"

Dagur feigned a cough to hide his embarrassment while he quickly turned towards the waiting carriage. "Either way I'll be back in two days at the latest. Do enjoy yourself Heather!" He announced before fleeing.

"Get back here you!" Heather exclaimed as the carriage departed. "Don't think that you'll stop me from introducing you to eligible ladies!"

"Madam," A maid got Heather's attention afterwards. "You still need to pick out a dress for the picnic."

"That I do," Heather said as she proceeded to step back inside.

Nearly three hours had passed before Heather emerged from their summer manor once more. This time wearing a form-fitting lace dress with a separate lace capelet. The dress was a soft blue color and as she stepped into her own waiting carriage she had to lift up the three skirts it consisted of. A cotton lining, a lace-trimmed sheer bobbinette, and a shorter chantilly lace overskirt. As she sat down she smoothed out the skirts.

"Madam!" The maid from before came running to the carriage. She seemed out of breath when she reached her destination but quickly presented Heather with the item she had in her hand. "You forgot this madam!" It was Heather's lace parasol.

"Thank you, Anika," Heather said earnestly.

"You'll be the belle of the picnic madam!" Anika replied with a smile. "Lord Nelson will not be able to keep his eyes off of you!" This caused Heather to laugh. Of course Anika would pick up on that. Heather definitely wanted to make a good impression so she often dressed up. This had the unintentional result of her becoming the Rose of Society, meaning people looked to her as a trendsetter.

The maid waved her lady off as the carriage departed. Heather looked at the lovely scenery that passed until they reached the lake where the picnic was being held.

The lake in question was on the estate where the Milton's summer residence was. Lady Milton, the host for today, was the daughter of Baron Milton, a middle-aged man who made his fortune in the confectionary business with stores in several territories throughout the kingdom. He was a widowed man, having lost his wife to pneumonia three years past. It was a known fact that he doted on his only daughter and had a harsh criterion for any man seeking to be her suitor.

When Heather arrived at the picnic there were already quite a few people there. Blankets had been draped over the grass and the young lords and ladies were socializing. The coachman helped her out of the carriage and Heather turned around for a minute to grab the woven picnic basket she had brought along. Everyone brought something to contribute to the picnic for others to enjoy.

"Lady Deranged," Lady Milton greeted upon spotting her. "I'm so happy you could come."

"It's a pleasure Lady Milton," Heather said as she took a seat on the blanket before placing her basket down. It was an intimate setting as most ladies decided to go barefoot while lounging. Heather greeted the other ladies amicably and nodded to several of the young men who had escorted their fiances. Her white crochet gloves opened the basket as she informed everyone "I've brought some ginger-tea and several types of sandwiches for us to enjoy."

The ladies were all enthusiastic and Lady Milton offered some of her Jelly tarts to Heather right after.

"I love your hairstyle," One of the other ladies stated as they cut a piece of pie from the gathered food. "It's a little different from the full pompadour style now all the rage in the capital."

"The full pompadour style gave me a bit of trouble with my bonnets recently so I asked my maids to dress the bulk of my hair to the back. In fact it was their idea to add some puffs and coils to the hairstyle." Heather admitted.

"I quite like Lady Heather's new style," Another commented. "It actually seems more manageable than the one that's popular right now."

"Looks like you've done it again Lady Heather," Lady Milton joked. "Soon everyone will be sporting this hairstyle."

Heather chuckled and as she sipped some tea she asked what was new.

"Oh, you'll never believe this," One of the ladies uttered. "A commoner woman managed to get accepted into the Academy. It's rumored that she's even taking lessons in business management."

"Completely scandalous really," Another stated while looking aghast. "How will she ever find a good husband like that?"

"I don't see how that is bad," Heather commented. "Honestly, I would love to take the management courses. Wouldn't it be great if us ladies could help our husbands once married?"

"What about children?" Lady Milton questioned.

"Who says anything about education standing in the way of having children?" Heather questioned. "I see no reason why we can't do both."

"If our husbands allow it," An older woman spoke up, causing the ladies to turn towards her. Heather recognized her as Lady Debulain. She was the lady married to the local lord of the region they were in now. "My own husband doesn't even allow me to ride the train for fear that my uterus will fly out of my body at high speeds." She huffed.

'Utterly ridiculous,' Heather thought but didn't voice. Trains were a new invention that the kingdom had recently implemented and only a few ran from one side of the kingdom to the other. The reduced travel time was indeed something to admire though the barring of women traveling on the locomotive was still a hotly debated subject.

"Oh my, isn't that...." One of the ladies commented and Heather turned to see where what had caught her attention. A carriage had stopped and a family was getting out. Heather recognized the crest on the carriage door as that belonging to House Hofferson.

The family seemed prim and proper, dressed in their summer best for the picnic. Nothing really seemed out of the ordinary yet there was this nagging feeling in the back of Lady Heather's mind that told her something was wrong. "I don't know how I feel about them being here," One of the ladies lounging against the tree mentioned.

"What do you mean?" Heather questioned.

"It was before you arrived at the summer villas. Countess Bane held an informal tea party to welcome the young ladies not yet of age. Several of us were also invited so that the ladies might make some connections for the future." Lady Milton explained. "I know an informal tea party is rather......informal, but that girl's behavior... but given who her mother is, can we really expect anything better?"

"Wasn't it Countess Bane who started the whole debacle in the first place?" Lady Debulain questioned. "I distinctly remember her calling out young Rosalinda's lack of etiquette. Countess Bane was quite harsh in her reprimand and I think she was quite out of line there. While we all know that adding hot tea before milk is a faux pas, can any of us say that we didn't at some point commit the same mistake?"

"I have to agree on that," Lady Milton muttered. "But Rosalinda's response was anything but a disgrace. She called Countess Bane a spinster and implied that there were romantic notions for Countess Stormheart as a reason the lady had not been wed yet."

"But wasn't that only in response to Countess Bane attacking young Rosalinda's mother?" Another lady questioned. "If it were my mother being talked about like that I would not sit still either."

"What I find most odd is that the elder sister never stood up for her sibling," one of the gentlemen present muttered.

"Did she have to?" Heather questioned with a raised brow. "It wasn't her causing the scene. She was entirely unrelated to the whole debacle."

"It was her sister being attacked," The man replied. "There is an obvious relation."

"Step-sister," A lady corrected. "Or have you forgotten what Lord Anderson did hours after his wife's burial."

Heather poured herself a cup of lemonade as she listened to the ladies debate the various rumors. She was curious, yes, everyone probably was. A prominent house like the Hoffersons was embroidered in gossip and rumors. It would spark anyone's curiosity.

"Lady Heather, what is your stance?" Lady Milton questioned but Heather frowned as she hadn't really paid attention to what had been said. Just as she was about to open her mouth she felt something grip her arm and yank.

"AH!" Heather exclaimed as she was dragged to her feet only to come face to face with her fiance, Lord Nelson.

"Thuggory! What has gotten into you?!" Heather questioned but the only response she got was a slap to the face causing her to fall down onto the damp grass.

"How dare you lie to me you wench!" Thuggory exclaimed as he held in his hand a crumpled letter. He threw the ball of paper at Heather's feet while the others present at the picnic gasped in shock.

"What?" Lady Heather was in shock as she clutched her cheek but Lord Nelson didn't seem to care about her state at the moment as he kept on ranting.

"Was this your plan all along? To entrap me? To have your dirty blood mix with my family?!" He yelled.

"I-I don't...." Heather didn't know what was going on as she stared at her fiance that was towering over her.

"Don't play coy with me!" Thuggory exclaimed. "Do you think my family and I would ever accept you now that we know you are nothing but the daughter of a maid?! I will not have your commoner blood dirtying my noble line!"

"This is not what..." Heather tried to say but Lord Nelson announced, talking over her, "THE ENGAGEMENT IS OFF! YOU'RE NOT WORTHY OF ME AT ALL!"

Lady Heather looked around. The stares that were on her person were of shock and horror as her origins were revealed. It wouldn't be long before people started talking. She fled the picnic area as tears streaked down her face, not noticing Lady Milton call after her worriedly.

Heather cried behind some bushes much further away. No one could hear her in this place. Her reputation was ruined and now she was nothing more than a wreck. The marriage that would have brought her family to new heights in the social circle was broken, she was an embarrassment.

As she sat on the damp grass, huddled up a soft voice called to her. "Lady Deranged?" A young blond said as she extended her hand that was holding a handkerchief. Heather just wanted to hide out of shame but that was not to be as the young lady sat next to her on the ground.

"You should have kicked that man in the nuts," the other lady said while not retracting her offer of a handkerchief.

Heather actually let out a soft chuckle at the image in her head of Lord Nelson doubled over in pain as her heeled leather boot made contact. Oh, she wished she'd done that. Heather looked up a bit, the tears causing her makeup to run. She hesitantly accepted the offered handkerchief now. Heather dabbed her eyes and then in an unlady-like fashion, blew her nose. She muttered "I'll return it clean to you,"

"Don't worry about it," The blonde laughed. "I swiped that off of my sister. You can toss it away if you want."

"Astrid Hofferson, please just call me Astrid," The blonde lady introduced.

"Heather Deranged. Please call me Heather," Heather said while shaking the offered hand. 

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AN: Hi all! How's everyone doing? People in the past truly had a wild imagination. I just need to explain some historical context that was discussed in this chapter. Over the years with developing technology several imagined fears of spontaneous combustion and/or mutilation took over the population. 1.) With trains, it was the thought "that women's bodies were not designed to go at 50 miles an hour," and worried that "[female passengers'] uteruses would fly out of [their] bodies as they were accelerated to that speed". 2.) As automobiles gained traction in the early 1900s, they were seen by many as noisy, erratic "devil wagons" that women—thought to be prone to fainting, physical weakness, and out-of-the-blue bouts of hysteria—wouldn't be able to control by themselves and shouldn't be allowed to drive. 3.) With the emergence of telecommunication, beliefs that chatting on the phone would cause impropriety, possession, or electrocution in women emerged.