A Regency Catastrophy

Chapter 16

"Will you honour me by accepting my hand... for the next dance?"

For a moment, I just stare at him, almost forgetting I have to reply in some meaningless form. Because, even though I know him to be a bit of a scoundrel, one does not simply say 'no' to a duke. A very handsome duke at that. He is dressed mostly in blacks, matching his hair and even eyes with only a splash of emerald colour in the waist coat but the fabrics look very luxurious.

"Of course", I reply, with the smallest curtsey and fakest smile I can muster.

He smirks and leads me to the dance floor. A few steps in, and already he demands an answer to that question he posed many months ago. "Well, Miss Montfort, are you ready to give me an answer? Will I be courting you?"

"It would be very discourteous of me to ask you to do something so pointless, my lord."

"Pointless? How so?" He comments after a pause, completely flabbergasted.

"Well, I suppose because its purpose could never be fulfilled."

A cold anger in his eyes makes him seem even more arrogant than he is. "So you don't consider me a good candidate for your hand, then? Let me guess, you fancy yourself in love with someone else already? Someone who's had most of the winter to get in your good graces, perhaps?"

"My lord! Has the green-eyed monster gotten a hold of you? Well, there's no need for that since the reason I spoke thus is that I have no intention of marrying, at least not in the coming years."

"No intention of marrying? You are serious, I see. Then, may I ask, miss, what you are doing here in London during the season?"

"I came because my uncle wishes it."

"And the fact that you acquire many beautiful new frocks and attract a lot of attention during balls and formal functions has nothing to do with it, I suppose. My, I had never thought you so shallow."

I swallow down my anger and answer him civilly: "My lord, you are acting ungentlemanlike. Please stop insulting me. I am not shallow because I wish to wait some years before getting married. You yourself did not consider marriage at 18, I presume."

"I did not," he admits. Sadly, he continues. "But then, I am a man. I had to gain some experience and knowledge first by means of travel to successfully run my estate and hold my position in government. No such things are required of a woman."

"You forget that I am an heiress to my own estate and perhaps will be expected to run it someday as well. I should therefore gather some experience, shouldn't I?"

"Why would you, when you can simply marry a man to do it for you? Then you can focus on those things more suited to a woman, namely child bearing and managing a household."

"And pray, who are you to determine which things are more suited to a woman? Let alone which things are more suited to my future? You are incredibly presumptuous to assume to determine what I should do with my life. You barely know me after all. I do not tell you what to do with your life, my lord."

This reply, thankfully, seems to astonish him so he does not answer me. The dance soon ends and he leads me back, in a very uncomfortable silence, to Mrs. Fairbridge. One soundless curtsey later and to my relief, Lord Arrogant walks away, probably to lick his wounds somewhere. Mrs. Fairbridge thankfully did not notice the strain in his leave-taking, as she seems to be busy conversing with her son and scanning the room for my next dance partner. She doesn't pay attention to me for a moment, so I manage to slip away unnoticed to the hallway. At least, I hope it was unnoticed. Even more eyes seem to be on me now.

I need a moment to myself. A very long moment, preferrable. I'm trembling from repressed anger and emotion. That pretentious asshole! What a complete and utter bastard. So sad for us regency ladies that we can't just sucker punch a guy like that mid-dance! I should have at least stomped on his foot, several times, hard! "Ugh!"

"Well, if it isn't Miss Montfort. Can I help you? You look very distressed, indeed."

My first literal thought was 'from the rain into the gutter'. It's Mr. Wolf, or Mr. Burton, Lord Percy's 'rake' cousin.

"Mr. Burton, what are you doing here, skulking in the darker parts of the hallway? No, don't answer that. I'm sure the answer won't be suitable for my ears. And I'm not distressed, I'm angry at your cousin for being a total ass."

"Ha! Miss Montfort, you are so refreshingly outspoken! As to why I'm here, let's indeed not mention that, but let's talk a bit about my cousin being an ass. I never grow tired of that subject."

I hesitate only a bit in venting my anger. If anyone would listen to me without judgement, perhaps it would be Mr. Burton. "He asked if he could court me for marriage and I politely declined. This seemed to anger him, so he insulted me by calling me shallow and implying that a woman's only function in life is to bear children, a view that I don't agree with at all."

"Wow. And all that in one dance." He seems to be laughing at me. "You know, my cousin is not a bad man, but he is very much torn between doing his duty and fulfilling his desires. I believe that's why he's jealous of anyone, including you and me, who tread their own paths, regardless of what society thinks. Tell me, Miss Montfort, what do you desire? Clearly it's not what most young women desire, namely marriage to a duke."

He is suddenly standing quite close to me so I inadvertently take a step back. "What I desire most, still, is to see my parents again. Lacking that, I would say... I would like to live fully, travel, have adventures, I don't know..."

"Adventures... mmm." I don't know how it happened but suddenly I'm standing against the wall of the unlit hallway and Mr. Burton is leaning on said wall with his arm inches from my face. "Is that why you're still here with me, alone? A sense of adventure?"

"Mr. Burton..., what are your intentions exactly?"

"To be adventurous with you, my dear."

I quickly duck under his arm when he tries to kiss me. And at that exact time, Mrs. Fairbridge opens the door to the hallway.

"Oh there you are, Miss Montfort, I was looking everywhere for you! Please stay close to the party, it's not right for young ladies to go wander on their own. Come now."

I look back, but Mr. Burton has disappeared in the dark hallway. Phieuw, that was a close one. Gotta be more careful around wolves.