Legends From The Highlands: Unwilling Devotion

Part 17

A/N: I added this song because I really like it and I feel like it relates to the overall feeling of this chapter. Enjoy!

Everyone in the room fell silent at the Queen's implication that the Prince could be making an offer by the end of the season. Obviously, it was a big deal to witness the betrothal of the Prince to the future Queen of England. Edward was the only male heir to the King and Queen so he was first in line for the throne.

***

On arriving back home, mother along with aunt Lily were waiting anxiously to hear about our visit to the castle. Aunt Heather had not yet returned back and no one was exactly sure if she would return. She had taken the last argument to heart and the situation seemed to be a bit beyond redemption. The first court ball was also fast approaching and offers were already being made, although not a single proposal had arrived in the Atherton household.

Me and my cousins gathered in the drawing room along with Mother and Aunt Lily to tell them about the tour and dining with the Queen. Naturally, I purposefully omitted my heated encounter with the Prince and thankfully no one brought up my disapearance either.

"What did you do after supper?" Mother asked. Venetia and Titania both turned their gazes towards me and I could feel myself growing anxious.

Truth be told, I was starting to like the prince very much but I did not wish for my parents to get their hopes up about me receiving an offer from him. The Prince always issued more than one offer and with all the restrictions from court influencing his choices, I hardly considered myself in the running at all. Besides, my mind had never stopped thinking about Harry. I had explicitly expressed my love to him and that meant a great deal to me.

"What happened then?" Mother asked again. Seeing I was taking too long to reply, Venetia jumped in.

"She played a duet with the prince. It was so wonderful. You should have heard the applause she received for it too!" my cousin raved.

"Oh, how exciting!" Mother clapped.

"Did he mention anything about making an offer to anyone in particular?"

"The Queen said he has someone in mind but she did not reveal any names." Titania added as she nodded at me. She was being incredibly nice to me lately. Maybe it was the hormones... or perhaps a change of heart?

***

The ball arrived in a flash and along with it, Aunt Heather as well. She just appeared the evening before the ball on our doorstep and without exchanging more than a sentence with any of us, she stormed up to her room. My father was not pleased to have her around again but mother convinced him that it would be better to have her around, especially if they were to handle Titania's situation in the best way possible.

This ball felt completely different to all the ones we'd been to before. Here, the gossip was much stronger with the women being more sharp-tongued than the ones back in Scotland. All the men at court were also present which made me feel a bit uneasy knowing they were watching my every step to deem whether I was a suitable enough match for their royal candidate.

Walking inside the banquet hall for the first time, I could feel myself getting nervous. However, my nerves were more because of Titania rather than myself. Of course, she was still in the very early stages of her pregnancy and you couldn't tell by simply looking at her, but with all these attentive eyes, you could hardly tell what anyone knew.

The room was crowded with lords and ladies when two men with bugles walked into the room and stood at each side of the door. They played a very melodious tune announcing the arrival of the King and Queen, along with their son, the Prince.

The King and Queen were dressed in some of their finest garments, completed with perfectly crafted jewels that sparkled in the candlelight of the chandeliers. Prince Edward was dressed in another variation of his uniform, with a blue sash stretching across his chest and a diamond-encrusted badge on it. He also had a sword tucked in his belt which for some reason seemed to make me blush. Everyone curtsied as the King and Queen made their way to the throne at the far end of the room.

"We are honoured to be the hosts of this important part of tradition, the social season. This year it is an even more important event as my son himself is seeking a future bride." The crowd broke into a feast of whispers at his words. On instinct, I glanced at Titania who stood completely still, her eyes glassy. I had this sudden urge to reach over and reassure her but before I could do so, I was interrupted by Aunt Heather.

"Come, the Queen asks for you." she stated before starting to weave her way through the crowd. Tearing my eyes off of a very upset-looking Titania, I followed my aunt. The middle part of the room had now cleared up as couples formed for the first dance.

The moment we arrived in front of the Queen, I immediately dropped into a curtsey, keeping my head lowered.

"Lady Juliana..." she began. "Look at me child." I slowly directed my eyes towards her to spot Prince Edward standing behind her looking directly at me. Immediately, I felt my entire face flush, giving my feelings away to my beholders. "My son would like to request a waltz with you."

"It would be my pleasure." I responded timidly. The Prince proceeded to descending the few steps before bowing at me and taking my hand.

"Hi." he whispered, smiling. I chuckled slightly as the music began to play. He led me to the dance area and we joined in the waltz, turning and moving along with the rhythm. I was very much enjoying myself. My chemistry with the Prince seemed to grow with every meeting and being around him seemed to subdue my anxiety.

"I very much intend to stay close to you throughout the evening." he confessed as we walked to the sidelines after dancing two consecutive waltzes. Such a confession was very important especially at this stage of the season when everyone was making offers of marriage. Of course, I had lost all hope of having the Prince say such a thing to me, but he did.

"That would make me happy." I admitted.

We were suddenly interrupted by Theodore, Edward's cousin and some other lords who wished to speak with him. So, after excusing myself momentarily, I decided to join my family who were gathered close to one of the food tables. As soon as I arrived, the attention diverted to me.

"He seems to be really taken with you." Mother spoke.

"Of course he is." Aunt Heather remarked. She was about to say something else when suddenly someone cleared his throat behind her.

She turned around to reveal Harry. My face broke into a smile at the thought of him being here for me.
However, without giving me a second glance, he slowly walked over to Titania, kissed her hand and asked, "Will you dance with me?"