He knew he would be in for some stiff competition. Every gentleman of his status would be trying to win one of the daughters’ hands, which was why he was nervous. He was so nervous, in fact, that it was only as they were exiting the carriagethat he realized Darcy had not spoken a word the whole journey other than a basic greeting.
Since there was no time to question his cousin about his silence as they approached the door, he decided to wait to ask him about it later.
They were allowed inside by the butler who was checking invitations. Once they were fully in the hall, they were greeted by a receiving line consisting of one middle-aged man and five ladies. As soon as his eyes landed on the second lady, however, they would go no further.
She was the most beautiful woman Richard had ever seen. He was so fixated on her beauty, he barely registered when she spoke. “Good evening Colonel Fitzwilliam,” she said. “My sister has told me about you.”
He barely pulled himself together enough to say, “G-good evening.” He should have called her by her name, but he couldn’t, for the life of him, remember what it was. Mentally, he berated himself for being so foolish. No woman had made him this nervous in a decade or more.
With embarrassment flooding over him, he made his way down the rest of the receiving line, barely managing to be civil despite the fact that Lady Elizabeth was clearly pleased to see him again.
Only after he was done with the receiving line and in the ballroom did he realize that the lady who had struck him speechless must have been Lady Jane, Marchioness Northdale.
As he came out of his embarrassed stupor, he realized Darcy was laughing at him. When Richard turned to look at his cousin, Darcy said, “She is a beauty, isn’t she?”
Richard ran his hand down his face. “That she is,” he said. “I wonder if she realizes just what kind of feeding frenzy sheis about to incite. Between her beauty, her estate, and her title, every man in the country will be hoping to marry her. She seems far too fragile to handle such a thing.”
“She is stronger than she looks,” said Darcy. “As far as I know, she has always had a strong core of integrity, but Lady Elizabeth told me that Lady Northdale has spent the last few months growing more and more determined to do exactly what will make her happiest while still fulfilling the requirements of her new role. I do not believe any man will be able to impose upon that lady easily.”
Such a statement only made Richard more curious about her.
“Besides,” added Darcy, “any man who wishes to marry her for her estate or her title will be disappointed. Since the title is hers outright and the estate is attached to the title, she is the only exception in all of England to the law that states that all the property in a marriage belongs to the man. In other words, the only thing any man will get by marrying her is her ten-thousand-pound dowry. Anything else is entirely at her discretion.”
A lady with the ability to determine the best course of action and the determination to take that action was a lady Richard could admire from the bottom of his heart. For the rest of the first half of the evening, Richard observed Lady Northdale.
He didn’t neglect the other ladies present. He danced with all the duke’s daughters other than Lady Northdale as well as a couple of other ladies, but his attention was on the eldest of Duke Derby’s daughters.
Shortly after supper, he was wandering around between dances, wondering if he should dance the next one or sit it out. He happened to overhear a conversation between Lord JosephTucker and Lady Northdale. Lord Joseph was the second son of the Marquess of Donsbury.
“Come, Lady Northdale,” the young lord said. “You must dance the next with me. I know that spot on your dance card is empty.”
“No, thank you,” replied Lady Northdale.
There was a pause, then Lord Joseph said, “That is all? A simple decline? No explanation?” His voice was tinged with disbelief and outrage.
“Ladies often give excuses to save a gentleman’s feelings, but half the time they are false,” said Lady Northdale. “I have no desire to come up with various false excuses simply to have my evening’s enjoyment curtailed by the necessity of behaving as if such excuses were true. At the same time, I have no wish to insult you. Therefore, I gave no reason. I need no reason to decline a request to dance.”
“Are you saying that if you did give me a reason, it would be insulting?” he asked. The outrage had grown.
Lady Northdale did not answer, but she held his gaze. It did not take long for the young lord to turn and stalk angrily away.
Richard felt his admiration for the Lady grow by leaps and bounds. Throughout the conversation, she had shown no anger or disdain. Her voice was calm and gentle despite the fact that she was delivering harsh truths.
He walked towards her and said, “That was well done.”
She eyed him speculatively before replying, “Thank you, I think.”
“Do you mind if I ask why you declined his request?” asked Richard.
“Because it was not a request,” said Lady Northdale. “It was a demand. Any man who thinks he can order me around is bound to be disappointed in the long run. So, I have determined to not allow any such men to have hope. It may seem harsh, but it will avoid a great deal of discomfort on both sides in the long run.”
“That is very wise, my Lady,” he said, and he meant it from the bottom of his heart. Lord Joseph would not likely come near Lady Northdale again under the firm belief that she was a devil in disguise, which would save both Lord Joseph and Lady Northdale significant discomfort.
“I have noticed that, despite the fact you have danced with all my sisters, you have not requested a dance from me,” she said. “Were you planning to ask me later?” she asked. “If so, I must tell you that this next dance is the last one I have free.”
“You are very direct,” said Richard, not answering her question.
Lady Northdale sighed. “It is not something that comes naturally to me,” she said, “but I must. Most of the gentlemen here tonight are men I outrank by a significant margin, and some may be of the mistaken belief that it would be inappropriate for them to ask me to dance.”
