Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Mark arrived outside the house, and it looked vastly different. Before, it had been a tranquil place with bright sunshine and a calm breeze blowing through the garden. That night, the light came from within the house as music filtered through the air.

It looked warm and inviting, but he didn't see much of Diana's touch there. Unless he simply didn't know her well enough. His mother and aunt had arrived at the party before him.

When his mother had originally invited him to come along, he had been hesitant. Until she told him that it was being hosted at the Fairchild manor. He had quickly changed his mind then and agreed to attend with them. But he had been nervous, which was why he had arrived a little late.

Mark had to make sure that he had a haircut and a fresh shave. Then he went in search of a well-fitted suit. And he made sure to do all that without his mother and aunt finding out about it so they would not grow suspicious.

Walking up to the house, though, it felt a little silly. Were his efforts too obvious? The last thing he wanted was for Diana to think he was being silly. Or for him to put effort in where it wasn't needed. Mark couldn't be certain that she was interested in him.

Their picnic had been one of the best afternoons he'd had in a very long time. It had been difficult to stop thinking about it.

He had learnt a lot about Diana that day. And what he had learnt, he had liked a lot. But in truth, they had not spent enough time together for him to be sure about how he felt when it came to her. Or about how she might have felt about him.

She was a perfect lady, so when she laughed, it might have simply been out of politeness and nothing else. His mother would never approve of her as she had no clear status. While that did not bother him at all, his mother wanted him to marry someone who was part of the aristocracy.

But he'd done that before, with his first wife, and he knew all too well that it wasn't nearly all it was cut out to be. It had not worked out for him before. But he'd had a hard time convincing his mother of that fact, and in the meantime, Evangeline had gone without a mother.

Diana's home was filled with talk and laughter. When he entered, he made sure to stop for refreshments first. A glass of champagne would help calm his nerves slightly. He wasn't even entirely sure what he was so nervous about.

The ballroom was decorated brightly in golds and greens. It didn't seem like the kind of event that Diana would host. Then again, he didn't know her very well. And he'd never been invited to a party at her home before.

His mother and aunt had never mentioned it before, either.

As if she had heard his thoughts, his mother appeared beside him.

"Glad you finally made it," she said sternly.

"I am sorry I'm late," Mark said with a smirk. "By the looks of things, I have not missed too much."

"You'd be correct there," his mother said. "But I've already lost my sister. It took all of three minutes for her to wander off somewhere."

"Did you see the direction?" he asked with a laugh.

"She mumbled something about the art," his mother answered. "But who knows what that means."

He knew. Diana had given him an extensive tour of the art, and the collection was large.

"Are you having a good time?" he asked.

"We will see," she answered with a shrug. "The food and drink are good, at least. However, I am yet to be asked for a dance."

"Well, the party has only just started," he reminded her. "There is time yet for dancing."

"First, I need to find that sister of mine," she said. "Who knows what kind of trouble she'll start if I don't."

"I'll go find her," he offered with a smile.

He strolled to the edges of the room and started making his way from piece to piece. While he looked for his aunt, he kept his eyes out for a sign of Diana as well. He felt a little nervous at the thought of finding her. Then again, that was why he had attended in the first place. To see her.

Mark didn't often attend those kinds of events. He much preferred to spend his evenings with Evangeline. He didn't have to worry too much about appearances, and she often made him laugh.

When Evangeline learnt he was going back to the Fairchild house for a party, she begged to go with him. And she'd been heartbroken when he'd refused. He paused a moment to plan his next course on the search for his aunt.

Then, he caught the eye of Lady Elizabeth. She smiled and made her way towards him. He smiled, but a quiet groan escaped him. She was the last person he was in the mood to see. His mother had failed to tell him that she'd be there.

Of course, he would be friendly to her. She had done nothing wrong to him. He simply didn't enjoy her company that much.

They had no similar interests, and he found her priorities in life to be skewed according to his. She was right by him then and extended her hand for a greeting. Mark obliged.

"This night just got a whole lot better," she said with a smile. "If it weren't for your presence here, I might have left ages ago. This is hardly the kind of party I would normally attend; don't you think?"

"Sure," he answered, still scanning the room for a sign of his aunt or Diana.

"Your mother invited me to come along," Lady Elizabeth explained.

That made sense to him. The party had been nothing more than another attempt by his mother to get them in the same room together.

*

Lady Elizabeth wasn't going to attend the party until the dowager duchess of Blackwood had personally requested her presence there. She'd spent ages getting ready for the ball and prepared herself for a lavish party in his presence.

However, it had taken him ages to arrive, and in the meantime, she'd been bored out of her mind. Now that she had his attention, he seemed entirely uninterested in what she had to say. It insulted her more than she liked. She tried to tell him about her evening and the night she'd already experienced, but he only returned her stories with a groan or a nod.

"Excuse me," he eventually said, interrupting her mid-sentence. "I need to go find my aunt."

With that, he left her there, her mouth still slightly agape. It seemed like a feeble excuse to her, and it made her so angry that she huffed and straightened her back. Not only was the entire event more mediocre than she'd prepared for, but she'd hardly been there before a pretty lady had scolded her for having bad manners.

It hadn't been her fault that the old lady had stood behind her like that. She simply hadn't seen her there. It hadn't been her fault. The entire night was a failure in her mind. The only person she had hoped to see there wasn't interested in her at all.

She was about to leave when a familiar presence came to her side.

"Good evening, Lady Elizabeth," Viscount Starling said in his usual smooth voice. "You look like you could use some company."

He was the last person she was in the mood to see. There had been a time when they'd danced around the idea of courtship, but that had died out. In the end, Elizabeth had not given the viscount enough of a chase. He got bored, and she lost interest.

As of late, he remained a member of her friend circle. They got along perfectly fine, but she was in no mood for his teasing antics that night. And she could hear it lingering in his voice as he greeted her.

"Are you enjoying yourself this evening?" she asked with a knowing smile.

He looked around and shrugged. "Can't give you an answer yet," he said. "The night is still too young."

She chuckled. "You always know how to make boring events fun, don't you? It's like a gift."

"I always come with a plan; that's my secret," Lord Starling said with a cheeky smile.

Elizabeth shook her head and sighed. She had never been so bored and frustrated. Why the dowager duchess had insisted she attend was beyond her when the duke was uninterested in her entirely.

She watched him in the distance, walking through the crowd, greeting others as he went. It was difficult to hide the bitterness she felt from the rest of the room. It left a sour taste in her mouth.

"Ah, has the duke not been so eager for your company this evening?" Lord Starling teased. "I saw he was at least willing to give you a single minute of his time."

"How could you tease me about that when you've never even successfully won over a woman who actually wants you?" Lady Elizabeth retorted.

He laughed his usual charming laugh and reached for another drink as it passed him by. Lord Starling glanced around before swallowing half the glass in one single sip.

"I like the chase," he explained. "It keeps things more interesting. Women can come easily to me. It's the tough ones that excite me."

"That's unreasonable," she retorted. "I think you're afraid of commitment, so you don't bother yourself with anyone who you think might want to settle down."

"You're worse," he said with a smile.

Lady Elizabeth shot a stern look up at him. "Nonsense," she snapped.

"It's true," he added. "You're pursuing a man who clearly has no interest in you at all. And yet, I don't see you moving on. You're stuck on the idea of him. I wonder why that is."

"That is none of your business," she argued.

"Isn't it?" he pressed. "Perhaps it is because your standards are so high that you've limited your options to one man left."

Lady Elizabeth scoffed. "That's absurd," she said. "My standards are not too high. I simply will not settle for less than I deserve."

Her night was going from bad to worse. The last thing she needed was for the viscount to be making things worse.

"I have a better chance than you do," Lady Elizabeth said.

"Better chance at what?" he asked.

"At getting the man I'm after," she said. "I doubt you could ever attract a woman who actually likes you."

"That sounds like you're challenging me," he said with a chuckle.

"What's the prize?" she asked with a smirk.

"Dinner," he offered. "If I win."

"And if I win, I want a holiday," she offered.

He thought it over for a moment. "I accept your terms."

"Perfect," she said with a sinister smile. "You need to get one woman to actually fall in love with you. And I need to prove to you that I can win the Duke of Blackwood's heart."

She fluttered with some excitement then at the thought of their little competition. Her eyes were already searching the room for the duke so that she could make a new attempt at getting his attention.

"I have a woman in mind," the viscount said with a nod. "I will get her to fall for me. And once you're satisfied that she is well and truly in love, I will reject her and move on to the next."

"Sounds good to me," Lady Elizabeth said with an eager smile.

With that, the viscount Starling made his way back into the crowd while Lady Elizabeth helped herself to another drink.