(COMPLETED)
It's 1817 and there is nothing more a woman wants than to marry a rich man and live a life of comfort.
But not Nancy Brooks. Having spent half her life helping her mother run her laundry shop and the other half in the local library, Na...
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William told Nancy there was to be a gathering held by the Craufords at their London house since the season was just beginning. Nancy and the others would meet Andrew there. When they arrived at the mansion, it was lively and filled with music. There were bright lights and flowers all around the entrance, making Nancy wonder what the inner décor would be like. Would this be my life if I stayed with Andrew? The thought made her uneasy, and not just the prospect of such a life, but that she was questioning whether or not she should stay with Andrew.
Looking back, Nancy did not know what she had been expecting, but it had definitely not been what she saw.
When she stepped inside the large hall, she saw couples dancing in the middle of the floor while chaperons and parents walked around the room, drinking and laughing. Nancy's eyes found him sooner than she thought they would. There he was, in a black suit, with his hair longer than the last time Nancy had seen him, but he still looked as handsome as he ever had. That much she had expected. What was out of place was that he had another girl in his arms as he danced with her. It was Emma Crauford, Nancy realized, the girl she had been delivering a dress to barely a year ago. The girl was dressed in a beautiful blue dress that complimented the crown of blue daisies on her head. Her hair fell in loose ringlets around her shoulders, adding to her innocent look. She was looking up at Andrew shyly as she said something that made him laugh. Nancy watched as he bent down to whisper something in her ear. Barely able to stay upright, Nancy turned around to leave, but William grabbed hold of her arm and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Not yet," he said.
And then Andrew turned around as the song ended. His eyes casually scanned the room and stopped on Nancy for a millisecond. No one would have noticed unless they had been watching carefully. Then they slipped past her as though they had not seen her. This time, William did not stop her as she turned to leave.
= = =
The others did not mention what had happened, and Nancy was grateful for that. She did not think she could talk about it just yet. William had arranged for them to go to a play the next night, and try as she might, she could not get herself to look forward to it, despite the fact that it was one of her favorite plays.
Although William did not mention anything that had happened, he watched Nancy carefully for the rest of the day. He had never seen her so low and distracted. He tried, but he could not cheer her up. Even the prospect of her favorite play was not enough to lift her spirits. His anger toward his best friend, though, surpassed his concern for Nancy.
After their carriage arrived at the theater and he made sure that Nancy was inside with Roger and Benjamin, he bid good-bye to the others, telling them he had another important engagement.
= = =
"Duke Grafton, your friend is here and requests to see you immediately." Henry, the butler, broke through Andrew's concentration. He had been reading through pages and pages of documents. He looked up, confused.
