Chapter 8
The ball was a sight indeed. The place was adorned with fresh elegant flowers of all kinds. Marcus had made it a point to place lilies in every which way he could only because he found that it was Jane’s favorite flower. Marcus had spent a fortune trying to decorate the ball in the way that it would be pleasing to the eye, but it never occurred to him that his being wealthy was pleasing enough.
Marcus was standing upon the terrace and as for Katherine St. Claire, she stood beside him in silence.
“Are you alright?” Katherine asked, “You have been silent the whole day.”
Marcus looked up and sighed, “It’s Jane…”
“What could possibly be ailing you about Jane? I thought you said you didn’t care for her the way you did in the beginning.”
“Well…that’s what I thought too.” Marcus said as he looked at her with kind eyes.
“Then I take it that there is no engagement?” Katherine asked, not minding the fact that she wasn’t going to marry him.
Marcus silently nodded and tried to smile, “I’m sorry Katherine…”
“It’s alright.” Katherine smiled, “I have plans of my own and getting married is not one of them.”
They laughed. Marcus then realized that he rather liked Katherine and knew that he could come to her as a friend. Just then, Marcus had invited his guests and waited for Jane to appear.
It wasn’t until the guests settled in when Jane suddenly appeared with her mother. She looked so beautiful that it made Marcus’ heart drop. She wore a lovely lacy green dress and her hair was pulled back in pins which brought out the curves of her face. She was indeed a sight to behold. Marcus then saw Jane take a step forward and then stood a gentleman right beside her. Marcus felt disappointment and jealousy at that moment, but he approached them with a smile.
“Evening, I am honored that you are here.” Jane and her mother curtsied, but Jane didn’t bother to look him in the eye and the gentleman stood to the side as he spoke to someone of his acquaintance.
“Oh look, Jane…your favorite flowers are everywhere about the room. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Jane looked about the room and saw that lilies of all different colors adorned the ballroom. Marcus, however, was still concerned about that man who came with them that he forgot to announce that he did it for her. Lady Dorsey smiled brightly.
“I believe you have outdone yourself my lord.”
“Thank you.” Marcus found someone to distract Lady Dorsey and called out to his brother Trevor, “Lady Dorsey, my brother has been wondering how you were.”
“Oh, has he?” Trevor strolled to her side.
“I have.” He replied with a charming smile. Just then, Trevor took that as a cue to lead Lady Dorsey away. Marcus stared at Jane and she did not care to look him in the eye.
“You’re absolutely stunning.” He said, reaching out to kiss her hand. Jane pulled her hand from his and frowned.
“What a lovely way to distract my mother from seeing what a complete rake you are.” Jane said as she looked back at the man she had came to the ball with.
Marcus ignored her remark, “Did you come with that man?”
Jane looked at him, “I don’t see why that’s any of your business.”
Marcus didn’t say anything to that reply, “Well, whoever he is, he looks like a pompous idiot to me.”
Jane wanted so badly to lift her hand and smack him in the face as hard as she could, “How dare you!”
“No wait. I take that back. He looks like a destitute mongrel that is only after you for his own good pleasures.”
And that was when Jane lost all sense of control. Jane let her hand smack his face to which Marcus had to turn his jaw. The man had stood beside Jane, “What the devil is going on?”
Jane turned to him, still holding a stern look of disgust toward Marcus, “Come on Philip. I want to go home.”
Philip looked to Marcus and that was when Marcus knew that he had made a big mistake.
Blast it all and Damnation!
Jane left that instant and didn’t care to look back and Marcus knew he was making himself look like a fool. So he ran after them and just as they were climbing into their carriage…He called to Jane. Philip, on the other hand, gave him a look of disapproval.
“Jane.” He said. Jane stepped out of the carriage and faced him.
“What? More insults?” She said sarcastically.
“No---I…I’m sorry…for what I said. I was jealous. I had no idea he was your brother.” he turned to Philip, “It’s finally nice to meet you, Philip.”
“Indeed.” He replied.
Jane was confused, “How do you know my brother?”
Philip then intervened, “It’s rather not important right now.”
Marcus was already giving up. He couldn’t even do things the way he wanted. Every time he wanted to do something scandalous, he ended up making a big mess of things. Marcus decided that he should give up now. With her brother in residence, he certainly didn’t want to get himself in prison.
“Well, I apologize…Jane…Philip.” Marcus said. There was nothing more to say. So he turned to leave, but then Philip began.
“Lord Mayfair,” Marcus turned around, “Maybe you should come to our little picnic in Day Park tomorrow afternoon. Most of my family will be there. I have a cousin that really loves to play Pall Mall. Do you know it?”
Marcus nodded, “Yes, I do.”
“Alright, I will see you there.”
Marcus nodded, taking one last look at Jane. She didn’t look annoyed any longer, maybe just a little saddened. But, be the by, she was as beautiful as the night.
* * *
“What the devil did you slap the Duke of Mayfair for?” Philip asked as they sat at the dining table for breakfast.
Jane was well in her thoughts that she had to sit up, “I…What?”
“Don’t look at me like that.” Philip added, “Why did you slap the Duke of Mayfair? Half of society probably saw what you did. I wouldn’t be surprised if they start talking about you.”
“Who cares if they talk about me? I talk about everyone.”
“Oh, right. You do.” Philip cleared his throat, “Well?”
“Well, I…it’s ridiculous actually.” She tried not to smile, “He thought you were one of my suitors.”
“Ah, so he was jealous?”
“Indeed.”
“Well, you didn’t have to slap the living daylights out of him.” Philip said, “Don’t tell me you’re going to slap every man in the face just because he’s jealous.”
“Philip, he said you were a destitute mongrel who was only after me for your own pleasure.”
“What?” Philip frowned, “What the devil is going on with that man?”
“Jealousy, remember?” Jane sipped her tea.
“Ah, right. Well…” He sighed, “I suppose he deserves a slap in the face for such an assumption.”
“I agree.” Jane said as she began to finish up her breakfast. “Though I do think that he deserves more than that.”
“And why would you say that?” Philip asked, not at all interested in what she had to say.
“Well, he announced he was engaged to Katherine St. Claire and then he insisted on pursuing me.”
Philip looked up from his paper, “That is intriguing…” Philip said, not at all surprised. One could tell he was being sarcastic.
“Why is it that you always seem to side with Mr. Marcus Daniel?”
“You want to know why? Because he has every right to do as he darn well pleases. He’s a duke. And another thing? He could be saying and doing things just to get your attention. Didn’t he get your attention when he announced his engagement?”
Jane thought for a moment, “I suppose he did.”
“Then I don’t need to explain myself any further.” Philip said as he began to read again. This time Philip took the liberty of leaving to let Jane think about what he had said.
The next few hours, Jane found herself setting the picnic blanket upon the grass. Day Park was actually sunny today and a lot of people had come to enjoy the day. Jane enjoyed these little outings, but the fact that Marcus Daniel would be coming made her uneasy. Jane’s family was no ordinary family. One would think they’d care about propriety and such when it dealt with a man and a woman, but they hadn’t a care at all. Jane’s mother was one to pretend she didn’t see her daughter walking off with a man.
Aunt Josephine and Uncle Fred had come with their three children. Eddie, Michael, and Winnie. They were adorable little children and Jane enjoyed watching them play. It was uplifting in a sense.
Jane was sitting next to Pamela under the tree…close enough to be seen from afar when Pamela began, “Jane?”
Jane turned to her and Pamela was looking straight ahead, “What is it?”
“Why don’t you like Marcus Daniel?” Pamela looked at her and Jane didn’t want to look her in the eye.
“I don’t know.” Jane replied---and she didn’t know. She didn’t know why.
“He’s different toward you now. In a good way I mean.” Pamela said, tilting her head to the side. “What do you say?”
“I…I don’t know.” Jane said. Jane wanted badly to tell Pamela about what had transpired in Devonshire, but she couldn’t get herself to do it. Pamela smiled.
“Well, I think he’s charming.” Pamela then got up and strolled to the picnic blanket. Jane, however, was thinking about everything that had happened in the last few months. She watched as her little cousins played with the mallet and the balls for the game of Pall Mall. Eddie was swinging the blue mallet toward the ball and Michael was at the receiving end, getting ready to hit it towards the goal.
Jane didn’t notice what was happening until Michael swung the mallet real hard to which it went flying in the direction of----Mr. Marcus Daniel! The ball went smack into his left eye as Marcus was approaching the little picnic gathering and he fell to the ground unconscious. Philip and Uncle Fred was at his side, demanding Marcus to respond as Aunt Josephine was shaking her child by the shoulders to scold him. Michael was crying while Eddie and Minnie were snickering on the side. Jane stood from her position when Philip called out to her.
“Jane! We’re taking Mr. Daniel to our home and I want you to tend to him. I think he is badly hurt.”
Everything happened so fast that Jane didn’t realize that she was already in the carriage being whist away. Marcus was sitting limply across from her and…where were her brother and uncle? Jane then realized that this was all a set up. They wanted her to tend to him just so they put them together in the same room. Little did they know that she wasn’t going to fall easily into their mischief.
But suddenly, Jane glanced at Marcus. His eyes were shut and he looked utterly…handsome in the way he slept. Well, he wasn’t exactly sleeping. Jane tried to ignore the feeling that came to her by surprise. It was a very good feeling.
Just then, the carriage had hit a stone upon the road and Marcus went falling into her lap. Jane shrieked and tried to push him back into his seat, but he weighed more than she could have imagined. Jane struggled for a few minutes, cursing under her breath.
“Come now, this is highly ridiculous---Get up!” Jane said, trying not to shout.
Without realizing it, Marcus opened his eyes. He looked up at her and Jane nearly screamed.
“Oh!”
“This is a very interesting predicament.” Marcus said inaudibly, but Jane heard every part of what he had said.
“Mr. Daniel, please. Get up.”
Marcus tried to get up but he landed right back into her lap when the carriage hit another bump. “Good Lord! Does this person know how to control a carriage?!”
Jane said angrily.
Marcus smiled and got himself to sit back in his seat. “No, I think he handles it quite well actually.”
Jane frowned and saw that Marcus’ left eye was swelling up. “Oh dear.” Jane said.
“What?” Marcus asked as he frowned from the pain his eye seemed to torture him with.
“Your eye is swelling.” Jane said.
“Well, of course. It isn’t going to go away in a matter of moments---unless your lovely hands work miracles.” He rubbed at his temple, “My eye is bound to bruise up all in due time. There is nothing to worry about.”
Jane couldn’t argue there. He was right. She hated that he was right, because then, she felt helpless.
“Well, I am sorry about my little cousin’s behavior. I watched it all. It was an accident.”
“Yes, I know. Poor boy must feel terrible.” he said with much sincerity.
For some reason, Jane liked that he was sincere, “He does feel terrible. Well, his brother and sister obviously thought it was hilarious.”
Marcus laughed, “Of course. They’re children. Everything is funny.”
Jane couldn’t believe she was actually having a conversation with Marcus Daniel of all people. She found it quite pleasant though and that was what scared her the most. She didn’t feel at all angry and she wondered if she could really like Marcus.
Jane observed him as he closed his eyes, trying to focus. As acute as the pain was, Marcus didn’t want to seem like a nit wit. There was nothing more embarrassing than appearing like a sissy in front of a lady.
“Well, I thought this day would be the day I swept you off your feet. Apparently it was your little cousin that swept me off mine.” That sent Jane laughing. Marcus stared at her and one could see he was delighted that he could even bring a smile to her face. Jane, however, was quite surprised at herself. She never let anything amuse her, but then, she felt so comfortable somehow.
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