Augusta carried on playing, embarrassment burning through her. She allowed the rage to fill her as she stared at his slowly withering smile. His face contorted into one of pain and she allowed it to fill her as she carried on playing, eager for them to experience the rage she carried on the inside.
The men stayed, listening politely, although she could see that they wished to be anywhere else other than where they stood.
Augusta glared at Benedict. Perhaps she could forget about propriety for a minute but she knew what the consequences would be. Her hand itched from the imagined slaps she’d dealt him in the past few minutes, while he ignorantly maintained his excitement amidst his winces.
She closed her eyes and dreamed of when this would be all over and she could save the last shred of her dignity and exit the room as quietly as she could but the sound of clapping brought her back to reality.
Her eyes opened as she looked for the source of the sound. Benedict continued his clapping as the others eagerly joined in. Although her pride was hurt at the eager look in their eyes to put an end to the horror they had been forced to listen to, she was relieved when it was finally over.
“I regret having to cut this… wonderful performance short, however, I believe my mind has been changed and it would be better if we indeed go on the promenade as earlier planned,” he said, filling her with even more embarrassment.
Augusta kept her eyes off him as she looked at her family. Jane’s grin faltered when she saw the look in her eyes, as did Nancy’s giggling. Perhaps she might have found it funny if it had been just family and Benedict but now her pride was hurt, and yet they continued to laugh as though they had not played a silly prank on her.
“I need a few moments to change and I will be right down,” she said, head bent as she went up to her room.
Augusta had hoped she could stay up and sulk, however, there had been no way to properly reject Benedict’s offer of a stroll that would not have been seen as untoward. Although he vexed her with every action he carried out, she did not wish to embarrass him, neither did she wish to be an embarrassment to her family.
She stepped into her dress and patiently stood as the lady’s maid laced her up and she put on some walking shoes. She stood in front of the mirror, looking over her appearance and closed her eyes, trying but failing to let go of what had only just transpired.
She fixed a smile on her face and with one last glance at the mirror, returned to the drawing room, ready for her walk. Augusta avoided the gaze of the members of her family. She was not quite angry at them as she was at Benedict. They had done that only in jest as they were wont to do.
She glared at him now, teeth clenched tight, yet he smiled at her in return, unfazed by her anger. With barely controlled rage, she followed him out of her home, already counting the seconds until she had to return.
CHAPTER6
“Idon’t believe I’ve ever met anyone quite terrible at playing the pianoforte as you did,” Benedict said, smiling down at her despite her obvious irritation.
She glared up at him, not saying a word.
Benedict chuckled and looked around as they walked around Hyde Park. He could see the eyes on him and hear the whispers but he paid them no mind. He did not know why, but he was enjoying his stroll with her although she had not said a single word in the time they got out of the house, her hurrying out as fast as she could, unable to look anyone in the eyes after her horrendous performance.
“Is it your preference to enjoy our walk in silence or is that to do with me?” he asked.
She glared at him again. “I cannot believe you went along with Jane and insisted I play the pianoforte.”
“Lady Augusta. When your sister-in-law suggested it, perhaps you should have made your objections known then,” he said.
“How could you have-” She looked around at the people giving them odd looks and lowered her raised voice. “Perhaps if my caller had not been so eager to see me play it, it might have been quite easy to disagree.”
“Ah, but I simply couldn’t refuse. Not when I am but a mere caller,” he said. “There could have been many reasons why you refused to play the pianoforte and I did not want to pass up on the opportunity to see why.”
Augusta shot him an intense glare, but he simply laughed, shaking his head. "There's no need to feel embarrassed. Not everyone needs to excel in every skill."
Benedict gazed down at her as she continued to glower. He understood that her pride had been wounded when she had to play the pianoforte in front of everyone else. However, there was nothing he could do about it except to demonstrate that it wasn't as bad as she thought it to be.
Before he could say anything else, she spoke. "I thought all of this was an effort to change my mind about men, not an attempt to give me even more reasons to avoid wanting anything to do with them."
Despite the passage of time during their outing, her irritation hadn't waned. Instead of being put off by it, he found it oddly fascinating. He held back from mentioning it, knowing such a comment wouldn't provoke the reaction he intended. She was in search of someone to vent her vexation, and he happened to be conveniently present, not that he didn’t deserve it, considering he was the source of her anger.
Benedict did not understand why he was so intent on doing this. She did not need to have her mind changed by him, especially since he had only just met her. They could have gone their separate ways after their dance the previous night. He would have done as propriety demanded and had no reason to ever speak to her again.
Although he did not wish to admit to her, the task she had taken upon herself was indeed quite helpful to those who were new in the season. She had helped his sister even though he was quite capable of handling the situation himself.
Her selflessness mattered more to him than her ability to play the pianoforte. He only wished she didn't have to upset so many people with her actions, as those with power didn't appreciate feeling slighted. Someone among them might seek revenge for her actions.
“What kind of love do you want those who listen to you to find?” he asked her, completely curious.
Her eyes glazed over like she was rearranging her thoughts then she looked up at her, her demeanor changing as she spoke.
