“For tonight, let us agree to disagree,” Duncan suggested, gesturing over to a waiter that was passing by with a tray of drinks. He picked up a glass of bubbly champagne and took a sip, the cold liquid calming him immediately.
“I am still hopeful you will change your mind,” his mother replied.
“I suppose I cannot stop you there,” he shrugged, throwing his metaphorical hat in the argument.
Just then, a shrill voice caught both their attention. They turned around to see a short woman with blonde hair make her way towards them. It was Lady Barbara Trew, daughter of the Marquess of Thornhill — the most persistent and annoying lady in all of London. She did not waste a second of time before trying to force her way into a conversation with the Duke.
The Duke groaned loudly, unable to hold in his obvious displeasure at her arrival. The Dowager nudged him discreetly.
“Please, be polite,” she pleaded with him right before Barbara approached them.
“Your Graces.” Barbara smiled brightly at them as she greeted them. The Duke could not help but note how artificial it seemedsince it did not reach her eyes. “It is so lovely running into you here.”
“Of course,” the Dowager replied sweetly. “How has everything been with you?”
“Oh, everything has just been grand,” she replied in her same sickly-sweet voice. “It is so nice to see everyone here again. The Season is truly one of my favourite times of the year.”
She tried to meet the Duke’s gaze as she said the word ‘everyone’, but he was tactical and knew that she would be trying to force a connection with him once again. He had a bored expression on his face and instead chose to focus on his glass, where the bubbles were forming continuously at the bottom and rising to the top.
“I am well aware,” the Dowager replied. “You have always professed your liking for these events.”
“What is not to like about them?” Barbara asked, throwing her head back in a sultry manner. The Duke wondered if she thought that would be an attractive thing to do and amused himself by thinking about how it had nearly the opposite effect on him.
“Besides, it is a great occasion to meet all manner of people…” she continued, pursing her lips. “In fact, tonight, there is one particular person in attendance who has everyone quite curious.”
The Duke gave no reaction, even though he was listening to the conversation. He simply took out another sip of his drink. The Dowager, however, had a more favourable reaction.
“Who are you referring to?” she asked.
Barbara looked around, as though she was about to divulge an important secret.
“Well, I have heard that the Scarred Lady will be attending tonight.” Her voice was hushed, and her tone was horrified.
“The Scarred Lady?” the Dowager inquired. “Why, I have never heard of such a person, but her name makes her sound as though she has stepped out of the pages of a novel.”
Duncan found his interest piquing ever so slightly. He was so bored of interacting with the same kind of people at every ball that he would welcome an interaction with this lady whose reputation seemed to precede her.
“You do not know?” Barbara turned to face the Dowager. “Your Grace, her story is famous. In fact, it is not unlike a fable. Sometimes older women tell it to their children if they give their mothers grief before sleeping.”
“I am afraid that I do not keep up with the stories as well as I used to,” the Dowager replied.
“No need to worry.” The artificial smile returned to Barbara’s face once again. “I am here and will tell you everything you need to know.”
She looked around once again and then dropped her voice down to a whisper.
“Many years ago, a carriage, carrying six members of the same family, was traveling home after a sojourn to another town. Of course, it was the summer, but the weather had taken a turn for the worst…”
The Dowager was fully engaged in the story by this point, and even the Duke was listening in.
“No one really knows the details of what happened, but people say that as they were about to cross the river, the driver lost control of the carriage. It went crashing down the side of the bridge. The mother, father, sibling, and other members of the staff drowned straight away as it was too late in the night for help to arrive in time.”
The Dowager let out an audible gasp, bringing one of her hands to clasp her mouth that had hung open in shock.
“That is terrible.”
“Indeed,” Barbara noted. “She was the only one that survived the incident but not without incurring ugly scars on her face.”
“I feel for her. That sounds like an awful burden to have to live through.”
