29
"The flaw is not with the nobility, but in the company Mr. Jeeves provides. His experience and knowledge interest me much," Delilah replied fondly.
"It is still unheard of. Woman of noble blood hire tutors and use the aid of books to supplement their knowledge if their subject of interest."
"You can judge me all you want but you can be assured the pitiful knowledge I have of plants does not come solely from the library books. Mr. Jeeves has taught me much and I cannot repay his kindness by being condescending about his position in life," Delilah spoke ardently not realizing the looks people around them were sending. They were easily making ground through the meandering crowd though so much of their conversation was not discernable.
"You feel passionately about this issue," Damian observed her from the corner of his eye.
"Very much so," Delilah jumped over a shrub and realized this was the farthest she had been away from the castle.
"Then I concede. I see your point though I am still surprised, root lover. For someone so determined to be the statue of conformity you love to operate beyond its boundaries," He caught her hand easily and helped over a boulder. They were nearing the edge of the hill and now had caught up to Cecilia and her friends. The girls waved and Delilah grinned at them feebly.
"I do not function the way I do just to rebel, I like plants and the man who could have taught me the most happened to be the gardener. He was the one who taught me how to discern what diluted belladonna is and what is not so you owe him more than your pretty flowers," She stumbled over a rough patch of pebbly rocks but before she could fall, in a show of his fast reflexes, the Prince turned, caught her easily and pulled her closer to stabilize her.
"Oh, look, my foot," Isabella moaned loudly and collapsed on the grass in a heap without a hint of pain in her voice.
"How tragic," Prudence breathed huskily and raised the back of her hand to her forehead in a melodramatic fashion.
Instantly more than a few men and women all but surrounded the fallen girl and her companions. Isabella whimpered while Mary started to sob into her hands though to Delilah it looked like she was laughing. Cecilia tried to pull Isabella's gown up in an attempt to check her foot but her friend kept pushing it down to preserve her modesty.
"What are they doing?" Delilah hissed not realizing how close she was to the Prince until her softer cheek touched his slightly rougher one. She tried to back away but his hands were still around her waist.
"It is clearly a farce; has harassing Lady Mary's beau made them lose their minds?" Damian was yet again completely ignorant about the inappropriate position they were in. Delilah had to wonder yet again what kind of women stayed in his company if he kept forgetting the most common rules of propriety taught to young boys and girls.
"I doubt poor sir Richmond wields such mystical powers," Delilah snorted though her voice was shaky and that caught Damian's attention. He turned to look at her and her vision was suddenly filled with his face with the focal point being his bright eyes. He blinked slowly and then let her go. Delilah hastily patted at her clothes to compose herself at least physically.
"I would think to enquire about their silliness if I was not currently captured by the breathtaking view in front of me," Damian spoke distantly.
"What?" Delilah turned towards him and found him to be facing away from her.
"Look," Damian swept his arm over the landscape and Delilah too was instantly moved by the view before her. Slight wisps of fog curled around the dotted patches of green that were the groves of trees lining the valley floor. What made the scene even more majestic were the rays of light streaming down from the cloud cover to glide gently over the fog giving it a luminescent quality.
"It would be my eternal wish to have this view outside my window after I die," Delilah breathed without realizing who her audience was.
"While your statement gives me the urge to push you down the mountain edge I can understand your sentiment even though I wake up to this view everyday. But why insist on dying when you get it in reality."
"Yes, why wait to die; I could apply for the position of scullery maid or even a female gardener to tend to the rose bushes so I could live at the castle," Delilah said half jokingly.
"Or, you could join ranks with a rebellion group and take over the castle," Damian smirked with dancing eyebrows, "Or you could marry me. This would all be yours."
"I am not jesting," Delilah turned away to hide her hurt, "Though I am tempted by your suggestion to join a rebellion."
"You hate me that much," Damian too had stopped joking moments earlier.
"My feelings are irrelevant," Delilah coughed and looked her friends. To her amazement all four were now dispersing the crowd and Isabella was on her feet like a sprightly chicken.
"Strange," Both Delilah and Damian uttered in unison. They shared a look before swiftly looking away. Damian opened his mouth to say something but he was interrupted.
"Come on, Damian, why the delay? We need to move faster because I suspect it will rain this afternoon and I wish to complete the trek before that," Lady Beatrix causally swung her arm around Damian's shoulder but the man subtly pushed it off. The Lady was not offended and smiled slyly before taking her husband's arm and setting off, down the steep valley path.
"You are still sour and jealous because of Lady Beatrix's choice, then," Delilah wondered.
"Jealous?" Damian made a face at the backs of his friend and her husband. Lady Bea paused to help her husband free himself from a thorny bush.
"There have been rumours," Delilah paused looking at her companion's expressions.
"That I wished to marry her. Yes, that is true but not because I fancied myself to be in love with her but because she is a true friend; a likeminded friend who understood me as well as I understood her. I have always enjoyed spending time with her and marriage seemed like a logical outcome but now I wonder if we are too alike to get along under one roof," Damian wondered, "And your depth of questioning amazes me. I can hardly get a word out of you and now you discuss gossip with me which conveniently happens to be about me."
"At least I do you the favour of speaking in front of you," Delilah shrugged.
"Indeed," Damian's eyes were once again fixed on the couple in front so his answer's tone was tainted with bitterness.
"If you do not suffer from envy then why do you grouse?" Delilah questioned again feeling inordinately curious.
"She could have done better for her self," He spoke gruffly, arms crossed.
"Look at her, she is happy and content. What more could a woman want?" Delilah implored hoping she could get the rude bias out of his mentality.
"He is an unimpressive and undignified as a man. No woman would be proud to walk next to him."
"Don't you understand that he accepted her and married her in spite of all the advice against it?" Delilah revealed what she had heard from Mary.
"What? Why would someone warn him against Bea? She is beautiful, talented and wise," The Prince uttered passionately and Delilah felt a pang of sadness hit her. He would never describe her with this energy or positivity.
"She is bold in both speech and action; she keeps the company of men and has the most horrible rumours surrounding her reputation. No decent family would want their sons to bring such a willful wife," Delilah explained her point with complete honesty.
"No common family would approve of such a union, for they would be so common that they would not know a true diamond even if it bit them," Damian replied arrogantly with a sniff.
"I agree that Lady Beatrix is one in a million but at the end of the day she is hardly a typical, subdued housewife."
"Who wants to marry a mousey, staid creature?" The Prince asked with genuine confusion. He gave someone moving ahead of them another probing look but yet again Delilah could not figure out who it was.
"You would be surprised. But look at her husband's behaviour. He does not check her for the company she keeps or what she wears, he is content to have her just the way she is. And can you not see the utmost affection he looks at her with? Most women would love to have a husband like that."
"Even you? Even with the way he looks, and stammers," Damian eyed her with enough concentration that he stumbled on the nearest rock camouflaged by shrubbery.
"I do not know him hence I cannot judge though his devotion is admirable," She replied thoughtfully though she kept her eyes at the ground, "and as for his looks I would prefer an ugly man with a beautiful interior than vice versa."
"The way you look at me makes me believe I qualify for the ugly on the inside title. At least you think I'm beautiful," Damian commented lightly once again helping Delilah with a particularly difficult patch The incline was steep and it took a great deal of concentration to navigate through the green yet rocky hillside.
"Who am I to judge you, Your Highness, I am but a poor nobleman's daughter who has no prospects or future with the beautiful or the ugly," Her tone was playful.
"Maybe Signor Rossi would be a fine option for you. He keeps sending you such mournful looks that I have no doubt in his regard for you," Damian's words were spoken in agitation but they were the truth. No one in the hiking party but Delilah could have missed the way the man was turning again and again just to catch a glimpse of the Prince's companion. She caught Agapito Rossi's eyes for the first time that morning and the man took that as a cue to slow down to join her.
"Greetings fair, Lady Delilah, I did not think I would be able to catch your attention today," The man's eyes twinkled, "Good morning, Prince Damian."
"No, compliments for my pretty skin, Rossi," Damian complained sarcastically.
"I know your ego is size of a giant cathedral but do you really want to compete with the Ladies?" Agapito smoothly intercepted the Lady's hand before Damian could claim it. The Prince's reaction was to stop mid stride.
"I need to talk to someone about something," Damian shook his head letting his hair sweep his face carelessly.
"Vague as usual, Prince," Agapito called out to Damian who bounded away with impressive agility.
"We are nearing the grove of trees that were visible from above," Delilah motioned towards the green wooded area trying to push away the attention from the abrupt departure. She ambled more easily over the terrain since the land was becoming less steep and less rocky.
"Indeed, though it is a shame the sun is hidden behind the clouds. I prefer the brightness and the warmth," Agapito shivered even though he was dressed neatly in a stylish cropped jacket.
"I'm afraid I must disagree. I relish the wind and greyness," Delilah closed her eyes enjoying the breeze that made her hair fly in the air.
"We are not as alike as I thought," Agapito murmured softly.
_______________________
Damian glared at his friend monopolizing Lady Delilah from his position now much further back in the group making its way down to the valley floor. He tried to ignore his sense that seemed to know exactly where the Lady was but it was not that easy. He pulled his eyes away from the Lady and walked back towards a familiar gaggle of giggling girls.
"Your Highness, surely you are not so cruel to abandon my cousin out in the elements," Cecilia tried to keep her tone light but she could not keep the worry out of her voice.
"She is in good hands," Damian bit out with a forced smile, "I took my leave from her so I could take a few moments of your time, Lady Cecilia."
He offered her his arm and she took up his offer though her expression was now even more baffled.
"Excuse us, Ladies," Damian said before speeding up his pace and increasing the distance between the younger girl and her friends so he could obtain some valuable privacy. They continued to walk down in silence until the land was much plainer and trees were more prolific. The Prince finally paused near a small, private clearing amongst a small cluster of trees.
"I need your advice about something," Damian paused looking uncharacteristically unsure of himself, "I need to buy Lady Delilah a gift."
"But why?"
"I must thank her; she has been a good friend to me," His voice was so low that Cecilia had trouble hearing him.
"Indeed," Cecilia had her eyebrows raised.
"I would like to know what she would like as a gift?" Damian asked sincerely.
"Your Highness, you spend enough time with her to know of her preferences."
"I'm still not sure about what gift would please her, maybe she would like a new gown?" Damian scratched his nose.
"A gown, really? Do you think her deepest darkest desire is to buy more clothes? Besides I'm the one who is going to torture her by giving her a gown as a present for having the sheer courage to be my chaperon. I have a seamstress currently working on a dress just for her to wear to the final dance. I am sure she will look fetching in it as she dances," Cecilia blurted proudly.
"I have never seen her dance unless she is forced. Has she some suitor waiting for her to accept his offer?" Damian asked slightly too sharply for it to be a causal enquiry.
"Maybe. It really isn't my place to tell," Cecilia had a sly smile on her face.
"I should have thought your cousin kept a closer eye on you and yet you still found time to plot against her," Damian hurriedly changed the topic.
"When Delilah thought I was missing at the fair I was instead visiting the tailor with my friends so we could give him our order. The gown is black in colour if you want to know," Cecilia mentioned pointedly.
"Black? Hardly an orthodox choice," Damian commented civilly.
"I think she looks divine in darker colours, don't you think? And that is a hint for your choice for a gift. "
"What?" The Prince scrunched his nose.
"You know? A set of matching hair pins or a pair of common black gloves that match the dress would be a nice choice for a gift. It'll be thoughtful at least," Cecilia hinted shamelessly.
"You know what; I have just the thing in mind," Damian's voice brightened up.
"I'm glad I could help though I am infinitely curious about what she has done to gain your favour," Cecilia asked mock-coyly.
"I believe it isn't really my place to tell you," Damian winked and backed out of the grove. He had intended to offer Lady Cecilia his arm so he could accompany her back to her friends but the sight in front of him made him forget everything; In front of him stood Agapito Rossi holding Delilah's face in his hands. He glared at them both and stalked away without looking back.
