“I raised him so it is expected that he took after me,” his grandfather said, looking proudly at his grandson. Callum, Lady Theodora has proven to be a good friend who does not mind keeping the company of an old man.”
Lady Theodora scoffed. “Why would I mind keeping your company when you are so pleasant, Your Grace? Alas, we are almost the same age!” she replied.
They both stared at each other, smiling, and Callum almost felt like he was intruding on a private moment.
“I will take my leave now,” Callum said. However, his grandfather did not appear to have heard what he said as he continued to chat animatedly with the older lady. Callum did not quite know how to feel about his grandfather's sudden interest in a lady.
Callum was still ruminating over what he had just seen when he heard loud laughter coming from a group of women. He was about to look away when he saw Louise in their midst, laughing and looking like she was enjoying herself. Callum stood there, watching Louise from afar. As she laughed with the other ladies, Callum could not help but agree that Louise was strikingly beautiful.
“I cannot believe that she is laughing so,” a voice that Callum immediately recognized as Felington's said and Callum groaned.
“What are you doing?” Callum asked, frowning at his friend.
Felington shrugged. “I know she is not truly happy. She is simply laughing so loudly so that people would believe that she is not bothered by what had happened. I am certain she is pretending.”
Callum sighed. “What is it that you have against the poor lady?” Callum asked Felington for what may seem to be the umpteenth.
He had no idea why his friend was so bent on breaking the woman and seeing her suffer.
“I have nothing against her,” Felington said, “I just do not like that she is pretending to be happy when she is truly miserable that I had jilted her. Moreover, if she was being so sad, then I can rest assured. However, with this newfound happiness of hers, I cannot be so sure that she is not planning something against me.”
Seeing that his friend would never see reason, Callum did not bother responding to him. He simply watched the ladies as they played their game.
“Lady Louise should go next,” one of the ladies said, rather loudly.
Louise stood up, grinning. She looked elegant as she stood there and Callum could not help but notice that her beauty was unrivaled. Dramatically, she put a finger on each side of her head.
“Goat!” One of the ladies announced. Louise shook her head to show that she was not correct.
“Devil!” Another lady announced and Louise nodded. She then stood upright, muttering inaudible words while pacing to and fro with a confident look on her face.
“Solicitor,” someone guessed. Louise shook her head.
“Advocate?” Someone else said. Louise nodded.
“The devil's advocate,” someone announced and the other ladies clapped in excitement at Louise and her accurate description skills.
Louise went back to her seat.
“I will go next,” a black-haired lady said. As she was about to take the stage, Lady Emily beckoned at her and whispered in her ear.
The young, dark-haired lady smiled conspiratorially with Emily before she went to the front of the group. She made a sweeping motion at the back of her head.
“A crown?” Someone asked. The black-haired lady shook her head.
“A veil,” another lady said. The black-haired shrugged to indicate that she was close but not quite.
“Think, ladies. Who uses a veil?” Lady Emily said.
“A bride,” another lady said and Lady Emily smiled.
The black-haired lady nodded. She then began to make an exaggerated crying motion, making sad faces and dabbing at her eyes. She put a hand up against her head dramatically as though she were about to faint.
“The crying bride?” Someone in the crowd asked.
“What would make a bride cry?” Lady Emily said.
By this time, Callum was beginning to suspect that Felington's fiancée and the black-haired lady were up to something.
