Chapter 269: Hastings ball (4)
Kaden slipped through the crowd, trying not to bring attention to himself. He was well aware that, as an unmarried duke, he would capture the attention of ladies who were not yet married. It was an experience he wanted to avoid.
Kaden found himself lucky as he stumbled upon a particular young woman and her two sons.
Mary rolled her eyes. "If Lady Hastings told me that you were going to attend, I would have stayed at home with my children."
"And disappoint Lady Hastings after she did so well to plan this ball? Besides, I did not come here with the intention of troubling you and your sons. I came here solely to annoy Lord Hastings. For some reason, he is not fond of me being inside his castle," Kaden shared.
"Is that so? Then I find it necessary for me to call for Lord Hastings and let him know that you are here," said Mary.
"That would make you out to be a cruel woman. Surely, that is not the example you want to set for your children," Kaden said, peering down at the two boys clinging to their mother. One glared at him. "I see they are quite protective of you."
"As am I with them," Mary said, guiding her sons to stand behind her.
"They should stop gentlemen from approaching you. Heaven knows you are about to receive a lot of requests to dance."
Mary laughed since it couldn’t be any further from the truth. "What man wants to dance with a recent widow who has two sons? I am not on anyone’s mind tonight, and quite frankly, I prefer it that way. I came to the ball with my sole intention to have fun with my sons."
Mary was happy when she read the invitation and saw her sons’ names. She would have hated to come alone.
"If the men here do not find you desirable, then they are fools," said Kaden.
"I don’t wish to be found desirable. I wish to be left alone. You are invading my time alone with my sons. You are making them nervous, and you are bothering me. Please find a young lady who will be more than happy to speak to you," Mary advised Kaden.
"I am trying to avoid-"
"Duke Vale," Mary spoke out loud for the surrounding crowd to hear. "What a pleasant surprise to see you here."
Kaden glared at Mary. "You are a cruel woman," he said.
"That I am. I hope you came in comfortable shoes. Please excuse me," Mary said, followed by a curtsy. She didn’t have any regrets for drawing attention to Kaden.
As Mary expected, ladies who were yet to marry gathered around Kaden. They threw question after question at Kaden.
Mary didn’t know what Kaden’s intentions were for always coming to her side, but even if it was only concern for her sons, she didn’t want him near. It would only bring trouble for herself, and she didn’t want others to think she was bold to court a duke.
Mary walked over to a quiet corner and stood, waiting for Ophelia to no longer have women surrounding her.
"In a moment, I shall let you speak to Lady Hastings. You will also get to speak to Lord Hastings. He is the one who led the knights to protect our town. Just a moment," Mary said, waiting for the right time.
Kaden stood in a sea of women, not listening to their questions. He was more focused on Mary, who once again placed her side off to the side.
It would be perfectly fine for a widow to have fun at the ball, yet Mary seemed to think she needed to stand off to the side. She was worried, but didn’t like to show it.
Kaden smiled. "Excuse me, ladies. It would be rude of me not to greet Lady Hastings first. I will give her my greetings and return to share a dance with a few of you."
Kaden slipped out of the crowd with no plans to dance with anyone later. He had seen enough, so he was going to leave when he had the chance to start his return to his land.
"Lady Hastings," Kaden said as he pushed his way through the crowd of women around Ophelia.
"Duke Vale? How did you get here?" Ophelia asked, puzzled by Kaden’s arrival. She didn’t send Kaden an invitation since he was in the palace, and frankly, there was no reason for Kaden to show up. "Did my husband send for you?’
"No, a friend was kind enough to offer me their invitation in exchange for money. I already had this talk with your husband and don’t want to go through it again. Ladies," Kaden said, flashing a smile at the women around. "Would you all be a dear to let me have a moment alone with Lady Hastings?"
Ophelia couldn’t be upset since Kaden managed to save her, but she still had questions about his arrival.
"No need to thank me," Kaden said.
"I wasn’t going to. What poor soul did you bribe to take their invitation out of their hands? There was no reason for you to go so far. Had you shown up without one and the guards informed me, I would have allowed you in," said Ophelia.
"But your husband would not. He was going to have me escorted out a moment ago, but I slipped away. I have come to speak to you about your dear friend and her sons," Kaden said, changing the subject as he saw Ophelia seemingly searching for Dante. "You mustn’t let her feel lonely."
"Mary shares her honest feelings with me. If she felt lonely, she would have told me. I truly hope that you have not been bothering her. Let her have some fun for once," Ophelia pleaded with Kaden.
"I approached you to ask that you go to her. She might not share that she feels out of place because she is now a widow with two sons. She might feel as though the town is watching her when it is not. Speaking to you might ease her mind," said Kaden.
"Where is Mary?" Ophelia questioned, looking around for her friend.
"She is to your right, all the way in the corner with her two boys. I would love to join you, but I must be on my way back to my land," Kaden said, ready to leave.
"Wait!" Ophelia called, thinking it was wrong to let Kaden leave. "You are welcome to stay."
"That is kind of you, but I promised some ladies a dance and I never planned to dance tonight. I must sneak away before they come to me again. You have planned a lovely ball, Lady Hastings. I hope to receive a proper invitation for the next one," Kaden said, bowing slightly to show Ophelia respect.
"Thank you for the compliment," Ophelia replied with a curtsy. She did not try to stop Kaden as he made his grand escape.
