A Season of Masks and Masquerades

Chapter 53: The last of the season's weddings

Esther had always thought that love, whenever it may come, had to be the most unbelievable, unexplainable emotion. One that would make her feel as if she were the centre of the world, as if she were the only most important human being ever and that, irrespective of how short-lived it may be, for clearly nothing can last forever, had to stay with her for a hundred lifetimes. 

Although every time these thoughts polluted her mind, she shook herself back to sense, telling herself that life was no fairy tale and love, as heavenly it may sound, was only a pathetic excuse to keep the world going, regenerating and multiplying. 

But, God she was wrong. Love was never an excuse. 

Love was never a thing of fiction, it was in fact every last ounce, the most real thing ever. 

And now that she could feel it, on her lips, beneath her skin, in her bones, she didn't know if she could ever stop smiling. Not even in a thousand years, no.

"Will you not stop smiling, it is rather annoying." Nathaniel ground out letting all his irritation speak through his words. 

"Huh? Apologies. I didn't realise you were watching." She really had not. Even though he had been sitting right across her as their carriage rolled them back to London, she was more than oblivious of her surroundings. 

She extended her neck ahead and pushed the curtains aside to see how far they had come, not that she was very familiar with the route, but she assumed she would recognize if they were back in London. 

"Why of course, why would you." Nate rolled his eyes in disgust. He only had her good interest on heart when he talked her into seeing the better side of the Duke but he had not, in a hundred years, expected to see his sister smitten with a man so much. Neither had he imagined, he would live to see such a day. 

He liked to believe his sister rather intellectual. "I can't believe the man thought of giving you the ring in a chain, he sure has ideas." He added eyeing the diamond-studded clover hanging off her neck Esther couldn't seem to keep her hands off of.

She only blushed in response. Esther Sherborne! Only blushed in response! Who would have ever thought?

"Real diamonds, are they not?" Nate said as he left his seat and shifted to Esther's next to her. His hands reached to examine the leaves, "I can only imagine the cost."

Esther swatted his hand away. "Do not touch, you shall pollute the lustre." she gave him an eye and he sat back into his previous seat however the thought he introduced did not leave her so easily. 

Clearly, the diamonds on the ring were the most expensive and there were a dozen of them on it. No common man could afford such a luxury for a mere engagement ring. 

The thoughts that began from the value of the ring soon developed into speculating the identity of the man, for one thing, Esther did not know him apart from his name and the fact that he, undoubtedly, was a rather close friend of the Duke of Dales. Certainly, he wouldn't be too poor a man if he was so close to the Duke but she still hoped he was not too rich. Juliette wouldn't like that.

Her face grew hot at the thought of facing Juliette. She wouldn't exactly welcome the thought of Esther breaking her age-old vow of not ever marrying a wealthy and powerful man. 

"Nate," she began when a helpful thought crossed her mind, "you know Edward well, do you not?" 

"Just shoot your question already." He replied in a rather smug tone. 

Esther did not want to fuel his pride but her curiosity had the best of her. "Do you think this would be too expensive for him, or is it no big deal?", she asked with her eyes on the ring hanging on her neck.