A Sense of Propriety

Chapter 10

George raised his attention from his book to look at her with a frown of confusion. "Can you not see that no one is sitting there?"

Alicia started, not expecting such a rude response. Her lips parted in disbelief, and she blinked several times, unable to find an appropriate response.

The Countess sighed before smiling gently at Lady Alicia. "Pay no mind to him, Lady Alicia. No, no one is sitting there. Please sit down. I am certain you must also be tired after all of your dancing."

Alicia smiled at her appreciatively and did as she was told, briefly noticing the way the Earl scowled and shifted further away from her to focus on his book with greater concentration. She was not certain whether to feel offended or embarrassed.

But as she glanced at the people surrounding her, they seemed not at all bothered by his horrid display of manners, and so she began to wonder if that was just the way he was. She did not know the Earl very well, as most times she visited he was concealed in his study.

Now she understood why.

"You look lovely this evening, Lady Alicia," Lord Topham complimented.

The light emerald gown she wore highlighted her youthful eyes and fair skin remarkably. Alicia took his kindness in turn, but Cordelia noticed that there was an unusual tightness about her expression that she was not well acquainted with.

"Have you been here long?" she asked once propriety had been satisfied and the two friends could finally speak a little more to themselves.

Alicia turned to her, the tightness of her expression not once weakening. "I have been here a little over an hour, I believe."

"And have you not been enjoying the evening?" When the younger lady's eyebrows furrowed a little at the question, she explained further, "You seem to be not quite your jovial self. You appear rather tense. Is everything all right?"

Alicia sighed and glanced down at her twiddling fingers. "I am only a little disgruntled by the fact that it seems as though the only point of topic in discussion with any man I come across is comments on my beauty. Is that all that men ever notice about a woman?"

She had meant to speak quietly, but her voice rose with the increasing agitation of her dilemma, causing the rest of the party to take notice of her words.

"Is that not something that all young women wish to attain?" Lady Topham responded, her brows furrowing a little at the irked stance of the young lady.

Alicia glanced at her, and her cheeks flushed from the fact that someone had overheard her comment. Nevertheless, she bravely ventured forward with her stance. "Yes, beauty is important, Lady Topham, but I cannot understand why it is always at the forefront of any conversation with a gentleman."

"My dear lady, beauty is the only memorable attribute a woman can possess," Lord Topham remarked.

The vexation simmered on Alicia's face, bafflement enhancing the emerald hue of her eyes. "How so?"

A gentle smile came to the Viscount's lips. "Well, as you pass through the generations of a family, it is not your brain nor your skills that people remember. No, it is only your beauty. And justly so. People should praise a woman for her good looks. By all means, it is the only God-given attribute the creatures have. Anything else can be taught or bought; and in consequence, is in far lesser standing due to its accessibility. Now I am not saying that it is the only thing one remembers, for indeed their other qualities are reminisced, only at a slower pace."

"Quite frankly, I find no sense in the obsession about beauty," Lord Mayfield stated though he kept his eyes firmly on the open pages before him. "It is subjective, firstly. And if there is even an ounce of what could be considered beautiful, it is gone in an instant. Far too much effort for anyone to put up with for long. A woman with reasonable intelligence is a much more worthy companion."