Just like that, the mood within the ball had shifted with the appearance of one single woman.
Ms. Serena Gregory.
For Greenwich, word of a woman in a suit conducting consultations for business was just a folly rumor or a snide piece of gossip thrown into the ears of those willing to listen.
It wasn't common to see a woman breaking the norms and values engrained into their daily living except for those who roamed the lustful corners of England. Yet again, someone who went against them vastly and that was Ms. Gregory.
She was playing with her fate and even maybe her life, if she were not careful. She should have been hung years ago or stoned were what many thought.
However, to everyone's surprise, here Ms. Gregory stood in a ball where invitees only were allowed to attend.
With every step she took, astonished eyes trailed her every moment, perplexed at why she was here in the first place.
Regardless of this, Ms. Gregory walked further into the ball with a stride, straight towards the hostess and her future husband; without a hint of cowardice and without a glance in anyone else's direction.
She was splendidly dressed for the occasion; not in a dress which was the general requirement of the century but regardless, Ms. Gregory set the tone with her impeccable and masculine fashion.
Instead, she wore a black suit which complemented her jet black hair which was tailored to slightly cling to her slender frame with it's double-breasted tailcoat and pleated trousers. The tailcoat was specialized, having two diamonds at the midline, white flower embroidery upon the lapels and a pocket handkerchief on the left. Her tie is a mail coach and a silver pocket watch dangles on the bottom portion of her tailcoat.
"It has been such a long time since I've seen you Ms. Marvell or should I start addressing you as Lady McRoddon." Serena states with a knowing smile when she approaches the loving pair, focusing her attention on the woman and then the man beside her.
The second eldest daughter of three children, Elna Marvell of the Marvell family was to marry Lord Axwell McRodden who attained the title of viscount after his father's death.
The Marvell family were very wealthy referred to as gentry because of their upper class stance without being within the peerage. The history of their wealth was unknown but what was known of them were their participation in the modernization of England.
Lord Axwell McRodden was the eldest of his six sisters, who he loved dearly and made it his aim to protect them all. It was his responsibility after becoming the only male in their household and without a mother there was even more strain. However, he never would have expected to fall in love and to be engaged.
Lord McRodden was known as a man who placed his sisters on a pedestal above all else and seemed to forget about his own needs.
Anything they wished for they received and he prioritized finding their suitors instead of looking for a wife but, when he had been introduced to Elna at a ball he attended previously, he was immediately smitten by her enduring personality.
After a nine month courtship, the pair were here to celebrate their engagement and with the way Elna Marvell blushed at Serena's comment, things seemed to be moving smoothly.
Elna was beautiful, brown hair and brown eyes with a porcelain skin tone. She was wearing a polonaise dress as well, white matched with beige snitched together in intricate layers of fabrics and bows. Her entire being radiated nothing but pure joy and kindness.
"You and that flattery. You'll get yourself in trouble one of these days." Elna scolded in a playful manner, moving her hand in a shooing motion but albeit, her comment was not to be taken seriously.
"Let me formally introduce you. " She gestures to Serena. "Axwell, this is the woman I wanted you to meet Ms. Serena Gregory, who helped my father with some business in the past and Ms. Gregory, this is Lord Axwell McRodden."
Serena performed a slight bow and the man referred to as Aswell nodded his head, taking her in. He wore a tailored suit similar to the one Serena wore but it was vibrant in color, burgundy matched with gold specifically and instead of a mail coach, he wore a cravat tie.
"Elna has spoken about you countless of times. I didn't know what to expect honestly but I can see that you truly are what she mentioned." He held out his hand for Serena to shake and she did just that.
"I can only hope she speaks well on my name. I have received letters about you as well Lord McRodden and I must say, Elna has made the right choice. " Elna and Axwell smiled, turning to look at each other with a love in their eyes that tugged at Serena's heart strings.
She was once in love like that, just until recently and in her own way of coping, she tried to forget about the emotion. To her demise, to have it thrown right back into her face was almost unbearable. The hurt was fresh, lingering and she was surprised she hadn't spiraled into that depressed abyss of self-sabotaging as yet.
Truthfully, she was hanging unto a thin thread, so thin that just a single breeze could snap it.
"I wish you both a happy marriage." She forced herself to say with a smile. Even though she genuinely meant it, it felt like there was a heavy weight on her chest.
Jealousy.
Raw, rancid jealousy.
Her eyes strayed away from the couple, mainly because she couldn't bare to watch them anymore, when they landed on Martha Robins which actually took her aback. If she were honest, she hadn't noticed the woman was standing there, which was probably for her own good since she had been glaring at her with a look of malice from the moment she stepped into the ballroom.
"Ahh Lady Robins. I didn't see you there, my apologies." Elna looks away from her husband so she could look between Martha and Serena.
"Oh? You guys are acquainted? I've heard about it but I didn't know it was true." The news seemed to have flied through Greenwich quickly but it was to be expected with how peaceful and quiet it was compared to the rest of England. If they were hoping to keep it a secret before then it made no sense trying now.
Elna isn't blind to the ways of Martha, knowing that behind her husband, she truly runs everything within the Robin's household and that their austere lifestyle was nothing but her doing. With this knowledge, when the idea of a partnership between Ms. Gregory and Mr. Robins was spreading in town, she could not believe it until now.
"Yes we are." Martha stated sweetly, attempting to save face in the public eye. However, her mind was running fast with thoughts.
How did Ms. Gregory know Elna Marvell?... The Elna Marvell? The same very Elna who was to marry a viscount?
There must have been some terrible mistake. How could they bare to entertain a crude woman such a Ms. Gregory.
A woman lover?
What a disaster... dressed in that suit without any ramifications. She was boiling over with internalized rage.
She couldn't wrap her mind around it and the idea that she has worked so hard to reach where she is now and Ms. Gregory, who has no birthright or title, was simply mooching off of everyone.
Even her husband who may just be a baron but still... He was in the peerage. He was still a respectfully figure of society.
She hates how he doesn't use his title like he should. No one would think he's a baron and the way everyone addresses him is subpar but she could only allow him to do as he pleases in that regard.
This is why she has been trying her hardest to swoon others of higher standing than her own and one thing about Martha was she hated having her efforts overshadowed.
"Ms. Gregory is that you?" A man walks up to Serena and her eyes brighten up when she sees who it is.
"Mr. Foster! I haven't seen you since the Hall of Movement in Oxford." She holds out her hand and he takes it. The man referred to as Mr. Foster is a fairly aged man, more greys than black in his hair that can be counted.
"That was two years ago I believe, you've changed greatly, I'm happy for you." They continue in conversation and this is when Martha pulls Elna aside.
"A word please." She states a bit snippily, pulling her to the sidelines.
"You never mentioned to me that you knew Ms. Gregory." Martha stated in an accusative tone.
"I didn't know." Elna states truthfully, glancing back at Serena who was now in the middle of a conversation with not only Mr. Foster but Axwell.
They started laughing and Martha peeped to watch, biting her tongue in frustration. The attention was off of her and that was infuriating.
"Does it matter? You never told me that you knew Ms. Gregory. I thought we were friends." It was Martha's turn to backpaddle, her tone switching to a sultry and calming octave.
"I forgot to bring it up. You know how words spreads fast, I assumed you would find out either way." Elna stares at Martha for a moment, wondering if to believe her but she's kindhearted and doesn't enjoy wasting time on trivial matters.
"That's alright. Instead, I have some people I need to introduce you to." She grins, taking Martha away, really hoping to cool down her steam.
Anna couldn't believe her eyes. Serena really was here and if it weren't for her heart pounding in her chest, she would have thought she was dreaming. She eyed her from her hair, all the way down to her boots.
She has always noticed that Serena only wore dark shades but it somehow added to her... desirability. Every nerve, cell and atom within her body was pressuring her to walk over there and talk to Serena but she couldn't bring it in herself to do that.
She looked down at her fan which was actually a discrete way of having a dance card but it remained blank every ball she went to. For a moment, she envisioned having Serena's name on her card and the fantasy of dancing with her in the middle of the ballroom.
Yet, all she could do was think about it because it would've been a hell of a scandal if she were to do so. Anna looked back up to rest her gaze on Serena again but her breath hitched when their eyes connected.
After conversing for a bit with Mr. Foster and Axwell, she had a premonition that if Ms. Robins was here then that could only mean that...
And there she was.
Gorgeous and almost angelic in that dress, standing off to the side of the ballroom like a delicate rose but still unable to be plucked because of its thorns.
Martha Robins happened to be those thorns.
Anna believed time had stopped in that moment that they made eye contact. She may have been exaggerating her feelings but with everything she's been told in the past, she knew that it was just that.
Everything was a blur around her, the harp in the background playing slowly and even more sweetly in her mind and all she could do was focus in on that single woman.
A woman who was slowly starting to show her what there was to the world.
A woman who had crumpled all the prejudice she has been taught all her life.
A woman that she was starting to yearn for constantly.
A woman she realized she wanted.