chapter three
maria's tactic of scaring callers
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"Miss! You must get up!" Sarah, the maid assigned to Maria by Lady Danbury spoke as she pushed the curtains open to let the light get in. Maria groaned, pushing her face deeper into her pillow, flinching at the light as if it burned her skin. Sarah has been trying to get the girl up for a few moments now, but her efforts appeared in vain. Maria simply dreaded the upcoming morning of callers filling the drawing room. "The callers will be arriving soon, and you aren't even dressed yet!"
Maria slowly sat up, eyes still half-closed as she felt drool run down her chin. What a sleeping beauty she must be, she didn't even want to imagine the state of her hair right now. But, she inferred it looked like a nest on top her head when Sarah turned to face her and had to put her hand over her mouth to hide the laughter threatening her lips.
Maria was too tired to care. "Laugh, if you please, Sarah. I've looked worse, I assure you."
"I'm sorry, Miss." Sarah quickly apologized, thinking she broke some boundaries between maid and lady. Maria simply waved her off, pushing the blanket over her, saying, "Please, laugh, I certainly do not care."
"Well, let's us see what the fuss is about." Maria announced as she took a seat at the vanity, peering into the mirror and her body came to a still at what peered back at her. Her assumptions were correct, she looked anything but a lady, hair tangled from tossing and turning the night before and crusty eyes with a drool stain on her chin. "Huh... I think this might be my best look yet, I dare say, this is what I shall wear today. Do you think callers will find this alluring?" Maria turned around in her chair to face the maid giggling silently.
"I think her lady, Lady Danbury would faint upon setting sight on you!" Sarah mused as she came up behind Maria's chair as the French woman turned back around to meet Sarah's eyes through the mirror. "I must say, I have my work cut out for me."
"Either way, you have a talent to make me think from lying with pigs all day to a princess." Maria shrugged calmly. "Move my easel into the drawing room today, if you'd please, I predict I'll have much free time once my suitors run away."
Sarah nodded as she laughed lightly once again. "As you wish, Miss."
Sarah indeed had a talent from making something look disgusting to stunning in a few minutes. You wouldn't even tell Maria had barely slept the night before, not because of nerves, but all the ideas running through her head on how to scare the poor men away. She thought of the most volatile ways, whilst keeping a good lady-like attitude.
Maria brushed down the purple waves of her gown as she sat on the loveseat, her sketchbook in hand as the coal pencil gently traced the paper. Lady Danbury sat on the love-seat opposite of her, stitching a fabric, cane leant on the side of the seat. Simon, per Lady Danbury's request, sat on a chair not too far away, legs propped up onto a foot stool with the daily newspaper in his hands as he skimmed over it.
Lady Danbury could barely focus on her stitching, too nervous for the incoming callers who would arrive in mere moments. Simon was ready for Maria to give him a look if the man was not all gentleman like and intervene and practically kick him out.
Maria's breath halted in her throat when the doormen came into the room, announcing the first of the callers to arrive that day. "Callers, ma'm. The Earl of Stricken, and the Viscount of Pyer."
"Well, send them in, hurry." Lady Danbury eagerly said and Maria was quickly met with bright grins on men's faces, flowers and presents tucked under their arm.
The entire evening was dreadful. She had to sit and act kind, asking the Lord's what they liked to do or their opinions. What really made the smoke leave her ears was never once did they ask her opinion, or what her hobbies were. At least one pointed out her sketchbook but immediately he went into depth on how Art can clog a ladies mind and she should focus poor on house duties.
Lady Danbury saved the man from an ambush by ushering him out of the room. Simon hid behind his newspaper, no longer even reading it, just listening it on all their conversations with amusement. Maria's sharp tongue would sometimes scare them all away, but the resilient ones persisted and continuing on in their humiliation. Simon had intimidated many of the them.
Maria sat next to Lord Blandon, a Baron, who eyed her up and down the entire time they talked, chewing on the biscuits provided by the servants and kitchen. She had to bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from bursting out with anger, risking rumors of her un-ladylike behavior to get out.
"And the moment you walked down that aisle I knew one day, instead of the Queen at the end, it was to be I. A vision, really that came to me." Lord Blandon ranted, not even gauging her perplexed expression. "I knew that exquisite beauty who had gotten the Queen's praise was to be my wife and have my children." Maria spotted Simon chuckle from across the room.
Instead of saying something snarky, she asked the man curiously, faining a soft and gentle look. "What else do you think of me? Is beauty the only thing important about me?"
Lady Danbury pursed her lips, knowing the moment that man opened his mouth again Maria would say something to dishearten him.
The Lord looked taken off guard for a moment and had an expression of contemplation before he answering her hesitantly and cautiously as if she were testing him, "What else is there?"
The moment Maria's nose crunched up and her lips fell into a deep frown, Lord Blandon knew he had said the wrong thing, the very wrong thing. Simon aggressively set his newspaper down and told the man to stand up and escorted him out of the drawing room immediately. The man made no noise of complaint.
Maria shared a look with Lady Danbury before the exhausted French woman sat back in her seat, slightly slouching down.
The end of the evening began to approach and the callers became less frequent. Now, the all sat alone, waiting till the clock ticked to officially announce the end of this boring and useless day. Just as the clock was an inch away from ticking and they all began to think no more callers would come, the doormen entered the drawing room and announced a name.
"A Mr. Benedict Bridgerton."
Maria immediately sat up straighter, more attentive than her previously slouched and grumpy state. A grin morphed on her lips as the male nervously entered the room, top hat in his hands with a bouquet of flowers. Simon and Lady Danbury both rose their eyebrows to see the once grumpy girl now more alive and alert than before.
"Benedict!" Maria exclaimed with a hearty welcoming smile. The man bowed his head in greeting, glancing at the other two inhabitants in the room who stared him down, more so Simon.
"Apologizes, Miss Dowling, my Mama forced to me to stay with my family as Daphne's callers arrived all day. I would've arrived sooner if that weren't the case." The man slowly approached the love-seat she sat at.
"No worries, sit, sit, please!" Benedict sat next to Maria, the spot she patted for him. She was glad to have a friend visit on this uneventful day. It brightened her mood up greatly. Maria arched a curious eyebrow. "And how did Daphne fare today?"
"It was... interesting." Maria gave him a look to elaborate. "I fear my elder brother holds some sort of authority over my dear sister, every man has been shooed away or scared away per his request."
"Poor, Daphne. I know not of having an elder brother like that, but I do feel for her." Maria synthesized, silently cursing Anthony in her head. Benedict nodded back before glancing up from his fumbling hands, asking her, "And how did your evening go? Successful, I hope?"
Benedict didn't miss the way Maria rolled her eyes secretly. The girls shoulder deflated as she leaned a little closer to whisper to him so her Aunt Agatha and Simon couldn't hear her. "Terrible! The one's I hadn't managed to scare away were complete snobs!"
Benedict felt his chest vibrate from a chuckle. "I'm very interested now, what was the worst you've said to one today? I'm intrigued."
Maria's once scolding look fell and a smile formed on her lips as she enjoyed that the questions in this conversation were drawn to her this time. "That I secretly collect locks of hair and hide it under my pillow."
"And do you?"
"Do I what?"
"Hide your collections of hair under your pillow, of course!"
"Well, I guess you'll never know." Maria said coyly, playing mysteriously.
Benedict placed a mocking offended hand in his chest before he nodded, seriousness rising over his features. "Sounds like a crazy thing you'd do, I wouldn't put it pass you."
Maria gasped dramatically before giggles erupted out of her mouth, Benedict found her laugh contagious because he soon was joining in. When their laughs died down, Benedict spotted the closed sketch book on the table beside the biscuit tray.
"You draw?" He received a nod in reply and Maria braced herself for the obscene words of judgment to leave his lips, saying a woman should focus of wifely duties instead, but they never came. "I do as well! May I see?"
He asked gently as if asking her the most personal question in the world. Maria paused for a moment before nodding, letting the man grab the sketchbook.
"Please, I would love some feedback from another Artist's eye."
Maria watched anxiously as Benedict's eyes scanned over the pages in her sketchbook, flipping through pages, Maria trying to gauge his reaction but his expression didn't hint anything at all. A silent moment passed between them that had even Simon and Lady Danbury sitting on the edge of their seats.
"These are... magnificent." Benedict stated after a moment, lips a gape with a baffled expression. Maria rose a nervous eyebrow, warning him, "Don't lie to me to please me."
"No, no, I am telling the truth." Benedict shook his head, eyes darting to the French woman sat beside him, consciously aware of the small distance between the two that had gradually gotten smaller during their conversation. "I am just surprised. You have talent, Maria, I've never seen art like yours before."
The girl's cheeks darkened a shade of rose as she shyly fluttered her eyelashes, not used to the compliment. "I paint as well, it is more my focus!" Her hands fumbled in her lap, feeling nervous for the first time that day.
Benedict paused as he smiled. "I would love to see them one day... if you'd care to show me?"
Benedict found his smile widening when Maria beamed up at him with a bright grin. "I would love that, only if you shall show me your work as well! I am very keen to know what your sketchbook is filled with."
"It is a deal." Benedict nodded.
Maria laughed lightly before grabbing her sketchbook and flipping it back open, towards the end of the book where Benedict's eyes never reached. "Oh, let me show you this one!" Benedict leaned closer to her so she could show him the picture, feeling happiness spread through her body.
Lady Danbury sat watching their meeting for a good hour and a half, longer than any of Maria's other callers had been there for. It was only when Maria let out a small yawn did Benedict decided to take his leave for the night, much to Maria's dismay. The older woman was amused as a mischievous glint sparkled in her eyes when she watched the two together like two puzzle pieces fitting together.
Simon almost fell asleep in the chair, but he saw the look in her eye, which meant she was scheming something in her head. That Lady and her scheming.
The long and boring day seemed to be better for Maria when the night ended, for she bonded with a friend that made her forget about all the horrible men who called on her previously. She wished the day would never end, so the two could talk more about their shared love of art.
Alas, Maria went to sleep that night with an unexpected smile on her face.
authors note.
chapters of this book are normally going to be this long!
the new cover for this book was made by the amazing tiishas !
I love you all, don't be a ghost reader!