Rejected

Chapter 17

Damian absorbed the clang of wine glasses and the glitter of clothing as he stood unnoticed in one of the smaller balconies that overlooked the luncheon. He was getting vexed by the continuous rush of people in his childhood home and wished they would depart soon. In spite of his uncharitable thoughts he had an obligation to the lunch party and as much as he hated the thought of socializing he knew it would be impolite not to attend. Damian tried to keep a track of the various guests, cataloguing in his mind whom to avoid and who looked like they could engage him in a lively conversation. His eyes suddenly landed on the one Lady who seemed to have taken over half of his attention during the ball just by her presence and conversation.

She was moving as she spoke with her back towards him. The shifts in her movement allowed him to see hints of her face. He anticipated that if she moved to talk to her neighbour on her right she would reveal her nose; her eyelash; the ends of her lip and yet he was content to just see that small sliver of her face.

"Mooning over Lady Delilah again?" Beatrix whispered in his ear.

Damian made a sarcastic noise deep in his throat though his eyes never left the form leaning on the balcony below his.

"And no matter how many times I tell you to suspend your unhealthy obsession you do not listen."

"I will not let anyone tell me what to do," Damian growled, immediately annoyed that everyone was determined to check his behaviour as if were some insolent, mindless child.

"Is that why you follow her around like a hapless mongrel," Bea questioned him with a note of incredulity, "Just because of your pride; just because you want to defy sensible advice?"

"No, of course not; that's ludicrous," Damian snorted though his knuckles on the railings of the balcony were still white.

"Then why do you persist on haranguing her. Did you not see that ugly spat between the Town Ladies and our fair Lady Winsham? She left immediately after the cruel attack so you cannot say she isn't being affected negatively by your attentions," Beatrix argued, for once, with compassion.

"I was not there," Damian replied stiffly.

"Oh, of course you weren't, you moodily decided to walk off as soon as Agapito Rossi claimed the Lady's hand for a dance. That woman is a master planner or terribly naïve."

"She is neither, even you should know that. She has done absolutely nothing to gain my interest and has in fact repulsed me more often than not so your opinion is baseless," Damian replied moodily.

"Maybe she realized ignoring you was the way to your heart," Bea wondered.

"Let me be, Beatrix, go wait for your husband to come back from his business in the Capital. I grow weary of your nagging."

"You don't seem to grasp that this ball was meant for a very specific purpose. How many young women have you narrowed down as suitable potential wives?" Beatrix asked with her eyes flashing.

"I have not chosen anyone," Damian muttered, "You should know as you've asked this question before."

"I cannot believe that when you are clearly running after that woman. Lady Delilah was never introduced to you as a potential suitor but as a chaperon so it is obvious the mothers residing in your castle feel snubbed by your attentions. Either announce her as a candidate or leave her be," Beatrix tried to reason with the Prince but he stormed off with a scowl on his face.

"Why are all the women on this planet so convinced I am obsessing over Lady Delilah? That is so far away from the truth," Damian groused to himself and his furious strides halted when he noticed he had ended up on the balcony where the Lady in question was standing only a few meters away.