Joan entered the ballroom.
She felt a fire of bliss trail along her spine at the thought of Hugh.
The way he had spoken to her earlier in the day was the sweetest thing.
And when he had left her room, his scent mingled with her senses and knocked her heart divine.
It was love. It must be.
Joan shook her head, and found Hugh at the back of the ballroom,on a blue sofa, drinking something from a glass and looking dazed.
"Wondering who came first? The chicken or the egg?" Joan asked mischievously, and sat beside him.
Hugh smiled "a question that has intrigued scientists for years. Well I never thought that you would come today."
"Neither did I, but a change of mood maybe?" Joan said.
"Whose reason was I" Hugh stated.
"Thank you" Joan said and smiled "Lord Hugh."
"Now that we are friends, we should stop calling each other so formally. Call me Hugh" Hugh said.
"Hugh? Fine. Call me Joan."
"Joan, fine."
The silence that ensued started growing awkward, so Hugh decided to tell her about Lady Rose.
And he told her everything.
"Do you know that, Lady Rose has always hated me. That might be due to the beauty or popularity factor, God knows which, but she loathed me. Always. We both had entered society at the same time, but I had been more popular than her at any rate. She envied me and till date she still does..." Joan sighed.
Hugh agreed easily. Joan was ten times prettier than Lady Rose.
"Joan don't look so stressed. I say, should we take a walk in the gardens?" Hugh asked.
"Yes, we should.." Joan said.
They both rose, and left the ballroom.
"It feels so fresh here. In there, I can barely breathe..." Joan said and giggled.
Hugh laughed "I agree, all those mamas and the cauldron of noise, my lord.."
"My my, so you are popular amidst mamas right?" Joan teased.
"An Earl who is unmarried gains a lot of attention, Joan" Hugh said.
"Especially a handsome one" Joan said.
"I ah..." Hugh blushed and looked down.
Joan smiled.
When Hugh looked down, a shimmer from his coat pocket caught his eye.
Hugh squinted and took the shimmering object out.
His mother's bracelet. Pishhh......He had forgotten to give it back to her.
"A bracelet?" Joan inquired.
"Yes, it's my mother's. She had given it to me while she had gone to wash her hands after someone spilled vodka on her hands accidentally. And I forgot to give it back to her" Hugh answered.
"I think that you should go back to the ballroom and give it to her. A lady can't stay away from her ornaments for a long time" Joan said with a smirk.
Hugh laughed "it can wait."
"No please, you should go back, I insist."
"Fine, I'll be back in five minutes. You wait here."
Hugh left, and Joan watched him go.
Then Joan felt a tap at her shoulder.
And she turned back....