The Enigma of Albert Morris by Leo (4)

Chapter four:

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It was spring in London. This would be seasons for balls and parties. Gatherings were arranged by the Lord's and their ladies. As each had a turn. The girls were married at a young age. When they reached that particular age they attended the balls in order to be acquainted with their to be suitors. One season and many marriages. This was the manifestation of these outcomes. Catherine was having tea one afternoon with Victoria when she inquired about her education. "I'm studying what I used to at the convent a long time ago but I'm delighted with Miss Charlotte." "I would like London to meet you. We are having a ball here my dear. Do you like them?" Victoria asked Catherine.

"They are not that bad."Catherine answered. She was well aware of the balls. That used to happen all the time at her home. '' Ah I get your point. I think it as the same and maybe this is why you would still find me a maiden.'' she laughed. "Very well dear. You will be the perfect lead to our ball this year. People will know who I appoint as my heir and you need a suitor a good suitor." 

Victoria stood Catherine stood too for her respect took her hand and kissed it. "Charlotte is doing a great job indeed." 

''Can I talk to you for a moment please?'' 

Victoria turned. Looked around and sat again.

''Why do you believe I need a suitor? Can't I stay here with you. I would do any work you want me to. Even the household ones. I wish I new better business and then I would have helped you with it. '' she looked at her hands and sighed.

''What is it? Tell me. Something is troubling you. The moment you came here I have seen it. I have seen agitation in you, nothing attracts you. You don't feel home here. You are always lost into something though its been three months since you came here. Have I mistreated you? answer me girl.'' she shouted the last sentence.

''No.'' she replied rather lowly.

''Loudly.''

''No.'' this time her voice pitch was same as Victoria's.

''Have I treated you like a maid?''

''No.''

''Do you lack something here?''

''No.''

''Do you starve?''

''No.''

''Do you sleep in the yard?''

''No.''

''There you are you have all answers and yet you want me to make you a staff of my household? Do you think I lack servants? My child forgive me for being rude. I know its hard for you to adapt to so many new surroundings after all that you have been through I understand but...'' she sighed hugged Catherine.

''These are just some norms we live by. You don't want a suitor then just reject them but at least show the world who you really are.'' she tapped her back.

Catherine sat there looked at the sky. 

''Then the time has finally come.''

''Come on my dear now finish your course for today I have to leave.'' Charlotte said hurriedly.

''But why Miss Charlotte are you in such a hurry it's only been twelve weeks since you are teaching me and no day has passed when I have not seen you in a hurry.'' she was busy and quite into her painting.

''Seems to me that you are in no mood of study today very well, by the way you don't need me anymore. All this time what ever I try to teach you, you know already. You have mastered skills in balls, in painting, your education is excellent , you know all the etiquette of a fine woman, you know culinary as well and here you can paint greatly too then what is the use of me?''

Catherine blushed on her praise, ''I take you as my real teacher, although if you don't want to teach me will you come to meet me everyday? I kind of enjoy your company. You remind me of my mother sometimes, she used to praise me as such whenever I did very well in my studies.'' 

''Sure my dear, I'll visit you everyday. You are just like my daughter although I never married.'' she laughed.

The next day Catherine woke up and found the maids surrounding her, ''Lady Victoria has called you to check the arrangements of the evening's ball.''

''What?'' Catherine rubbed her eyes and it was still too early for anything except breakfast.

''Come my lady.'' Teresa wouldn't go without her that was certain.

''You go I'll come after getting dressed.'' she yawned and went to the bathroom.

Downstairs Victoria was in conversation with a man. A man who seemed a butler of a upper-class family. The exact expressionless face that all butlers had. She too had one in her home who would escort her to school and back and would remain serious no matter how much funny the situation would be.

''You go and tell him exactly as I have mentioned and do tell Theodore to write to me earliest possible.'' Victoria dismissed the man and turned back and found Catherine on the stairs.

''Although upper class London wakes at 12 but I also have to run an estate thus I am a working London woman who gets up on 5 every morning. Come my dear breakfast is getting cold I was waiting for you.'' they both went to the dining hall.

''What is all this about Aunt Victoria?'' Catherine stopped the maid from pouring more juice for her.

''It's fine thank you I'll help myself.'' The maid nodded and stood back.

''Nothing, I am really famous in the city when it comes to balls, my father god bless him always used to held them for me every time in fact all the time but what he wanted never happened. Till that time to date I keep it particularly his style. We have to work after all to get the consequences and this year it's your chance for knowing all the prestigious people of the city. They all will be here.'' 

Catherine was thinking about something but she decided not to ask Victoria about it rather she changed the subject.

''I respect you in every way but if it's answerable why didn't you marry then?'' 

Victoria stopped eating and Catherine understood that she had crossed the limit.

''I'm sorry I didn't mean to intrude in your personal life.'' 

''No it's not about you it's about someone whom I wanted to marry but he couldn't and I never found anyone better than him. Some crazy people would call it love but I call it not being dominated by anyone. I just didn't get well with any other man. You'll understand what I am saying when you will be older. Right now you are too young to understand what am I saying.'' 

After dinner Catherine took all the charge of arrangements. When Victoria came after taking a nap she was amazed. ''Your mother was really lucky to have you child you did everything on your own?'' she nodded and Victoria was satisfied that her heir who was really competent enough to be her heir.

The ball of Victoria mansion was magnificent. All the Lords and wealthy attended it. The young belles of London were there too.

A hall that was made of glass roof was decorated with flowers everywhere. Flowers on the walls , around the magnanimous windows with gold panels, around the large tapestries and around the lights. The lustre glass was glittering like gold. With red carpets with golden boundaries complimenting the floor. A side bar was ready with servants to serve the guests whatever they wished and outside one by one a carriage dropped two people and then another followed.

Catherine who was seeing this all from her window of her bedroom on the west wing was really neither in the mood to feign herself like all the rich people used to, nor was she interested in throngs. Solitude was her thing.

''Ah there you are.'' Amelia found her five year old daughter who was dressed with all the flowers in her hair under the bed.

''Mommy I don't like noise. Can you please send all of them away.'' Catherine said from under the bed not willing to come out.

''Sure we can but first the birthday girl must come out.'' 

She thought for a moment and then came out.

Amelia sat her on her lap and kissed her many times on both cheeks.

''We'll send them all away and celebrate with just mommy and daddy how's that.'' both giggled.

''My lady. My lady.'' Teresa said a little louder.

Catherine who was still looking out of the window on the parody parade was lost somewhere in time.

''Huh.'' she didn't turned to look who called her.

''Lady Victoria has asked for your presence if you are ready.''

''Go I'll be down.'' she turned away from the window and sighted herself in cheval mirror.

Dressed in lace green gown which had a round neck with quarter sleeves of lace. The same colored emeralds were worn by her in her neck and the same colored studs in ears. With the same emerald bracelets in both hands. Her hair were tied in a braid and filled with lilies. Just like her mother would decorate her hair. 

"She is pretty. " a woman said to a man.

"Victoria's niece ah she's the one." A Lord inquired. "She's the one she's Catherine Ayling daughter of Late Sir Robert Ayling." Said another group of people.

Catherine looked like she had come from another world. Her beauty could not be described in words.

''Who are you? What are you? Are you human or a goddess of beauty who has taken a human form to judge the faith of men?'' A man stood in front of her.

''I am as human as you are.'' the man who was definitely a lord took her hand and kissed it.

''This humble servant is called Edmund Robinson Shaw.'' he was not willing to give Catherine her hand back.

The man himself was tall and handsome. One would say that he was the most handsome amongst all that had filled the hall and definitely a young lord. He could not move his eyes from Catherine. Catherine was uneasy with his glued gaze but replied dauntlessly,

''I am Catherine Ayling.''

"Here let me introduce you to her." Victoria was talking with a gentleman who just arrived.

"Catherine Lady Victoria is calling you." Charlotte said to Catherine who was accompanying some girl. "If you excuse me ." She felt relieved,

''Excuse me lord Shaw.'' Edmund's eyes were still glued to her wherever she went his eyes were following her.

She went to Victoria. The man had removed his coat and hat by that time. "Catherine this is Lord Albert Morris. Albert here this is my niece."

What Catherine had thought. Her thought was standing in front of her. The same style of dressing, in his black and white suit. His hair properly set with gel, his face sincere and a slight smile on it. His deep blue eyes again were telling her something else. Something opposite than what his smile said. He himself was handsome. But handsome people are not bewitching are they? He had such a personality that one would be captivated by it ''entirely luring magnetic and seductive.'' she said to herself and stood in front of him confidently. Today she was what she was. Like she was again the daughter of Robert and Amelia. The way she was born and the way she was raised. Nothing to be afraid of and to be ashamed of.

Albert took Catherine's hand and kissed it ," A pleasure milady. We've met before Lady Victoria." To much dismay Catherine didn't expected Albert to remember her and the situation in which he saw her."I'm sure we have." Catherine said to Victoria. "Very well then must be Dover. I'll go check on the dinner." Victoria was a tall but fat lady. She had blonde hair, green eyes. She was beautiful even at this age. Catherine always wondered why didn't the man she loved marry her. He must be crazy or had died. There will be many suitors for her. Catherine tried to escape Albert by taking excuse from him, ''Wait Catherine can you please take a walk with me it's too crowded here.'' She had to do what he asked although in her heart she wanted to escape as soon as she saw him.

 They walked together to the center hall. The girls began to come forth as they saw Albert approaching. He was single wealthy only child. That's what made him the spotlight of the season. Catherine was taken by some elderly woman and  Albert by some man and he had to talk to them. He sighted Catherine all the time until he made a rescue from those men and took Catherine by her arm outside.

Outside there was no one but the sky and it's evening guests. The crescent moon and the stars.

''Why if I may ask are you so interested in taking a walk with me my Lord.'' Catherine stopped when they had came far from the house and were in the middle of the garden. From this spot the main hall could be seen clearly where people had already began dancing. 

''Nothing I just wanted to make sure that you are alright, last time I saw you you were wounded right let me see.'' he took her hand but Catherine resisted. 

''They are fine much better the scars will be gone soon too.'' the way he looked directly in her eyes made Catherine uneasy she looked away moved away from him and sat on the side of the fountain.

''Your face has gotten better too but I must say all thanks to Victoria who really did rescue you from those trenches.'' he sat near Catherine.

''It's not Lady Victoria who rescued me it is someone else only if he said it directly to me I only wish I could thank him for his generosity that he left and sent for my rescue immediately.'' she looked directly in his eyes. 

This time Albert looked away.

''I don't think so the same Catherine Ayling is in front of me. That was an innocent girl who was like a lioness. Today I meet someone who herself is the beauty. The enchanting beauty who pleads that her rescue is done by a mortal but not by her majestic powers? I would say it would be a sin to look at the moon and not at you.'' she came closer to Catherine. She could smell his musk's fragrance. The night itself was more intoxicating than the wine she just had or was she really taken by alcohol. 

''Lady Catherine Lady Victoria is calling you.'' Teresa came and the magical trance that was created by Albert broke.

''May I know who is she?'' Albert looked angrily at Teresa.

''She's the maid here.''

''Don't you have any manners? Is this the way to address you lady that to when she is with someone.'' 

Catherine was sure now that he was not delighted at all that his powers had failed in luring her towards him.

''My apologies my lord.'' Teresa bowed and went running back inside. Catherine turned to go inside when Albert called her and stopped her by holding her elbow. She looked at his hand and he had to leave her. 

''Don't get me wrong I just...''

''Maybe some other time Lord Albert we can have a better conversation now is just not the right time. She went inside and Albert followed.

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