"May I read it?" The butler nodded towards the letter.
Dario hummed in admission and Gordon picked up the crumpled piece of paper from the desk and tightned it between both his hands. The message was written on the finest of paper, white as snow with a burgundy stamp of the royal seal adorning the bottom right corner.
My dear friend
I have recieved news of your upcoming banquet. A wise choice! Turning twentyfive is afterall a big event. I hope to soon hear whispers of your mistress' beauty in the social circles. You will bring her as your partner won't you? I am sorry that I will not be able to make it myself but along with this letter I have sent a gift for the Ainsworth girl to adorn her neck.
Well wishes
/Wilfred
Gordon was perplexed by the letter, unable to understand why the king was so adamant about his master bringing the young miss to a banquet that he himself would not even attend. Furthermore Gordon could not grasp why this request, although highly inappropriate, angered the young duke so. While it was understandable to be irritated by the king's improper meddling his master's anger seemed to go way beyond annoyance. Dario who usually hid his inner thoughts so well and who regarded the display of ones feelings as a weakness had an obviosly furious expression on his face, with his brows lowered and jaw visibly clenched.
Although Gordon was becoming curious about the odd situation he decided not to pry.
"If she is to be your partner she will need an appropriate dress to wear. Shall I call for a designer?"
"I'll leave everything up to you." The young duke who had seemed so full of drive only a minute ago now appeared utterly exhausted, leaning his cheek in the palm of his hand and staring at the unfinished documents in a daze.
It worried Gordon and his first instinct was to tell the young master to have a rest. He ignored this impulse though as he knew the action would be useless. His care only served to irritate the duke.
Gordon politely excused himself, reasoning that the best way he could be of help was to do his work. Fortunately the additional tasks that he had just taken upon himself was nothing that could not be easily deligated. Arranging a meeting with a designer was a simple job and Gordon was already aware of someone talented in hair and makeup.
The thing he needed to do right now was to inform miss Ainsworth of her expected attendance.