"My apologies, Don Sam Murray," Prudence bowed. Something if she had done it a while back, she would be happily walking back to Abiona's room. "I had been a little tired, I meant no offence."
Sam was not convinced. No one had seen how Prudence had affronted him, but for him, it was like everyone had watched him not being offered respect. "Do you know who I am, girl? Don Sam Murray. One of the favoured by Lord Dominick's in Mafia. Just because he danced with you, don't exalt yourself"
Prudence creased her brows. She knew the man she had danced with was of great importance. She couldn't believe that a man like Sam was favoured and yet her heart sank; it was as good as offending the same man twice.
This Lord Dominick had brought nothing but troubles for her today.
She spoke again, "I did not mean to-" but was cut short.
"A little tired you were?" grunted Sam, remembering her reasoning. "You looked pretty lively when dancing with his grace. Or did you do something else with him to be tired?"
Prudence did not understand why this man was talking to such lengths. How big can one's ego be?
Sam stepped closer, and before Prudence could step back, he held her shoulder. "I have seen many lowly girls like you offer themselves at Lord Dominick's feet. To gain his favours and slide under him on the bed," Prudence tried to get free of his hold, but he leaned further, "if you are looking for those riches to be showered, come to me. His grace doesn't even look at girls like you."
Prudence glared at the man, "Let go of me"
Sam laughed, "Don't play innocent now. Come, I will pamper you." Holding her wrist, he dragged Prudence.
"Let go!" Prudence jerked her hand, and it slipped out of Sam's greasy fingers.
This only oiled the anger inside Sam. "Stop the fake chase, darling. If you are worried about leaving your family behind, bring your mother as well. I wouldn't mind-"
SPLASH!
Prudence stood there holding an empty glass of wine in her hand, panting with anger. A vein popped on her forehead. She would have slapped this man right here for what he was about to say. But she held back and rather took a drink from a nearby table, splashing it on his face. It was enough to slap his colossal ego.
Before he could clear his face, Prudence had kept the glass sleeping as it rolled on the table surface. And she was out of there.
When Sam cleared his face, the wine that went into his eyes, he was about to shout, "You B-" but his tongue fell slack. "H-Hi-His Grace." he bowed as deep as he could when Vincent Dominick had stepped in front of him casually. Sam's voice trembled. Even though he had not offended this daunting man directly, Sam had tried to invite a girl to dance with whom Lord Dominick had just danced with.
"You look red, Sam. Did you turn on the wrong faucet during your shower?" Vincent Dominick said with a snicker, referring to Sam being drenched in red wine and his white shirt forming a big stain, but Sam could not be offended.
Sam apologised, "I am extremely sorry, your grace." He was already trembling in his legs, fighting the urge to not show it out loud. Sam had thought Lord Dominick was sure to punish him for trying to dance with the same girl using his name.
"What are you apologising about?" Asked Vincent, his tone turned bored. "Go wash yourself, don't roam around like this whilst carrying my name on your tongue"
Sam saw Lord Dominick leave, and it made him wonder if he was worried for nothing. His grace spoke nothing about the girl, just his own appearance that might taint his grace's reputation. This had Sam's eyes flare up as his teeth gritted, searching for the stupid human who had dared to throw wine on him. He would make sure she regretted it.
Prudence ran amid the crowd and quickly exited through the back door. None of the servants was standing there, and no one questioned her sudden exit. She knew how foolish it would be to stay back now.
Her shoes clicked on the cobblestone path as she ran away from the mansion. The odds were not in her favour, but luckily the carriage was still there. She was acquainted with every person who worked for the Thatcher family because of Abiona. Reaching the carriage, she woke up the coachman by tapping his hand, who looked asleep with his hat covering his face. He woke up startled.
"Lady Prudence," his eyes narrowed to confirm it was her, "Is something the matter?"
Prudence opened the door to the carriage. "Please take me to the ink road" There was no time for her to answer his questions. The coachman wore his hat, not prying further on why the Lady looked this scared. He whipped the reins and the two horses galloped. There was an urgency in Prudence's voice that he had not missed.
Her eyes checked outside the back window of the cubicle carriage. No one had followed her outside and in a few seconds, the carriage had left the mansion grounds. She turned around to sit properly, her chest heaving for more air.
Prudence felt her heart beat crazily in her chest. She drank some water that was there in the carriage. It had been some time since she left that blunder filled party and the carriage was now exiting the richer parts of the town. It entered the middle classes residence area, from where ink road wasn't far. Her house wasn't exactly in the slums, but ink road was very close to slums and hence considered a rather lowly residential area.
She saw her house at some distance, but the carriage halted in the middle of the road with a sudden jerk. Prudence quickly opened the small slit window in the front. "What's wrong?"
The coachman strained his neck to look at something in the front and turned to Prudence, "A vegetable cart toppled on the road, it might take some time"
Prudence knew she would be safe in the carriage, but then again, she had seen no one follow her. Her house was close to here, so she instead decided to walk home, a place she would feel safer than this carriage. The night was heavy, and this small distance had her doubtful to be found out. "Thank you for dropping me here. I will walk henceforth," Prudence said, and got down.
The coachman bent his body over the railing where he sat, "would you be fine?" He asked, concerned. He had watched the girl covered in sweat and fear when she had asked him to take her home.
Prudence nodded, "Yes, don't worry, the house is right around the corner"
"Okay, be careful lady," the coachman said and withdrew the carriage. Prudence did not wait even a second more there. The eyes around turned to see her dress this good, a sight so rare in this part of the town, but Prudence had other things on her mind right now.
She squeezed through the crowd, pushing her shoulder first through the men and women who had gathered to watch the vegetable vendor crying over her spoiled greens.
The crowd was left behind and Prudence took a deep breath as she had just exited a cramped space. Holding the front of her dress, she walked through the damped road and turned around the corner. There was such relief in her heart for reaching till here safely, tears brewed in her eyes.
Prudence had called in a lot of trouble in her life today, but she was glad that the man named Sam Murray wasn't aware of her name and only hoped that he did not find out. Though the man called Lord Dominick knew her name.
Prudence had heard from Abiona that the Night Creature did not lurk around her part of the town and she had watched none come around the horse farm where she worked. She wanted to leave this place, shift somewhere else to live, but her mother would never agree.
Her feet halted in front of the door, which said 'Warriers' and one of her hands left her dress to come up in a fist. Prudence felt it tremble. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before straightening her back. Her knuckles knocked on the door and Elizabeth, her mother, opened the door, wondering who it was at this hour.
"Pearl?" Elizabeth worried why her daughter was here. She extended her arm to direct Prudence inside by her shoulder and locked the door. "Weren't you going to stay the night?"
Prudence filled herself a glass of water. She did not understand how she should tell her mother that she had offended someone of high standing. Instead of answering, she took her time drinking water and Elizabeth patiently waited for her daughter.
"Let me get changed," said Prudence, heading towards the bedroom, and Elizabeth stopped her by her wrist.
Her mother stepped in front of her, and Prudence tried not to avert her gaze. But Elizabeth was her mother. How could she not understand that her daughter was scared, "Pearl, what happened darling, talk to mama"
Prudence met her mother's eyes and guilt weighed her heart, thinking how her mother might face consequences for her thoughtless actions. "M-mama, I am sorry" Prudence hugged her mother and Elizabeth's eyebrows creased.
Elizabeth moved her hand over her daughter's back. "Why are you scared, dear? Did someone talk ill about you?" It was an odd set of questions, but Prudence understood what it meant.
Elizabeth was indirectly asking whether Prudence had offended someone for disrespecting her. It was not the first time she had come home from some soiree or party this stressed, and Elizabeth was quick to pick up on what happened today. "Tell me about it, I am sure Abiona's father can help."
In the past, it had been Abiona's father who had helped Prudence clear such mess, hearing that was some relief in her heart. She pulled away from the hug and finally told her mother everything.