Marcy stared at the Duchess with a blank expression on her pale white face as the woman came to stand next to her.
" What do you think you are doing young lady?", Gwyneth asked sternly, her long face holding no good emotions. Rosamund and Fallon smiled in satisfaction from behind.
Obviously the hot headed Duchess Gwyneth would argue nonstop with that darned Aurelia and the girl being sharp tongued would reply back as well.
Marcy stared around at the curious and worried eyes of everyone before letting her green eyes rest on the long face of the Duchess.
" Forgive me Duchess Gwyneth, I have forgotten that it is almost impossible to ride a horse in such gowns. Good thing my maid brought along with her a riding suit", Marcy said as she curtsied in front of the Duchess who she had not actually expected would be riding in the carriage with them all this while.
Standing straight, she signalled Gwyneth Sinclair, her personal maid as well as her watch over maid to prepare the suit.
Marceline slowly realized that the maid and the haughty Duchess actually shared the same name. She had better be careful else there might be a problem because of the royal Families sometimes unreasonable demands.
" You Know that is not what I meant. You simply can not ride this horse alone young lady except you wish to bring shame upon yourself", Duchess Gwyneth said quite impatiently as she stared at Marcy and the horse in distaste.
" I do not wish to bring shame to myself Duchess, at the same time I can not help my situation. Ashton is nowhere to be seen at the moment and he is at only God knows where, am I suppose to just hide away from the crowd?", she asked in a voice that showed her frustration.
The queen mother sighed from behind and proceeded towards the two of them. " Exactly", exclaimed Gwyneth at the same time Marcy finished talking.
" You are the future King's first wife so what if you are not introduced it is not as if you will be queen anyway. Save yourself the disgrace and stop acting all high and mighty", Gwyneth said as she was about to lose her cool. Just then, she felt someone place a hand on her shoulder.
She turned swiftly only to see the queen mother behind her, who used her eyes to communicate to her that she wished to handle the situation herself.
Gwyneth simply gave way for her and went to join her husband at the back swiftly bringing out her fan afterwards and fanning herself elegantly.
They were surrounded by carriages while the guards in horses had decided to give them space as they sort the matter out but not without surrounding the entire vicinity.
Gwyneth Sinclair stood rigid not knowing what to do. On one hand the lady she was here to serve and keep an eye on had instructed her to prepare her riding suit and on the other hand, the lady's fake aunt, the duchess, had refused to let the lady ride the horse alone. So therefore, was there still any need for the riding suit?
She could only stand quietly and make sure she appeared as invisible as ever. The other cousins of the royal family, about eight or nine them, stood alone watching the drama with curiosity in their eyes.
They could not help but sigh inwardly, their cousin Ashton truly married a beautiful woman. They were both male and female but none could resist Aurelia's charming beauty.
Surrounded by tall trees and forest with only two path ways in front of her, the queen mother could not help but sigh once again as she placed a comforting hand on Marcy's shoulder. She had to look up a bit to be able to stare eyeball to eyeball with Marcy because Marcy was slightly taller.
" I know my Ash has disappointed you. Trust me, he has disappointed me too but I really can not let you ride this horse alone. It would be too damaging to your reputation, people will talk", Roseline said, a bit sad herself. How could Ashton do something this despicable on such an occasion? Abandoning his wife before she was even introduced to the people, how humiliating.
" Then let them talk Queen mother. It would be far worse if I were to hide from their faces, would they not wonder what is wrong, so many assumptions would come upon me and I would have no way to defend my honor", Marcy replied softly but in a clear voice, her face not letting any expression of loneliness show but her heart expressing such.
She was not weak and she would ride the horse alone and fulfil the tradition of letting the people know the new wife of the royal family but one thing that she would not do was to cower away in times like this, she was above that.
Though one thing was for sure, she was nothing but a fool to have believed the crown prince different from other men. He seriously toyed with her trust as if it were mere nothing and so therefore, he can kiss the route of ever having an understanding relationship goodbye.
There was no way she would be spending her time trying to keep their relationship together for the sake of Aurelia. She would ignore him totally like Gavin had told her to and pray that this stupid act of substitution quickly comes to an end.
" Listen to me Aurelia. Your introduction will just have to be carried out some other day. Perhaps through a ball where I myself shall invite the entirety of the kingdom to one of our many castles and there when the people are gathered we will make you known, just please my dear, do not ride the horse today", Roseline proposed earning small gasps from Fallon and Rosamund at the same time.
The two ladies stared at each other before staring back at the queen mother and Marcy who seemed to be contemplating that offer.
" That should be alright then Queen mother", Marcy said after thinking it through and the queen mother sighed in relief before tapping Marcy's back as a sign of well wishes and then heading back to her carriage with the long faced Duchess Gwyneth and the quiet Duke Patrick.
Gwyneth Sinclair stared at Marcy in awe. Just how did she manage to turn things in her favor in a matter of minutes?
A while ago she was prepared to have her name tarnished by riding alone on the bridal horse without her husband and now a ball was going to be held in her honor by the queen mother herself. Could there be anything in the word more better than that?
She quietly stepped aside joining the coach man in the front seat of the third carriage as all the carriages and horses took off this time into town but riding West and without the bridal horse, the people would surely have a lot to say about this.