It was such a blatant request that was already made—a request that could not be swallowed back except if time could be regressed.
Never once in her life had Joanna made such a request, particularly asking for the hand of a gentleman for a dance. Most of the time, she would rack her brain, preparing to make any excuses that she thought were sensible every time it came to her time to attend a ball.
Whether it was a sudden headache, stomachache, or a health problem that made her unable to get close to others, she would not hesitate to bring up those excuses as long as she could turn down every request that was made to ask for her hand for a dance. Hiding in the powder room was also one of several ideas that she had implemented several times.
However, those actions alone, of course, did not result in zero consequences. Young Lady de Lara was a weak and sickly lady. It was another label that had been attached to her, which was not a new thing to hear.
