When the three sisters reached home, Abigail was the first one to enter. She was walking rushing as she couldn't wait to spread the news about her meeting. Once she entered, she cleared her voice to prepare for her announcement and fixed her posture assuming a composed one and showing a confident smile.
Ginevra went to stare at her daughter smiling, probably understanding she was going to give her good news. Sharon frowned at Shirlyn who waited with a warm smile. She felt honored to be the only one to know about her new suitor. However, she looked at her with a shred of sadness, knowing she was probably never going to achieve that level of happiness in her life. Maybe the secret to her happiness was right in front of her, to set low expectations and low aims easily achievable.
"I got to know a gentleman today. We danced for half an hour and we spent the most joyful time together."
Ginevra smiled hugely at her daughter, feeling so proud that she clapped her hands while her eyes flashed. Two of her daughters were seeing high-status gentlemen, which made her very proud and glad. Shirlyn was happy for both her sisters, even if she knew well that if they got married she was the only one left in the family and would lead her mother to be even more pretentious with her.
"Who is it?" Sharon questioned, with an envious gaze. They've always been competitive with each other, "Oh, this is the beauty of it, he's Victor Peterson."
"Oh my!" Her mother gasped, as her smile couldn't get widener than it already was.
"He has invited me to tomorrow's banquet. In which there will be all the relatives of the royal family and some close friends of his."
"Will the King be there?" Sharon asked, as she was exploding with both curiosity and envy at the same time, she tried to hide her feelings but was clenching her fists in anger. The only way she could overcome her sister's potential husband was by marrying the King himself. But considering the last speech he gave, it was better for her not to set her hopes too high.
Abigail shrugged, enjoying her sister's jealous gaze for a few seconds, then she answered: "I tried to ask him about the King but his response sounded emotionally detached so I preferred not to upset him furthermore."
Shirlyn slowly reached Kathy on the second floor and found her sewing. She sat on the edges of her bed and started to tell her about all the events she had to experiment during her absence. When Shirlyn concluded her long speech Kathy was left speechless. Her eyes were filled with anger and her neck became red for the fury she felt while her brows knitted together.
The maid clenched her teeth and in a whisper spat: "That Lord David, if he's not dead yet I'll finish him myself." She hugged her dearest friend tightly as her eyes were looking at her pitiful and feeling sorry for what she had to go through.
When she received a smile from Rose as a sign of reassurance that she was fine, she commented,
"I am glad the King helped you. I like him now."
Shirlyn laughed noisily and went to cover her friend's hand on her knees with her own.
"However, are you sure he didn't have any shadow?" Kathy asked as she held Shirlyn's hand.
The lady nodded, "when I pointed it out to him, he seemed more surprised than I noticed it. He seemed to know it."
"He could be a mythical creature, it would explain why he's been disappearing for so long. Maybe because his father didn't want him to get in danger."
Shirlyn shook her head hearing such a wild guess, but then frowned as a minor part of her was considering her hypothesis. Then, once again she shook her head to express her negation.
"Think about it, I know it may sound ridiculous, but with a punch, he threw Lord David against the opposite wall. I bet the wall was very far away considering how big those rooms are and he ended up seriously wounded. Doesn't it sound even a bit suspicious to you? A human would never be that strong, not even one of his size."
Kathy's assertion had Shirlyn wonder if her assumption may be presumable. Either way, keeping an eye on him was the best thing she could do right now.
"I also forgot to mention that he asked about my real name." Shirlyn exclaimed when she recalled a piece of important information, empathizing 'real name.
"See!!" Another gasp was taken by her maid, they both were really taking in consideration the possibility he may be hiding something.
Once they put the pieces together, and took a long silence to assimilate all the information they gathered, they burned up in deciding to find out the truth.
"We're going to be the Sherlock and Watson of Yorkshire." Shirlyn stated proudly.
"Can I be Sherlock? I was the one who thought about it!" Kathy asked folding her arms, but Shirlyn shook her head from side to side, "I am the one who noticed he didn't have a shadow so..."
After Shirlyn took her position, they both laughed and smiled at each other in a lingering gaze.