"Prince Harry, hope you are quite enjoying the breakfast!" Lady Hardington stated, her eyes overly shiny, and her smile exaggerated.
"I quite enjoy it, I seek—" Knight was interrupted.
"They are coming, taking some time to prepare." She nervously added, as Knight confusion leaped on his mind, "I shall escort each one of them!" Lady Hardington hurriedly added, and then fast, hastened through the mansion living room towards her staircase up and away.
Knight constantly checked his watch, with the ladyship out of his space. It was already a quarter past eight, and he knew his brother was probably already at the gates. However, stoic as he was, he told himself he would be second in line!
In came Lady Hardington, with each of her four daughters,
"They all have great physique, and eat quite well, but not much. You can have them all like your fa—" She bit her tongue on the words she was almost saying, as Knight looked at her in dismay.
"You misunderstand me—" Knight started standing from his position, as Lady Hardington stopped him and forcefully made him sit.
"You like them not, my Prince?" She asked, her eyes watery and her face looking overly worried. Truthfully, desperation is a dangerous disease!
"I seem, I ought—" He couldn't fathom any lie, and the only question that lay… what was he to do?
"My Lord, I saw you at the Winchester ballroom, you looked quite handsome. But you hurriedly left… am glad I see you again!" The younger daughter of the Hardington, that Knight had called out to Lord Hordy 'her posture seemed forced' called out; as her mother shushed her in one look. She was now wearing a blue dress matching with her blue gloves and white palm shoes. She was beautiful, Knight couldn't deny it, but she did not quite appease Knight that way!
"She talks much she!" Lady Hardington nervously laughing added, dragging by hand one of the tall daughters, "she," pointing at the tall one, the eldest of the four, "does embroidery and kneads so well!" She added.
However, little known to them was Knight was in no want of these daughters. They looked extravagant with their slim and tall bodies, in addition to their blending skin color and appeasing blue pupils, but there was a thing lacking.
"You misunderstood me, my Lady." Knight now forcefully stood up but in a low, not hurting voice called out as all the women in the room looked up to him, in attention of what he wanted to say.
"And what do you mean by that?" Lady Hardington questioned, her voice becoming bitter after each word coming out of her mouth.
"Lady Evelyn…" This made Lady Hardington sharply look at him, as if, incase he were to utter another word from his mouth, she would kill her, "I mean," paused, carefully thinking of what to say then, "I was in search for fresh flowers, for my garden in Lady Evelyn's! I seem to have quite gotten lost on my search for a flower growing Lordship!" He added, hoping that Lady Hardington would at least let him go.
"Well destiny takes peak when least expected!" Lady Hardington said smiling, as Knight looked up to the Hardington's watch on top of the wall wherever he stood. It was already nine, and he needed to leave.
"Of course, Lady Hardington, destiny is one big of a player in every human's life. Isn't it!" Knight nervously responded, tensing up on what to say next, "I am—" paused, "I deeply regret this misunderstanding, and your girls are such darlings for any man to pursue. I greatly look forward to the next ball, where I shall have the opportunity to take into the dance floor, one of these beauties. However, now—" paused again, in thought, "now, I have to make haste! I left quite early, and Lady Evelyn, especially in check of her aging self, might worry much of my disappearance. Not quite a good thing right?" Knight craftily finished, making sure his word was utterly neutral, and not hurting on the recipient's side.
"Of course Prince Harry! It's a shame, we thought oddly different. But you could still have at least one conversation with Harriet," the one whose hand was pulled, "It would be a shame leaving without having a conversation!"
Indeed, Knight knew Lady Hardington was a hard nut when it came to running away from her desires.
"I would love that," He respectfully stated, not meaning it though, "but, I… My timing is quite limited, today. I shall acquaint myself in a more respectable manner, not in a cold breeze and in empty pockets!"
"Seems you really wish to leave? What is it did Lady Evelyn state of my daughters that you so want to leave hastily? Which lad seeks not to even listen to a ladyship's chants and melodies?" Lady Hardington harshly mouthed, taking Knight by surprise. He expected no much of such kind of bad mouth from her. Most ladyships would just appreciate your visit and let you leave.
"I, I meant no disrespect! Am a man of my word, and I indeed would be humbled to sit and speak of all stories liked or not, with your daughters, on your lavishing grey couch. Indeed I would love! But what makes a man, off me, if I am to listen to—" paused, "to stories, if my preparation was not inorder? I cannot come to acquaint myself to a lady, without showcasing my charm. As I have earlier dictated, I look forward to the next ballroom where I can dance with one of the girls' and formally acquaint myself." He finished.
"You came here not for the girls did you? You like the girls less right?"
"I meant not that—" Knight fast corrected.
"Leave! Well leave!!" Lady Hardington shouted onto Knight as she touched her forehead in frustration.
"I shall take my leave. My apologies for intruding!"
With that, Knight walked through the space towards the Hardington's living room, up the two stairs, and to the Hardington mansion front door, as the guards opened it, and he significantly opened one of his tailcoat buttons, as he walked down the outside Hardington mansion stairs, to the lawn that paved its way out to the gate. On the gate, seeing how curiously the guards looked at him, he removed a gold coin and gave one of them, as they opened the small gate for him and walked out of the Hardington mansion and compound.
Outside, as expected, five carriages were already parked on the front gate of the Lancaster mansion, and men were seen each with flowers on their hands. Knight looked at them in frustration, as he wondered first, why time had tricked him, and second, why he was too slow to understand Lady Evelyn's statement.
However, he decided to walk back to the Lancaster mansion, despite having nothing with him. Lady Victoria would surely see him as the biggest failure of all the Princes who had come to ask for her hand, but better be acquainted as a failure, than not being at all.
On arrival at the Lancaster gates, he looked at his boots, which were still clean, buttoned his tailcoat, slightly touched his chin, and entered through the gates…, only to be found by approximately seven eligible bachelors in line, in front of the Lancaster mansion front door.
'This race was no joke!' He thought to himself.
"Brother…" Prince Edward called out from Knight's back, and he looked back, to find one of their guards carrying a baby peacock, inside a white cage. In normal sense, Knight would laugh, but in this sense, Knight was surprised and jealous! His brother was surely doing the most in this competition.
"A baby peacock?" Knight questioned, as they both looked at each other.
"You seem happy not for me?" Prince Edward, Knight's brother, smirked, questioning, and added, "Lady Victoria deserves all."
"Am quite happy for you!" Knight added, fake smiling.
"You haven't started chasing yet? You come here to stand in this line, without carrying within you something?" Prince Edward questioned, becoming suddenly serious, "you are to disgrace our family name by not bringing Lady Victoria anything?" He suddenly lectured,
"Family…," Lord Hordy came in to neutralize the heated conversation, as his gaze turned to Knight, from up, where he wore a cap, to down, where he wore black boots. "I wonder whose looks you stole from, Harry, you sure—"
"Excuse me!" Prince Edward stated, cutting Lord Hordy short, as he walked his way up, passing the lined men, to the Lancaster mansion front door.
"You sought to introduce yourself as this?" Lord Hordy questioned, referring to the fact that Knight had no flower, no nothing.
"Let's go to the room!" Knight stated in disappointment, as he looked over the lined men, and past them to the door, with his brother pursuing the guards to seek him through.
"Brother is—" he wanted to say words like winning, making it, but his mind could not fathom the thought of Victoria really being grasped away from his watch. In truth, Lady Evelyn in this would say, Blood is thicker than water, but when it comes to love –a man's heart knows no blood!