"You really had it rough this morning!" Lord Hordy exclaimed, pointing out the amount of clothes on Knight's small bed in his room, and the opened portmanteaus. "You fear not someone entering?" He suddenly questioned, as he made himself comfortable on the left corner of the bed, by slightly shoving aside the few waistcoats and tailcoats placed there.
"It was all for nothing, backfired on me!" Knight disappointedly replied, as he distantly watched the incoming admirers of Victoria, and those leaving.
"You bought nothing! You know you are better in appeasing a lady more than what you just showcased!" Lord Hordy neutralized.
"Indeed," paused, and, "Indeed, that was the plan.., I was to head and buy some well-off bouquet of flowers – some pink roses and whites." He sarcastically laughed at that and, "But it seemed I had not quite gotten Lady Evelyn's joke! That night, next day after our arrival in London." Knight added disappointedly, as he pulled the sole wooden chair in the room and sat on it, his now hazel brown eyes fully on Lord Hordy, who was scrutinizing Knight's clothes in the portmanteaus opened in front of him.
"Which joke? I barely think she tells any joke does she? All she does tell is gossip and truth in jokes." Lord Hordy truthfully stated, trying much to remember the joke Lady Evelyn had stated, on the next day of their arrival in London – he barely pays attention to conversations, Lord Hordy. It was one of his most acquainted characters.
"Exactly," Knight added, laughing to himself knowing he should have taken the statement not as a joke, but a serious parable, or whatever message Lady Evelyn had been trying to convey.
"I went to buy the flowers on the 'large black door' only to be amazed by being welcomed in by Lady Hardington. Have never felt embarrassed, especially, at the look of her face when she realized I was no caller for her daughters." Knight honestly added, making Lord Hordy laugh loud, now getting the joke Knight was talking about. The joke of 'flowers having withered away a year' his mind reconstructed.
"You worry not, brother, ha!" paused, still laughing, "you, alone not, even Edward, seven morning, the next day after the Winchester ball, he was at Hardington's in search of fresh flowers for Lady Victoria. But you know how subtly cold he can be when he realizes the area he visited was a little misjudged or he probably had got lost. He spoke not to them, but just turned and left, without a word, later Lady Evelyn apologized to him, on the dinner table, stating that she had become too above average judgy of his wit, seemed average he was!" Lord Hordy stated, as Knight surprised. His eyes widely opened, on Lady Evelyn's reply, and imagined Edward's face when he realized he had quite not gotten Lady Evelyn's statement of the Hardington family.
"Lady Evelyn is quite a bluestocking lady! That elderly..." Knight sighed, still in shock of the reply, knowing so well, he was no different from his brother Edward who was called average.
"I stayed a while, felt it would be disrespectful leaving instantly, without explanation!" Knight explained as Lord Hordy nodded, "the girls are fairly nice in features and attraction, but they quite lack something within them. Except the last born of the four, she looks utterly different."
"I know not much of them. If she charms you, you have a right_"
"No, I just complimented her looks, and her standing posture—"
"—seemed forced! I remember, brother." Lord Hordy again finished Knight's correcting sentence.
"You sure wish to stand in line to compete with Edward?" Lord Hordy added questionably. He somehow had forgotten, he too had been in line at the Winchester ball, and was lucky to dance with Lady Victoria, despite her brother Andrew, slightly scaring him. However, he told Knight nothing of this –the dance.
"Am still in thought of it." Knight added, as Lord Hordy slightly stood to observe the distant leaving guests.
"You think Edward left?" Lord Hordy questioned.
"Why?"
"Lady Evelyn offered one carriage, he, leaving me would mean trouble! I should go..." Lord Hordy, added without waiting for Knight's reply, as he slightly scratched the door in remembrance of something, "and when do you plan to come back, Lady Evelyn might write to mother that you seek not society interactions, and it might turn out chaotic for you. You wish not, to have an Italian princess brought for you to marry!" Lord Hordy warned, as he reached the door knob with him carrying one of Knight's black caps that was on the bed.
"I want no princess! I shall visit before the Viscount's ball. I believe the ball is in a weeks?" Knight questioned as Lord Hordy nodded,
"I take my leave!" Hordy added, slightly wearing Knight's black cap, leading to Knight giving playful questionable eyes, as Hordy laughed and left the room.
With Hordy out, Knight started to carefully fold back the clothes and perfectly place them on the bag. He was taught how to do it by one of the maids, but somehow, he still fumbled on keeping collars up and perfectly folding the tailcoats. However, all he just wanted was all the clothes to fit in the portmanteaus and okay, he would be.
As he folded, each cloth, one by one, his mind quietly shifted from the concentration of the clothes to Lady Victoria. He wondered what it was the other admirers told her. Was it just giving her flowers, the same old teachings they taught themselves? Was it telling her how large and big their incomes were? Knight wandered, still halfway from finishing inserting the clothes into their perfect place.
His brother, who was greatly and fully focused on winning this competition, had even bought a beautiful young male peacock and, he believed, the next day, he would for sure bring a female compatriot.
He wandered within himself, now sitting on the bed with one cloth left to fold, "One of the suitors had brought a peacock, others had brought flowers of distinct varieties and looks, and the Viscount's ball was a week in time, meaning, Lady Victoria would choose the one, either lone or two, who would dance with her that ball. Nonetheless, Knight knew, even much he would acquaint himself as early as today or tomorrow, he would get no chance of dancing with Lady Victoria, the following Viscount's ball. However, he lay on the foundation that being charming is one thing, and being chosen is another paradox.
Quietly, still, unknowingly, he had already lain on his bed wandering what he ought to do, clearly his plan seamlessly perceiving - unsucceeded. He thought of all things he saw Lady Victoria do. Like the way she nervously tapped her hand on the table when the countess, during their evening meals, asked her about her subjective thoughts of the suitors; or the way she nervously scowled her face when her brother Andrew interrupted her conversing; or the way she steadily ate in full when pork meat was served, but her mother would later confront the maids on giving the girl food rich in fat, leading to her eating vegetables and a piece or two of meat.
Knight thought deeply about Victoria, each thought, he hoped, would break out something of interest that might make him at least noticeable by her. He remembered her caring nature when he was burnt; what of posing as a burnt man? He brushed that off, stating that would be cony and overly manipulative, it would surely wipe off all the respect and charm, not only for him but for all the Welsh princes.
His thoughts broke down every aspect of physical action he ever saw Lady Victoria do, even the slightest of it. He wondered why she felt obtusely open to the maids and him, meaning the guards, and not just speak of the matters with her following sister Amelia, who Knight had quite deduced as a quite intelligent girl. He hardly scratched his brain for an interesting gap, but certainly, as least expected by he, all thoughts led to a blank page. There was no way, no trick he could use to stand out, other than standing at the lengthy line, like all other men seeking her hand and acquaintance.
He thus rose, in disappointment, from his bed as he now closed the portmanteaus, saddened by the fact that his mind was not even helping in being tricky, to at least stand out. In disappointment, as he was shoving the bag back to its previous position, under the room's small bed, he saw the paper that Lord Hordy had written to him about the steps of lighting a fire. As he read the words again slowly, he remembered Lady Victoria's disappointed scowl on that day he was to take Andrew to the brothel when he met Hordy there. That disappointed scowl of hers, when he interrupted her as she was reading a book, in addition to the sudden twist of monologue, right when he escorted her to her room, after she indistinctly complained and talked about the night time weather in comparison to Lancaster, she fast turned to her book, and was suddenly so quiet.
And Knight knew... as all book lovers love, they enjoy a good writing...