Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Henrik Spencer?
Louisa's thoughts came true the next moment.
The orchestra played melodious piano music, the soprano singer's voice was powerful, and the beautiful notes covered the party.
The ladies maintained their dignified postures, concentrating on enjoying the music. Lady Violet, in the center, closed her eyes, mesmerized. Just as the soprano's head cavity resonated, the note rising to the top of the head, the atmosphere around them suddenly tensed, and then whispers broke out.
"Oh! Who is she?"
"I don't know, I heard it was..."
…
Violet's heart tightened and she slowly opened her eyes - she saw a golden-haired girl walking slowly towards her not far away. She was wearing a plain blue dress that had nothing to do with luxury, and there wasn't a single glowing stone on her body that was worth mentioning.
Everyone cast their eyes towards the old lady and acted according to her expression.
After a long silence, Violet said expressionlessly: "Audrey Normand?"
The blonde lady had come closer and gave an impeccable ladylike greeting: "Yes."
The smiling girl in front of me is Isabel Norman.
Violet was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and said, "Louisa, I think I need smelling salts!"
Louisa: "Oh! Grandma! Are you out of breath?"
The scene fell into a small commotion. Louisa hurriedly ordered the servant to bring smelling salts and cast an apologetic look at Isabel. In the instant she glanced at her, she suddenly realized something was wrong.
Isabel smiled at her quietly.
Even though he was dressed simply, he was clean and tidy, especially his feet... which were not covered in mud as Louisa had expected.
Louisa paused, her eyes slowly moving upwards, fixing on Isabel's face.
The two of them stared at each other across the crowd. His ice-blue eyes were as calm as a lake, as if he could see through all the calculations in her heart.
-
Twenty minutes ago.
Walking along the muddy path, Isabel and Emily's shoes were terribly dirty, even the hems of their skirts were stained. Not to mention the sweat on their foreheads and their messy hair, they looked like homeless people who had accidentally stumbled into the manor.
Emily panted and saw the tall castle not far away. She said excitedly, "We're almost there! Miss, let's go!"
As he spoke, he pulled Isabel's hand, but the latter held it down.
"No." Isabel looked at the clear lake, where the two people's miserable faces were reflected. "We can't go on like this."
Andrew and the master behind him must be planning something ahead to intimidate outsiders.
It is neither light nor heavy, it is both a warning and a test.
She could neither completely follow the trick nor completely avoid it - it was her first appearance, and the other party wanted to test her strength, and she could also take this opportunity to understand the situation in the manor.
Emily watched as Isabel walked towards the tree by the lake and, using the thick trunk as a cover, actually began to take off her clothes?!
"Eh... Miss Audrey! What are you doing?"
"As you can see, put on a clean dress and shoes." Isabel neatly untied her hair and rearranged it. "Come and help me untie my dress."
Emily panicked. While helping Isabel change her clothes, she looked around and was relieved to find that there was no one here.
"Miss, I must say, this is too risky!" Emily's voice trembled. "If someone passes by, it will be all over! A respectable lady being seen naked... Oh! I can't imagine it!"
Isabel chuckled and took out new clothes from the box. "Relax, silly girl. Butler Andrew will never allow other living people to appear on this road. That would ruin the plan of 'a country girl accidentally stumbling into a grand event'."
"But..." Emily was still very nervous, her hands shaking as she tightened her bra, "What if some unlucky bastard accidentally stumbles in..."
As soon as he finished speaking, a stone was suddenly thrown into the lake, making a "dong" sound.
At the same moment, Emily's hair stood up and she let out a short scream: "Ah!"
"Who?! Who is it?!" Emily panicked, "Miss, is there anyone?"
She looked left and right, and saw endless flat grasslands around her, and the small woods in the distance were deserted!
To be honest, the moment the stone was thrown into the lake, Isabel's movements also paused for a few seconds.
There were few things beyond her control, but not all of them. This was clearly one of those small things that were beyond her control.
Isabel didn't look up, just stared at the water.
The clear water mirrored the girl's graceful figure, outlined by her corset, her snow-white skin gleaming in the sunlight. In the reflection, a large tree, over a century old, with lush branches and leaves, emerged from behind its thick trunk in mid-air, a fragment of clothing peeking out, and two legs crossed, dangling leisurely.
This is obviously the culprit who threw the stone.
Emily was still frantically searching, even coming up with a terrifying guess: "There's clearly no one here! I heard that the plants and trees in the historic manor are spiritual and will give birth to elves! Could Charvis also have one..."
Suddenly, someone sneered.
Emily jumped up with a cry of "Ouch!" like a startled bird. She finally found the source of the sound - in the tree above her head.
"Who's there?! Come down!" Emily bravely stood in front of Isabel and said, "Listen, our young lady is the future Duchess! Oh, Audrey Norman! If you dare to tell anyone about what happened today, the Duke will not forgive you!"
After a moment, the sound of pages turning could be heard. The person, seemingly reading, snorted in annoyance at being interrupted. "Audrey Norman? Please understand, you're the one who trespassed on my property and stripped naked without explanation. It seems like this could damage my reputation, so I'm the one who should be issuing a warning."
Emily was dumbfounded: "..."
During their conversation, Isabel calmly put on her clothes and even had time to put the dirty clothes back into the box, acting like a respectable lady again.
She adjusted her hair facing the water, glancing at the figure in the treetops. She asked nonchalantly, "I'm trespassing into your territory? May I ask who you are?"
"Why should I reveal my identity? It won't help me with the blackmail I'm going to carry out in the future." The man's voice was cold and calm.
Emily rolled her eyes and said, "It's over! He really is a scoundrel!"
Emily was already immersed in the fear of being blackmailed in the future, but Isabel didn't even raise her eyelids. "Go ahead, I have three moles on my body and a butterfly birthmark on my waist. I hope you can use my scandal to get 10,000 Ceylon rupees from the Duke of Spencer."
"Ten thousand?" the man sneered. "You underestimate the importance of the title of Duchess."
"Maybe, maybe more, but so what?" Isabel raised her eyebrows and said slowly, "You'll be dead before you get the check."
The man retorted, "But you're also ruined, aren't you?"
"Let's just say that. To avoid both of us getting into trouble, I suggest you keep your mouth shut." Isabel paused and shrugged. "Otherwise, if a woman's naked body is seen, it won't cause a catastrophe, but if a man other than the Duke dares to look at the Duchess naked, his life will surely be in danger."
The man clapped sloppily. "Oh, wonderful threat."
Isabel chuckled, pinned the wide brim of her lace dress politely with a hatpin, and then stood up after checking that her clothes were neat in the water.
Changing clothes on the way and being seen by a man was just a minor incident for her, not causing any waves. However, she would not leave herself with hidden dangers unless necessary.
"Mr. Scoundrel, I suggest you state your name."
The rain stopped and the sky cleared. Isabel's skirt fluttered in the breeze, her wide-brimmed hat shading her icy blue eyes. Before leaving, she looked up at the treetops and smiled, "Otherwise, I will investigate one by one and eventually find out who you are. Of course, a high-profile investigation and a peaceful concealment of the truth will have completely different results."
“It’s really scary.”
The man let out a short laugh, as if he was truly attracted to her at this moment.
Isabel didn't stand there waiting, but walked towards the castle with the box in her hand.
Halfway through, I heard a sound coming from behind.
"Henrik Spencer. The third young master of the Duke's Mansion."
Behind the tree trunk, the pages of the book closed at some point, and a pair of black eyes watched the girl's receding back.
Isabel kept walking, seemingly not paying attention to the voice behind her.
But in his mind he silently remembered—Henrik Spencer?
Emily was left behind by Isabel to guard the luggage.
Isabel's eyes flickered slightly, and she walked towards the banquet area holding the hem of her skirt.
Turn back the clock to this moment.
Isabel waited for the commotion to pass, her face showing neither panic nor guilt.
As we all know, smelling salts always come in handy when a show of shock is needed, just like a musician's baton or a chef's spice shaker. Without the right prop, the Duchess would have found it difficult to express her doubts and disdain for the country girl's dress sense.
Just like now, Violet took the smelling salts and sat up straight without even opening the bottle cap, as if she had woken up from a dream, and hoped that Isabel in front of her would disappear.
Isabel met Violet's scrutinizing gaze, then stepped forward and bent her knees in a ladylike manner.
"Madam Violet, nice to meet you, and greetings."
"Hello, Miss Norman." Violet had a blank expression on her face, but she raised a standard Ceylon aristocratic sarcastic smile.
She looked from Isabel's head to her feet. If conditions were not limiting, she would probably have checked even the soles of her feet to see how much mud was on them.
Isabel let her look at her, a smile on her lips, and nodded to the others: "Nice to meet you, hello everyone."
"Oh! Hello, Miss Norman." The ladies of each family responded with warm smiles, while also judging the girl in front of them - knowing that the Duke's Mansion would welcome a new lady from Rosen County, everyone was very curious.
At first glance, the girl's simple attire stood out from the others' dazzling jewels. But a closer look revealed her bright eyes, neatly combed hair, and graceful and courteous manners; she was a truly exceptional young lady.
Violet obviously noticed this too.
The country girl didn't seem to have brought shame to the Spencer family, which made the old lady loosen her grip on the smelling salts.
The author has something to say:
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That year, apricot blossoms and a light rain fell, you said you were the King of Guo (Heng) County (Li). [covering face and peeking]
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