Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Bella/Miss Howard, please...
After the wedding, everyone changed into their attire and attended an evening party. The next day, they immediately went to a private banquet hosted by Philip and his wife.
It was called a private banquet, but in fact it was a small gathering of high-ranking aristocrats.
The Elector families rarely gather in Möllenwijk, and the royal duke's wedding is an opportunity to exchange resources.
Philip has a special status. For his face, the Queen, who never likes to participate in private occasions, rarely comes in person.
Heinrich and other family leaders, as well as officially granted lords and ladies, such as Philip and his wife, Sophia, etc., all need to meet the Queen first.
The non-titled nobles like Isabel and Louisa waited outside. If the Queen summoned them, a royal guard would inform them. Although they usually did not have the opportunity to meet the Queen.
The atmosphere at the private banquet was relaxed, and everyone chatted and laughed freely while waiting.
Many smart ladies would seize this social opportunity. After all, there are not many occasions where top nobles gather together, and among the invited guests, there are always families with slightly lower status who need to climb up.
Howard House is one of them.
As soon as Louisa and Isabel entered the door, they were met by a plump lady wearing a wide-brimmed hat with purple feathers.
"Dear Louisa, long time no see."
Annoyance flashed across Louisa's eyes, but she quickly put on a smile and kissed her face. "Dear sister-in-law, how are my brother and nieces?"
The visitor is Louisa's sister-in-law, the future mistress of Howard's House.
"Thanks to you, everything is fine."
Mrs. Howard looked at Isabel again and sighed, "Oh, Louisa, why don't you introduce this beautiful lady to me?"
Isabel nodded slightly. "Audrey Norman. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Howard."
"So you are the lucky one from Lawson County, Miss Norman!" Mrs. Howard widened her eyes exaggeratedly.
Isabel smiled: "What do you mean by lucky?"
"Oh, God, to be a baroness of Lowsonshire and become the Duchess of Spencer, isn't that a blessing from heaven?" Mrs. Howard said, glancing at Louisa meaningfully. "The pie has fallen on some people's heads before, but she kicked it away."
Louisa's face darkened, but because Isabel was present, she suppressed her emotions and gave Mrs. Howard a warning look.
Mrs. Howard seemed oblivious to this. She raised her chin and glanced at Isabel. "Has Miss Norman ever attended a banquet of this size before?"
Isabel's eyes moved slightly, and she shook her head frankly: "No."
"Oh! I'm so presumptuous! I forgot you came from a small country county." Mrs. Howard smiled. "I heard the people there are simple and honest. Do they hire tutors to teach music and painting?"
Isabel: "Yes, but I'm not very proficient in it."
Mrs. Howard's slightly harsh question attracted the attention of the other ladies. She wanted to say more, but Louisa could no longer bear it and dragged Mrs. Howard to the corner. "Don't provoke her anymore, Penny! When you go out, you represent the reputation of the Howard family! Being mean is not the upbringing of aristocrats! The other ladies will laugh at you!"
"Don't lecture me, Louisa! Are you worried that I'm bringing shame to the Howard family, or are you afraid that her lack of knowledge and talent will bring shame to the Spencer family?" Mrs. Howard sneered and shook off Louisa's hand. "It was you who gave up your right to be a Duchess and ran off with Edmund! Why didn't you consider the Howard family's reputation at that time?!"
Louisa’s face flushed red, and she trembled with anger: “You…you…it’s not your turn to blame me for my affairs!”
"I'm not qualified?! Louisa! Do you think there are impenetrable walls in the Principality of Ceylon? I bet at least half of the people here know about your scandal! You have completely disgraced me, your brother, your parents, your nephews and nieces!" Howard was not willing to be outdone and roared in a low voice.
Louisa's eyes widened, her voice choking in her throat.
"Louisa, listen carefully! It was your brother who stopped me from teaching you a lesson before! Now his words are useless!" Mrs. Howard's words were as fast as a knife. "If you still have any conscience for the Howard family, don't stop me!"
"Penny!" Louisa clenched her fists. "This is Duke Philip's dinner! The Queen is here! The best way to help the Howards is to stay out of trouble!"
"Help?! I originally hoped that you, as her aunt, could become a duchess so that you could help Lilith enter a higher social circle. Now you have ruined her future! You still dare to ask me for help?!" Mrs. Howard's anger was completely ignited when she mentioned her daughter.
She clenched her feather fan tightly and said bitterly, "My Lilith has just come of age! She is gentle and talented, no less talented than the young lady from Brunswick! Even an earl's daughter can marry a royal duke, and if she's lucky, she can even become a queen in the future! And Lilith, a marquis's daughter, has yet to be approached by anyone! Whose fault is this?!"
Louisa could hardly breathe and took several sharp breaths, feeling as if her heart was about to explode!
"So don't stop me, Louisa!" Mrs. Howard glared at her sister-in-law coldly. "I must make Lilith famous and give her a good future! There's no better opportunity than today!"
Looking around, all the guests came from top families.
Mrs. Howard glanced at Isabel with contempt in her eyes: "Even a country baron's daughter like this can become a duchess, why can't my Lilith?!"
Louisa finally caught her breath, but she almost fainted when she heard this. "Penny! She's not as..."
"I've already inquired about it! Audrey Normand has only one respectable relative: her aunt married the Earl of Clarendon. But... I don't think a distantly related aunt is enough to raise a talented niece."
"That's indeed the case. I heard that Audrey Norman's performance at the Earl of Clarence's dinner party was lackluster. How could she compare to Lilith, whom I raised as a role model for a noble lady?" Mrs. Howard's eyes flashed with calculation as she gently waved her feather fan.
"Oh God! If Lilith is not my niece, I will never say another word to you!" Louisa took a deep breath and tried her best to speak rationally.
"Then please shut up!" Mrs. Howard said in a low voice, a cold look in her eyes. "No one is more suitable to be Lilith's stepping stone than the superior but dull and humble Duchess Spencer."
Louisa closed her eyes helplessly and could only watch Mrs. Howard walk towards Isabel with her head held high, gritting her teeth: "Penny! You will regret this!"
-
A man in a purple-red feathered hat was walking through the crowd. Mrs. Howard was waving a feather fan, her eyes fixed on the blonde girl in a light green dress in front of her. She was chatting with a strange lady, her smile natural, neither flattering nor arrogant, but very Duchess-like.
Mrs. Howard sneered inwardly.
If I hadn't found out clearly earlier, I would have been deceived by Miss Norman's appearance like everyone else.
"Miss Norman, I'm sorry for leaving you just now." She came forward with a smile.
Isabel smiled: "It's okay, I had a great time chatting with the other ladies while you were away."
Mrs. Howard's smile froze for a moment. "Really? I was just hearing Louisa say that Miss Norman was elegant and quiet, but I didn't expect she was also very eloquent."
Isabel raised her eyebrows secretly and nodded: "Just consider it as a compliment to me."
"Yes, of course." Mrs. Howard smiled. "Intelligent noble girls are always multi-talented. I just heard you say that your family doesn't have a teacher. I guess your mother has this talent?"
"As far as I know, it's nothing special," Isabel said calmly. "I've already told you, Mrs. Howard, that my talents are mediocre and cannot be compared with yours."
"Oh?! I thought you were joking, dear!" Mrs. Howard exclaimed exaggeratedly, attracting many eyes.
She suddenly waved her hand, "Lilith, come here."
In the corner, a quiet young girl came over and nodded to Isabel.
"Miss Howard."
"Miss Norman."
"This is my daughter, Lilith. She's eighteen years old today, the perfect age for socializing. I don't think Miss Norman is much older than her. I'm sure everyone here will be very happy if you young people play some music to entertain us."
Lilith looked at her mother helplessly, but lowered her eyes under her firm gaze.
You know, showing off your talent without any reason is also laughable and "high-profile".
She was at the age where she cared about her reputation and couldn't save face for a while.
Isabel glanced at Lilith, then at Mrs. Howard. "I don't think this is a good idea. I've already said I'm not very talented. Why do you insist on me showing off?"
"Oh, Miss Norman, excessive modesty is not a quality that a noble should have. It's not difficult to add a few notes to the dull banquet, what do you think?" Mrs. Howard suddenly looked at everyone.
There are quite a few people who have been paying attention to this place for a long time.
Isabel watched as more and more eyes converged on her, her eyes moving slightly.
Mrs. Howard was putting herself on a pedestal.
She admitted early on that her talents were limited and was being modest.
If you refuse again and again, you will really be labeled as a fool.
His ice-blue eyes swept across the room calmly.
Those glances were not friendly at all; most of them were waiting to watch the show and see the future Duchess's background.
In fact, Mrs. Howard grasped this very point.
As the future hostess of the Marquisate, Penny was not impulsive. She knew very well that many people present were interested in the Duchess of Spencer.
It's no secret that well-educated gentlemen and ladies are always suspicious of outsiders, but this contempt and arrogance are well concealed by their polite manners. Take Lady Cynthia, for example, who was chatting and laughing with Miss Norman at the moment. Her gentle eyes were tinged with scrutiny.
Once you find out the other person's true nature, the kindness in your eyes will disappear and turn into polite alienation.
This is nobility.
Mrs. Howard knew it all too well.
All she had to do was to be the first to stand out, satisfy everyone's curiosity, use the Duchess of Spencer as a stepping stone, and then naturally highlight the excellence of her daughter Lilith Howard.
As long as she opens her mouth, someone will respond.
After all, there are more than one company waiting to see the joke.
The seven electoral families present were all prominent and prominent, including the Spencer family's political enemy, the Saxon family.
Every enemy is a master at taking advantage of someone's misfortune, and Mrs. Saxon is no exception.
"We've heard that Charvis is about to welcome a hostess, and we all want to meet you, Miss Norman. Why not take this opportunity to show off your talents?"
Mrs. Saxon walked slowly over, and everyone spontaneously made way for her to walk in front of Isabel.
Facing the scrutinizing smile, Isabel knew that she was in a difficult situation and had to get on with it.
Outside the crowd, Louisa rolled her eyes.
She inexplicably felt that this woman would have a backup plan, but she was also worried that she was really unprepared!
By then, it will be the Spencer family who will lose face!
At this moment, Louisa didn't care about personal grudges and rushed forward, saying, "Why don't I do it! Lilith is my niece, and we have a tacit understanding. We will definitely put on a good show for you. What do you think, Audrey?"
She winked desperately at Isabel.
Those who were waiting to watch the fun refused to do so.
Mrs. Howard saw Louisa blocking the way, and new and old hatreds surged in her heart. She suppressed her anger and smiled: "Louisa, I invited Miss Norman, please move aside!"
Mrs. Saxon was even more blunt, casually saying to those around her, "Ah, I've heard some rumors a long time ago, and it seems they're true. It's better not to show it, because the joke that Mellenvic made would spread throughout the Principality of Ceylon."
The seemingly neutral Lady Cynthia's eyes flickered slightly, and she fanned herself in soothing words, "Please be more tolerant of the ladies, everyone. Not every lady is gifted, otherwise how would we ordinary people survive?"
"Even the most ordinary woman should possess a talent or two, let alone one from an aristocratic family." Mrs. Saxon looked at Isabel with a pointed look. "Our family has endowed us with noble blood, and we shoulder the responsibility of repaying it with outstanding talents and character. If we are not born for family honor, what is the difference between us and ordinary people? Have you forgotten even such a simple truth?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the banquet hall fell into silence, and no one tried to smooth things over.
On the one hand, the Saxon family, as one of the electors, is on par with the Spencer family and has a deep foundation. No one wants to offend Mrs. Saxon.
On the other hand, she had a point.
Nobles are always proud of the antiquity and purity of their bloodline. The antiques handed down from their ancestors and the inheritance they have received are all marks of the family.
Wealth is the soil, education is the rain and dew, and talent is the fragrance. Just as weeds will not grow in a rose garden, anything without a rich fragrance will naturally not be recognized as a rose.
Just as Mrs. Saxon was about to speak, everyone heard a gentle voice.
"Okay, I promise."
Isabel slowly stepped forward, took Lilith's hand, and smiled, "Miss Howard, please choose the music. I'm at my leisure."
Lilith was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded under everyone's fixed gaze, "Okay!"
-----------------------
Author's words: Isabel: Please ask Lang Lang to come over right away (not)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
