Chapter 62 Return to London 24 Unfriendly Visitors
As I entered the ballroom, the melodious sound of violins greeted me. The musicians at the Theatre Royal were truly on a different level from those at a country dance. Even if I sat nearby and didn't dance at all, it felt like I was attending a high-quality concert.
The crystal chandelier in the ballroom's dome hung too high, so the light was scattered, making the figures in the room seem hazy. On the dance floor, people moved slowly to the music. The popular London waltz lacked the lilting tune of a country lyre, and paired with a variety of ornate masks, it felt a bit unreal.
Heather took off her cloak and handed it to the waiter waiting at the door. A young lady wearing a butterfly mask came up with champagne.
"Mary, is that you? This mask really suits you. Let's go downstairs and have some fun!" said a young lady who had befriended Mary at an afternoon tea party. With her aunt's permission, Mary and her sisters walked arm in arm to the dance floor. Anna followed them downstairs with a glass of champagne, insisting she had to dance with at least five handsome gentlemen tonight.
Dancing was mainly an activity for young people, and Heather followed the maid who led the way to the rest area on the second floor, where she could play cards and chat with the ladies she knew.
As she ascended the stairs, Heather realized just how small London's upper crust was. In just over a month, she had become a familiar face. Tonight's ball wasn't packed with guests, and Heather chatted with acquaintances along the way. These included people she'd met at Mrs. Banks's botanical salon, people she'd met at afternoon tea, people who'd received her gift boxes, and even those who'd sat in the wings at the subscription meeting. Some of them were close friends, while others secretly mocked her for her pursuit of attention and money. Overall, more than a third of the people in the lounge had heard of Heather Lawrence.
Heather was dragged to the card table by a lady she knew to play whist. After diligent study and practice, she had mastered the basic rules. Although her card skills were average, she was still able to make up the numbers.
There were four people at the table, and there were two ladies sitting next to them who didn't want to leave and just wanted to watch. Among them, Mrs. Fox and Heather on the left were the most familiar.
Mrs. Fox said, "I'd say that hand cream is incredibly useful. Normally, when we do a hand treatment at home, it takes a long time and leaves our hands greasy and smelling bad. With this hand cream, I can easily reapply it whenever I go out. My daughter loves the jasmine scent. Heather, please leave five sets for me, and I'll send the servants for them tomorrow."
A lady nearby said sarcastically, "That hand cream is nice, but it's too expensive. I didn't say that. I heard Mrs. Clayton tell someone last time that you, Mrs. Lawrence, are just out in the open doing business. She also said that your eagerness to make money is unbecoming of aristocracy."
Heather smiled, not angry. "Mrs. Miller, it's because I'm not as generous as you. My essential oils are all extracted from the finest real flowers. One flower, after distillation, doesn't even make 1ml. You know how expensive flowers are in London these days. If you have time, you can go to the farms and greenhouse plantations in the suburbs and ask around. You'll understand how much this jar of hand cream costs."
Mrs. Fox also chimed in, "Louisa, that Mrs. Clayton is talking nonsense. You can't follow her lead. There's a long wait for some of Heather's rare essential oils, and I don't want her to quit. Even if the royal family can't just give away such expensive plants shipped from overseas, paying a small fee is only natural. This is just normal courtesy, and it has nothing to do with public appearances."
Mrs. Miller said quickly, "That's not what I meant. It's just that my daughters are all clamoring for several boxes to give to their friends. A can is less than a month's use, so it's not cheap. Besides, this year's land income is..."
Heather expressed her understanding: "That's just the price of the gift box, so the cost is naturally higher. If you want to use it yourself, you can choose our new refills or essential oils made from local plants, which are only half the price." After the game, she asked Lena to give the new products to the ladies at the table to see.
Mrs. Miller was delighted. "That's great! You don't know how much my eldest daughter depends on your essential oils. But you'd better be careful with Mrs. Clayton. I've heard her say bad things about you behind your back more than once."
Mrs. Stocker, speaking from the other side, chimed in, "She's been badmouthed by so many people. I'd say the one she hates most is Miss Anna Wellesley, who's the same age as her. Mrs. Lawrence and Miss Wellesley are close friends, so she's definitely remembered that. But bad words always spread faster than good ones, and who knows, maybe one day it'll actually have some bad consequences."
Heather took note of it and planned to ask Anna about it when she got back.
Time passes the fastest at the card table. Before you know it, the person holding the cards has changed several times.
Ding, a crisp bell sound made people stop talking, and the band had changed to softer background music at some point. The host of the banquet was about to speak.
"Let's go downstairs and take a look. Our necks are almost stiff from sitting for so long." Many people on the second floor had the same idea as Mrs. Fox. They walked downstairs in groups of three or four and gathered in the center of the dance floor.
"Why isn't it the Countess, today's host?" Mrs. Fox whispered in Hazel's ear. "It's Mrs. Clayton. What is she going to say? I heard her husband and the Earl are distant relatives. I wonder why the Countess gave her the job of giving the speech."
Heather didn't say anything. She looked at Mrs. Mason who was anxiously pushing her way over here for some unknown reason, and she had a bad feeling in her heart.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." Mrs. Clayton had not worn a mask since a while ago, but this was not surprising. Half of the people who did not go down to the lounge area on the second floor to dance had taken off their masks that were in the way. Only the young people who were dancing strictly followed the rules.
"The esteemed Countess has left the room due to fatigue. As a young junior, I can't offer any interesting speeches and don't want to disrupt everyone's spirit, so I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce two new friends to you. Everyone here is a familiar face in the social circle, but these two friends of mine just arrived in London last week. As their introducer, it's my duty to help them integrate into the community."
A lady nearby curled her lips: "Just arrived in London? He must be a country bumpkin."
Mrs. Mason finally came to Heather after apologizing all the way: "Mrs. Lawrence, there is a problem. I will take you out first and talk to you later."
Heather didn't understand why she was pulled by her arm, but they were forced to stop before they could take two steps.
"Mrs. Lawrence," said Clayton, who was in the middle, raising his voice. "Are you leaving? But I'm afraid these two friends of mine are acquaintances of yours. I thought you might like to stay a while and see them."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone around turned to look at Heather. She was now completely unable to leave.
Heather smiled and patted Madeline's hand, then looked at Clayton: "My acquaintances? I'm not sure if there's any acquaintances in London I can't remember that I need you to introduce to."
Several elderly gentlemen realized that what was about to happen was probably a woman's witty remarks, so they turned back to their seats in boredom and asked the maid to bring another bottle of wine.
Mrs. Clayton understood that everyone's patience was limited, so she didn't waste any more time. Of course, she couldn't wait to get to the point:
"Miss Keese, bring Leo here quickly. It seems Mrs. Lawrence is so comfortable living in London that she has even forgotten her family in France."
Behind her, a young woman and a boy emerged. The woman wore a pale French cotton dress with frayed lace at the collar and a perfectly placed pearl necklace. Her face was deliberately pale, and the corners of her eyes were red, as if she'd just cried. When she raised her hand to gather her hair, a thin gold bracelet slipped from her sleeve, which she quickly pushed back in place.
The boy looked about seven or eight years old. His dark formal jacket was a bit too big, with the cuffs rolled up three times, covering his fingers. The material was high-end. His hair was slightly messy but clean, and his cheeks were pale. He clutched the hem of the woman's clothes and looked at her timidly, as if he wanted to shrink behind her every second.
Mrs. Clayton walked up to the boy, took his hand and pulled him out: "Leo, what are you afraid of? Mrs. Lawrence is your legitimate stepmother. She is living well in London, thanks to your father who left a way out for you and your son." She counted all of Heather's property as inheritance, not mentioning the most sour aromatherapy salon before.
This was a public exposure of a mean stepmother, a common sight in aristocratic circles, yet it felt fresh every time. Those who were unfamiliar with Heather or who had a faint disdain for her were content to sit back and watch the drama unfold, but the ladies who were close to her were anxious. Bringing her in unannounced was a public disgrace to her.
Heather was also a little confused. She had expected someone to come and rob her property, but she hadn't expected this unrelated "son" to actually come to London so soon. No wonder he looked so familiar the moment she saw him. He was the same honest and kind-hearted man as Earl Lawrence. However, this showed that their situation in France was probably very difficult, otherwise they wouldn't have risked their lives to come to England. The property Lawrence secretly gave them was enough for them to hide for several years.
"Mrs. Clayton, what do you mean? My husband may have died, but not just anyone can frame him. I don't know either of these people. I've never even met them."
Perhaps because she was too skilled in acting confused, everyone around her began to believe it. Even Mrs. Clayton turned to look at the woman suspiciously.
Emma Giss was immediately anxious, not caring about maintaining her pitiful expression for a moment. "You're lying. It's fine if you say you haven't seen me, because I... I'm just the former lady's sister and haven't been to the Earl's Mansion in many years. But how can you lie and say you haven't seen Leo? He's the Earl's only son."
Giles was certain that Heather had seen Leo. She had often hidden behind the window to watch Lady Lawrence, who had come with the Earl to visit his illegitimate son. Although the legitimate lady had never gotten out of the carriage, she could secretly rejoice for days just by looking at the hands that lifted the curtains.
So what if she was a lady? It was just an excuse for the Count to escape from France. The Count's heart was never with her for a moment. She had been married in France for ten years and didn't even have a child.
Thinking of this, she almost couldn't keep her expression. That useless man died too early, allowing this shield who should have been trapped for the rest of his life to return to England and live a happy life.
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