Chapter 67 Her husband interrupted her...
Her husband interrupted her romantic reverie: "His Highness the Duke told me that he came to support his friend and that we should treat him as an ordinary guest and not make a fuss. However, as you know, we can't take the words of such an important person seriously. Therefore, you would be better off seeing the ball preparations for yourself, Madam."
Mrs. Maxwell obeyed her husband and went to the housekeeper, still thinking about inviting a few more important guests.
During the first week of April, a ball was held in Grosvenor Square. Before entering, the guests discussed who this important person would be—a count or the heir to a marquis?
Some people are also speculating whether Miss Price really has a dowry of at least £60,000 as rumored. How much money did her brother Richard Price actually make from his sewing machine? It's a pity he's a lowly merchant; Price should try to buy a title from the Duke of Devonshire.
The moment Mary Price appeared, the clamor of voices ceased instantly; the gentlemen and ladies who had never seen her before were stunned by her beauty.
She was like a goddess from Greek mythology descended to earth. Her golden hair shone brightly, brighter than the light in the hall, and the necklace around her neck perfectly accentuated her beautiful blue eyes. One couldn't help but admire her; even the most demanding person couldn't find fault with such a beauty.
Earl Fitzwilliam's youngest son held his breath and muttered to himself, "If Helen of Greece had grown up like Miss Price, I believe she would have indeed caused the Trojan War, and who could blame Paris?"
Baron Brooke, standing beside him, echoed this sentiment, remarking that the young lady's beauty illuminated the entire ballroom.
Just as everyone was captivated by Miss Price's beauty, the most distinguished guest finally arrived and was given the first seat.
"It's His Highness the Duke of Devonshire! This important figure doesn't usually attend balls like this. I didn't expect Sir Edward to be able to invite him. It seems the rumor is true; the Duke and the Duke of Devonshire have a close relationship." The guests began to discuss among themselves.
As the music began, His Highness the Duke invited Miss Price, the undisputed queen of the ball, to dance the first round. While the group danced together, William Cavendish and Mary Price's movements continued to draw everyone's attention; who wasn't curious about the Duke's purpose in coming?
The ladies paid particular attention to the Duke's expression; he was wearing a dark blue suit today, and his usually cold and serious face looked radiant as he danced.
His dancing skills were also superb, and his handsome face complemented Miss Price's beauty perfectly. Everyone had to admit that none of the ladies present were more suitable to dance face-to-face with him than Miss Price.
After dancing for a while, William Cavendish spoke up, "Miss Price, why aren't you saying anything? Are you not used to talking while dancing?"
“I suspect you’re mocking me for talking too much. After all, this is my first time at a ball, and it seems I’m still a long way from getting used to it. It’s just that the scene of us dancing involuntarily reminded me of a novel I’ve read,” Mary said jokingly, recalling the scene of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth’s first dance.
"How could I possibly be sarcastic towards you? It's just that you, Miss, have always had many insightful and thought-provoking views that are beyond the ordinary. I wonder if you could do me the honor of telling me which novel you are reading? So that I can take some time to read it."
"That's a real shame, Your Highness. I've forgotten the name of the book. Do you read novels too? I thought you read works by Voltaire, Montesquieu, Diderot, and Rousseau, or the writings of Hume and Kant."
“Your mentioning these figures proves that you also read their books, doesn’t it? But you misunderstand me. I, like you, prefer another contemporary figure, Goethe.” William Cavendish looked at Mary with a smile.
Mary looked at the duke in surprise. Just then, the song ended, and the two walked off the dance floor. Mary asked, "You really surprise me. I don't remember mentioning to you that I liked him."
William smiled without saying a word. He knew about this because he had seen Mary's copy of "Faust: A Tragedy" in Chatsworth's library. If he were to say it, it would only make the young lady too proud.
Mary didn't care that she hadn't gotten an answer from the Duke, and continued, "But Goethe is indeed very great. Faust will be as famous as Shakespeare's Hamlet. If I go to Europe to study, I must go to Weimar and urge him to finish writing it."
“Study abroad in Europe?” William recalled his own study abroad experience and couldn’t help but suggest, “If you really want to go, I suggest you go to Paris first, then cross the Alps into Italy, and spend a few months in Florence, Venice, Rome and other places, especially Rome, where the ancient architecture will not disappoint you. After that, you can take a boat to Greece, visit the Parthenon ruins that you like, and then go back to Naples, and finally go to German-speaking countries and regions.”
When he saw Mary's envious look, he came to his senses: "I forgot, Miss Price, you need someone to accompany you on your study abroad trip. Your brothers don't seem to have the time, and Sir Edward is probably too old to go abroad now."
"That's right, it's inconvenient for a young lady to go out. I think this approach is completely unreasonable. Your Highness, please stop provoking me!"
Sir Edward then came over and exchanged pleasantries with the Duke. The Duke of Devonshire was having a very pleasant conversation with Mary and was almost annoyed that the old gentleman was so tactless. However, out of respect for Mary's godfather, he exchanged a few words with him.
When the music started again, he and Mary went back to the dance floor. "I'm sorry, Miss Price, I didn't mean to."
“I understand, Your Highness. All these favorable conditions have made you overlook the fact that we are not as fortunate as you, and that we are not entitled to all the rights that society has given you.” As Mary became more familiar with the Duke, she couldn’t help but make a sarcastic remark.
"It sounds like you have a lot of opinions about the nobility!"
“I think I have the right to complain about my current situation. If I were a nobleman, I would definitely ignore the disadvantaged situation of those who are not as well off as me. So Your Highness, you don’t need to take my complaints to heart.”
After the dance, they both felt they hadn't had enough, but William restrained himself. He couldn't give Miss Price the wrong impression, as that would be detrimental to her future and would also go against his original intention of attending the ball.
In fact, apart from this round, the Duke only danced with his mistress, Lady Maxwell, once more, and did not dance with anyone else.
Mary, however, was different. For a lady, refusing a gentleman's invitation was impolite, and she didn't want to stand awkwardly at her first ball. Therefore, she had to dance with Baron Brooke, Lord Richard Fitzwilliam, the youngest son of the Earl of Fitzwilliam, and others. Dancing with these men was utterly unpleasant; listening to their condescending flattery, Mary almost felt that dancing was torture.
The more she danced, the more she realized how rare her first dance partner was, especially since Lord Brooke talked incessantly about his hunting dog. She almost yawned, secretly wishing these men would ignore her so she could stop and rest.
Lord Brooke, oblivious to the situation, continued to boast about his family's long history, from William III to Elizabeth I. Mary inwardly lamented for him; his life seemed devoid of joy beyond boasting about his lineage and hunting. She was only rescued when Colonel Brandon invited her to dance.
On the other side, seeing Mary being harassed by Baron Brooke, William Cavendish almost stepped towards the young lady. He stopped himself when he saw Colonel Brandon walk by, but when he saw Miss Price chatting with the colonel, another kind of displeasure welled up in his heart.
Mary had no idea what the prince was thinking. After learning that this Colonel Brandon was the same Colonel Brandon, she became even more interested in him, and the two of them got along very well talking about the colonel's military experience in the East Indies.
She tried her best to restrain herself from being too rude, but Mary really wanted to know which private school the colonel had placed his adopted daughter in. At that time, the education in many private girls' schools was really inhumane, and she hoped that the poor girl was not suffering in school.
During the intermission of the ball, when everyone sat down for dinner, Mary was surprised to find that the Duke, sitting next to Mrs. Maxwell, looked indifferent and hardly spoke. "He's so strange," Mary thought to herself.
After the meal, as usual, several young ladies were invited to play music or sing. Mary played the piano fairly well, but there were many ladies who played better than her. Therefore, she didn't care about the compliments and played one piece before giving the opportunity to the other ladies to perform.
After a short break, everyone started dancing again. This time, to her delight, Lord Brooke didn't bother her anymore. She danced with her older cousin, Tom Bertram, for a while, and then danced with several other gentlemen. If she hadn't been regularly active, she really wouldn't have been able to stay awake that night.
When the ball ended, Mary noticed that the Duke of Devonshire had become polite again, bidding farewell to the hosts in a friendly manner and displaying elegant gentlemanly manners.
The news that the Duke of Devonshire had attended Sir Edward’s ball in Grosvenor Place the day after the ball spread rapidly through high society. Along with it, the beauty and wealth of Miss Price also spread, and rumors about the Duke of Devonshire and Miss Price reached the ears of some of his relatives.
“William, I was surprised to hear that you attended a ball. I thought that no one but the King and his relatives would do you the honor of attending a ball.”
When Lord Althorp, John Charles Spencer, visited his cousin, he couldn't help but tease him about attending Sir Edward's ball, "What a beauty Miss Price is that she could have captivated the heart of a stone statue like you?"
“John, you are a noble man and should not make such jokes as Frederick. I went there only out of friendship with Sir Edward and Mr. Price.”
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