A Season of Masks and Masquerades

Chapter 35: Fishing with The Framptons

"And?" Florence exclaimed in utter curiosity.

"And nothing." Esther replied calmly, "Does the brown go better with the dress, by the way?" She added more importantly.

"Esther! How can you not ask the reason?" Florence cried and jumped in front of her.

"Reason for what, Flo?"

"Reason for naming his horse after you!"

"After me? That's absurd. He did not name his horse today, alright!" Esther pointed out, "It certainly has nothing to do with me." She added as she tied the ribbons of the brown hat around her face.

"But he also did not meet you today, now did he?"

"I beg you to stop overthinking-"

"Bless my soul, Esther!" Florence cut her off. "He named his horse after you all those years ago, when you first met! He loved you then and he has been loving you ever since! Isn't that the most romantic thing ever?"

Esther couldn't believe she almost wanted to go along with Florence's dreamy tale. For one thing, she was well aware of how baseless it was. Florence believed it true for she did not know the man in question was not the man Esther was betrothed to as a child. For her, it was a fairy tale that most probably ended with her standing as the protagonist's bridesmaid, for Esther it was almost a nightmare.

"I wish Lord Radcliffe would do something as romantic for me." Florence sighed dreamily.

"Stop it now, will you?" Esther slapped her arm. "And Leo is yet to be a Lord, stop addressing him so and it is not romantic at all. The horse's name has nothing to do with my name. Besides, why would one want to share their name with a horse?"

"Wouldn't mind so much if it were the Duke's horse, to be honest."

"I would," Esther said with her nose held high. "In fact, I am disgusted."

"Is that the reason behind your rosy smile after a fortnight of sulking?" Florence teased her with scanning eyes. "I wonder what made you give up on your anger for His Grace, if not the fact that his most precious horse shares the same name as yours because he is hopelessly in love with you."

"I am smiling, my dear, because we are going fishing today."

"With the man who is hopelessly in love with you," Florence added causing Esther to roll her eyes.

"No man is hopelessly in love with me, Florence," Esther muttered while her face heated up telling a completely different tale.

"Oh, I can wager Lord Gardiner would beg to differ." Florence's comment made Esther lose her shy smile. Florence was wise enough to run for her life in good time.

Esther had a wide smile and huge expectations for the day to come. She was clearly not judging herself enough to realise how stupid she must have looked in anyone else's eyes for forgiving Edward so easily after he stood her up that night for another woman, all but for a horse that shared the same name as her. However, she was far too ecstatic to realise that any soon, so much as she was actually smiling when they reached the lake. The smile however was bound to disappear soon after.

The Sherbornes had expected to spend the day fishing at the lake in the company of the Framptons, The Duke of Dales, fake, however, and Leonardo Radcliffe, for he couldn't leave any opportunity to spend another day with Miss Lewis. However, when they reached the venue, the giggles that were appreciating one of Lord Sherborne's jokes subsided and turned into scowls, the reason being an uninvited addition to the predecided attendees of the event, the very charming Marquess of Rosevale.