The Price of Pride

Chapter One

"A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you."

-C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Georgiana

"But who is she?"

"I just told you-"

"No one can be that beautiful-"

"-nor that blue-blooded!"

"Did you see the gown she's wearing?"

"-straight from Madame Victoire's, I tell you!"

"But Madame Victoire overprices!"

Whispers and stares followed Lady Georgiana Allaway as she passed through the ballroom. Whenever she passed someone, that person-whether lady or gentleman or simply a servant-bowed or curtsied immediately, avoiding her eyes.

"Well?" Georgiana demanded, as she reached the end of the room. "Carry on! A ball won't last forever, you know." She glanced up at the musicians, silently daring them. Immediately, the music started up again and the people resumed dancing, though they still stole glances at her. It wasn't every day that the daughter of the Duke of Roche would grace their halls, after all.

Georgiana cast a critical eye around the ballroom. The hangings weren't in prime condition - the velvet was slightly fraying. The candles cast a very dim glow around the molded cream walls of the ballroom. The room may have been large, but it certainly wasn't very well-kept.

"My lady?"

Turning around slowly, Georgiana faced the young woman who had dared to approach her directly. The woman was about her age, and quite pretty enough, her brown locks piled softly atop her head.

"I don't know if you remember me, my lady," the woman continued, "but I am Miss Hannah Mason, your neighbor before you went to France."

"Oh," Georgiana said, raising her eyebrow delicately. "Of course, Miss Mason. Your...tempers are rather hard to forget."

Hannah smiled at her, embarrassed. "Yes, I seem to recall those episodes. Has it really been eight years since I last saw you, Georgiana?"

"Lady Georgiana," Georgiana corrected almost unconsciously. "You seem to forget your place, Miss Mason."

Hannah blinked. "Oh, I sincerely apologize...my lady. However, may I say you look exceedingly beautiful tonight?"

A cough sounded behind Georgiana, but she simply ignored it. The person coughed again, making Hannah say, "Oh, come on. That's not how you greet people politely, especially not daughters of dukes."

"I was simply trying to catch your attention," a man said, stepping forward. "Not that much was required." He glanced at Georgiana. "Hello, Georgiana."

Georgiana was the one to blink this time, only vaguely recognizing the man. "Colin?"

The man smiled. "And here I was thinking you'd forgotten me," he said. "I see my sister got to you before me," he said, noting Hannah's appearance. "Georgiana, how are you?"

Immediately, Hannah started coughing and desperately trying to motion simply with hand signals, were it possible, that Colin use Georgiana's honorific. Sadly, her efforts were wasted, as Georgiana herself was already opening her mouth to speak.

""It's Lady Georgiana," she corrected. Surprisingly, she didn't feel tired of correcting people, simply resigned to doing it.

"My brother here is very untactful," Hannah said, trying to save Colin the embarassment, and promptly forgetting that she had done the same herself. "He seems to remember your childhood, and not..." she hesitated slightly.