Aubrey 12

Chapter 12

    

***

    The closer he got, the more Aubrey stumbled backward, her instincts kicking in without her having to think about it. She needed to get away from here.

    "Sorry, you’ve been waiting a while, haven't you?"

    Aubrey turned around just in time to run into Nicholas's arms.

    "What's wrong? You don't look well."

     "Uh, I, uh, I was just......."

    As she hurriedly turned to leave the worried Nicholas, the sound of low heels stopped her in her tracks. The sound of his footsteps was unusually deafening, even in this crowded room.

    "Long time no see."

    His voice was low, and she could almost see the slight hint of arsenic at the end of it. Bare shoulders winced, unable to bear it.

     "Look who it is.”

    Nicholas beamed and offered him his hand, and as they exchanged brief pleasantries, Aubrey didn't look back, squeezing her eyes in horror.

    Let's avoid it for now. And then think about it. I can't think about anything here and now. Just as she was trying to figure out the right moment to escape, Nicholas blocked her path and said.

    "Oh, by the way, you should say hello. Speaking of which, there are some unexpected celebrities at this party tonight, aren't there?"

    The smiling stranger seemed to find the occasion amusing.

    "Miss Aubrey, I thought I'd introduce you to a friend of mine."

    Nicholas said in a playful voice. After a moment's hesitation, Aubrey looked up, barely able to contain her nerves. Would he remember?

    Could he make the connection between the girl who had begged to be spared in hell and the woman in front of him now? Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't. Aubrey closed her eyes tightly and opened them.

    The last time she'd seen him, he was undoubtedly a son of a noble family. And she was a slave. Now she was a lady, so perfect that no one would ever guess she was a slave of Crysis.

    Taking a deep breath, Aubrey turned with a thin smile. But her gaze immediately dropped to her feet. She didn't have the courage to look at him, even his shoes looking threatening.

     "This is Khaled Karnus...... No, you must call him Count Lavonne, and you know this one, Miss Aubrey Sandalwood."

    Nicholas rattled off the introductions he'd repeated several times today, seemingly not tired of it, and Aubrey gripped the hem of her dress with both hands and bent her knees lightly.

    "A pleasure, Miss Sandalwood."

    "Ah, ah, nice to meet you......."

    She didn’t want to do this, she really didn’t want to do this, but she was shaking so badly she thought she was going to bite her tongue. Aubrey took several breaths before she looked up. Her gaze stuttered upward.

    They traveled past the large body, which was intimidating even from the back, and landed on the clear face. Black hair swept over his forehead and flawless white skin. The lines of his face were sharp and imposing. His dark blue eyes stared at her curiously.

     "Nice to meet you."

    "......."

    "Ah, nice to meet you."

    He added, "I have never seen you before." And then something amazing happened. Khaled simply nodded his head. No more words were spoken.

    "Speaking of which, when did you arrive in Marlborough?" (Nicholas)

     "This morning."

     "How's your brother? I'm sure he'll be cured of whatever ails him in that fresh air and water." (Nicholas)

    Soon the two men were engaged in casual conversation, their interest in Aubrey completely gone. She shuffled away, her breath coming out in ragged, nervous gasps.

    Aubrey dived through the crowd and found a seat as far away from the man as possible. She leaned her back against the hard wall. Cautiously, she looked up and saw that the man and Nicholas were still talking.

    Aubrey couldn't take her eyes off his face. Of all the men in the ballroom, he had the most striking physique. She reflected on his appearance before her.

    Perhaps he wasn’t the boy she met before. He was strikingly similar in appearance, but there were bound to be one or two look-alikes in this vast country. Besides, the boy was.......

    “Please sit over here. For God's sake, stop doing nonsense. Do you realize how much this has been delayed because of you, master, and where on earth have you been?”

    Although he was called master, he was mistreated. There was no way a boy like him could be an earl and attend such a lavish ball.

     ‘Of    course not. No, of course not.......’

    Aubrey shook her head in disbelief. No, it couldn’t. It couldn't be him. But she'd recognized him at a glance, even from a mile away. The blue eyes staring back at her were definitely the boy’s. The way her hair stood on end, the way her shoulders twitched at the slightest of his movement.

    Her whole body shook. It was a different kind of certainty than she'd felt when she'd been stumped by Nicholas's question.

     "Miss Aubrey Sandalwood?"

    A cheerful voice called out, followed by a woman with a large puff of dark brown hair and two or three of what appeared to be her pack, their eyes wide. Aubrey hurriedly straightened her posture and bowed lightly.

     "I'm Jenny Delove, I've heard so much about you from my mother, and it's nice to see you here."

    Jenny Delove. Pondering the name, Aubrey remembered Madam Delove in her flamboyant hat.

     "Ah! Hello, Miss Delove. I'm Aubrey Sandalwood."

    "I'm familiar with you."

    Jenny laughed, covering her mouth with her hand as she said it.

    "I've heard all the rumors and wondered what you were like, but....... I'm surprised."

    "What?"

    Aubrey wondered what she meant, but Jenny looked her up and down slowly, then smiled again.

    "Well, have fun."

    Without another word, she led the herd away. Aubrey stared after her, dazed. Rumors abounded, she thought.

    She knew from Trin that things were being said about her. But she didn't know what those words were, and she couldn't help but be bothered by them.

    Besides, Nicholas had referred to her as "that Aubrey." Soon, the music changed and the ranks were reorganized. Pairs of men and women moved to the center of the hall, while the rest of them retreated to the walls.

    The dancers performed the same dance as if they had rehearsed it beforehand. The graceful outstretches of their hands, the beautiful unfurling of the hem of their dresses with each movement, the intimate glances they exchanged. And there she was. Even those who weren't dancing weren't just standing around.

    They bustled about, chatting, pressing their faces close together, exchanging confidences, and then sneaking out of the room. Suddenly, she remembered Trin's words.

    The social scene was like a marriage market. She wondered if that was how everyone found their mates. At the same time, she remembered her purpose for coming here. To find a man who could help her solidify her precarious position.

    With a little effort, her body slumped back against the wall. Instead of dancing like the other guests, Khaled was leaning against the wall, looking bored. His presence was enough to make her feel like he was grabbing her ankle like a shackle.

     * * *

    She'd only danced once, a very awkward dance with a man she'd just seen for the first time today. Patrick Paddingham was a well-mannered gentleman, and he approached Aubrey, who was very awkward at this party, and asked her to dance.

    But Aubrey's only experience with dancing was stealing glimpses of Emily's moves, and she clumsily followed his lead, stepping on his feet.  It seemed like an eternity while everyone else danced in ecstasy, but not only did her whole body feel exhausted after one dance, even her legs lost strength.

    Aubrey staggered out on wobbly legs and took a deep breath. It felt like a breath of fresh air to be out of the heat of the crowd. After taking a moment to catch her breath, Aubrey descended the stairs and headed for the garden on her left.

     Dotted with sculptures large and small, the garden was tranquil and peaceful, and she could faintly hear the band playing as they danced. By now it was well into the night, and the green    leaves were damp with dew.

    She took off her stuffy gloves and patted them with her bare hands, and she missed Boris. A smile crept across her face as she remembered the look on his face when he'd told her that she shouldn't be fooling around. But even that happy smile was short-lived.

     No matter what she thought, the man's face flashed into her mind and froze her in place.

     “No, don't be scared. It's nothing, it's nothing.”

     "What's not a big deal?"

    The voice caused her to sprain her ankle and stumble. A stab of pain shot through her ankle, which was barely limber, as the man strode toward her.

    He stopped at the hem of her purple dress and brushed it with his shoe.

    "Miss Sandalwood. What's wrong?"

    Her heart was pounding. Aubrey tried to think as positively as she could. This man didn’t know her. He didn’t remember her. He was just talking to the person he had just met.

    "No, I was just talking to myself."

    She managed to sound nonchalant. When she barely looked up, Khaled smiled, one corner of his mouth lifting. His unreadable eyes searched her from head to toe.

    "By sitting down on the ground?"

     "No ......."

    She scrambled to her feet, only to fall flat on her bottom again. The damn dress wasn't easy to put on, let alone getting up.

    And her sprained ankle was still throbbing. Just as she reached for the ground with her bare hands, his hand intervened. It was a hand that reached out to grab her, but she didn't want to take it.

    She wanted to put as much distance between her and this man as possible, but she knew that backing away would only make her look more suspicious.

    "Thank you."

     Reluctantly taking his hand, Khaled pulled Aubrey firmly toward him.

    "I can't believe you're dressed like that."

     "......."

     "If a stranger saw you, they'd believe you really were a lady."

     The man's voice was husky. His breath brushed the nape of his sweaty neck as he spoke.

    "How have you been doing?"

    When she couldn't take it and nearly screamed, Khaled pulled her hand and gently pulled her to her feet.

     "What, are you two going on a date or something?"

    Nicholas, who had just found her, stumbled over. Khaled smiled lazily and gently released Aubrey's arm.

     "Oh, no. Just stepped out for some air and ran into the lady."

    With that, Khaled looked away for a moment.

    "Your partner looks pretty tired, why don't you send her home?"

    He smirked affectionately at the frozen Aubrey and walked away.

     "What, you're not going back already?"

     At Nicholas's question, Khaled raised one hand lightly.

    "I can't figure him out."

    Nicholas muttered, and then noticed the hem of Aubrey's crumpled dress.

    "Are you okay, did you fall?"

    Aubrey couldn't say anything. For a moment, any hope she had that he didn't recognize her was shattered.

    "Miss Aubrey?"

    "......I'm fine."

    She glanced up, barely able to reply, to see Khaled climbing into a carriage emblazoned with the family crest.

    "How have you been doing?”

     The man, he remembered her.

    ***

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