Fiona and Giles first met on the night of the celebration of the prince’s birth. Nobles had gathered at the palace to honor the infant prince; there was an extraordinary turnout.
The prince, who had yet to reach his first birthday, was introduced to all in attendance, after which point the celebration was like any other evening party. As it was hosted by the royal family, however, the food served and the partygoers’ attire were even more lavish than usual.
All the palace’s gardens, not just the biggest one, were open to visitors that night. Many of the beautifully attired guests slipped out of the great hall to seek refuge in them. Even the smaller gardens were much bigger than the main ones at the nobles’ townhouses, and lanterns brightly illuminated the spaces, lending them a kind of beauty not seen during the daytime. They were furnished with tables and benches so that people could enjoy food and drink while they conversed.
Though it was nighttime, guards and servants patrolled the gardens, making it perfectly safe for young women to enjoy the scenery while enjoying a good chat. Among them was a young woman who walked through the gardens without giving a single glance to the perfectly symmetrical beds of flowers or the intricate water fountains.
Fiona, who was in attendance with her father, Baron Clayburn, cast her eyes down as she sighed. “This isn’t fun at all.” She was well-mannered in the way she covered her mouth with her half-closed fan. Her dull blonde hair and amber-colored eyes were both common colors in this land, and she wore an understated gown with minimal accessories. Of average height and with unremarkable looks, she was not the kind of woman who stood out in a crowd, and she was outshone by her resplendent surroundings as she walked.
But Fiona had something on her mind. It was a serious and extremely private matter. She hadn’t even told much to Olga, her best friend and daughter of Viscount Symonds. She especially could not tell her younger sister, with whom she was close. This was something that she had been anguishing over alone for some time now.
I was hoping that coming here would get my mind off things, but it’s not working. Tonight was a rare opportunity: a mere daughter of a baron, like her, was permitted entrance to the palace. She had hoped that being surrounded by the splendor of the palace and all its beautiful paintings and sculptures would lift her spirits, but none of it was helping her feel any better. Instead, she had accidentally stepped on the foot of a boy she had known since she was young, and she could barely pay attention when her best friend talked to her. Fiona’s gloomy expression was a damper on the evening for her friends, who had been hoping to enjoy this rare opportunity to the fullest.
She slipped away from her companions, who were enjoying the food and dancing, and found her father chatting with an acquaintance. She whispered in his ear, “I’m going to go see the garden,” before leaving the lively great hall.
She sought quiet in the small garden but there were more people there than she anticipated. A sense that she alone felt melancholy among the jovial partygoers made her even more depressed. Fiona gave a small sigh and headed for a place where she could be alone. Two more weeks until the party for my engagement announcement…
Weighing heavily on Fiona’s heart was her engagement to Norman Hayes, whom she had known since she was young. He had been negotiating their betrothal behind closed doors.
It had all started because heavy rains flooded the river at the border of their families’ fiefs. The bridge washed away, and it was going to take a considerable sum of money to repair the riverbank. Though the families shared common ancestors and their fiefs bordered one another, the difference in how the repair costs impacted each house was like the difference between heaven and earth: House Hayes enjoyed considerable wealth and could easily obtain fine lumber, whereas House Clayburn was just scraping along.
After discussing the distribution of their contributions, House Hayes agreed to shoulder the bulk of the cost. There was a condition, however: Norman would marry into House Clayburn and become the heir to Baron Clayburn, who only had two daughters, Fiona and Cecilia.
This discussion was kept between her father and Baron Hayes—Fiona was told nothing of it. She learned of the plan only because she happened to overhear one of their conversations when they left a door slightly ajar.
“The two of them do get along quite well,” she heard Baron Hayes suggest.
“That’s true, though she is a tomboy,” her father answered.
“That’s not a problem at all. If anything, my son is spoiled from being the youngest. He can be a bit unreliable at times, but I think that’s all the more reason why Fiona would make an excellent match for him.”
Fiona could not believe her ears. It was a wonder that she didn’t drop the bundle of documents she had been carrying. Yes, we get along because we’ve known each other for years now, but I’m still not ready for marriage!
Fiona was eighteen, which was a normal age for marriage. If anything, she was late in finding herself a fiancé. However, Fiona wasn’t like the other daughters of the peerage—she worked. She was her uncle’s assistant because she wanted to do the job. Her father tolerated it, but she would be forced to quit the moment she was married—although they were mere countryside nobles, it would wound the family’s reputation if word got out that the wife of a nobleman had a job.
I don’t want to quit. Not to mention, marrying Norman? I can’t do it. I simply cannot imagine it.
They had played together as children since before she could remember, always getting covered in mud. While he was a man now, she could only see Norman as a brother. In fact, she thought of him like a younger brother even though he was a year older. The two of them would argue about anything and everything. Perhaps in their fathers’ eyes it looked like they got along, but that wasn’t the case.
“Then let’s announce their engagement at the capital after the start of the season,” Baron Hayes continued.
“Ha ha ha! Let’s keep it a secret from Fiona and enjoy the look of shock on her face when we announce it!” her father conspired.
Fiona choked back a scream. I can’t believe them! Who would ever enjoy that kind of surprise?!
If she ran away from home, it would only give way to misunderstandings about her being bashful about the whole thing. In fact, letting them know that she knew what was going on would likely make them speed up their plans. Their fathers were not being malicious, though—they believed that Fiona would be happy about the engagement. The problem was…she wasn’t.