Audrey had spent a good deal of time dreaming of what it would be like to have a more secure life than the one she'd once had in the squalor of her village. She didn't need to be one of the noble ladies dressing up in fancy gowns and dancing the evenings away in grand ballrooms. She just wanted a nice little home, in a place with lots of green grass, and the man she loved to share it with her.

Now, she did have the fancy gowns and grand ballrooms, and it made her dream feel farther away than ever.

She could see how the elaborate celebrations that seemed so common in the courts could be an enjoyable thing if you were someone who grew up in this sort of life, and if you knew how to act and what was expected of you. But for her, it was a night of trying her hardest to please everyone and constantly feeling that she wasn't living up to expectations. It was frightening, it was exhausting, and she wished more than anything that she could have her best friend by her side. He always seemed to have a way of making her feel more secure and sure of herself, as if she could be herself instead of putting on a performance.

The night was proving more difficult than ever due to one particular guest that they were entertaining. She hadn't known Lord Scrivello for long, but she was quickly getting the sense that the stories she'd heard about him were no exaggeration. In the time since he'd arrived at their estate, he'd trampled a good deal of the gardens, fired a crossbow at one of the swans in their pond, hollered about them serving wine that wasn't up to his standards and thrown a goblet at the wall that she'd only narrowly managed to dodge, and gone around barking orders at the servants as if he already owned the place.

And the worst part was that Audrey knew that he essentially did own the place, if he only chose to say the word. They were desperate, and she had little doubt that everyone in attendance knew it. No matter how quick to anger he seemed, and no matter how much she found it frightening to be around him, she was expected to do everything she could to keep him pleased with the idea of offering an arrangement between their houses. Because if she failed, and she was left again without any prospects… well, she supposed there was no need to confront that issue just yet.

The night was already stressful enough, and Audrey wasn't certain if she could handle much more when one of the senior members of the household staff came to pull her aside, whispering of urgent news. Was something wrong? And more importantly, would she know how to fix it before losing the faith of any more of her guests?

"What is it? Has something gone wrong?" She asked the moment they were in a quiet hallway, out of earshot of anyone in the ballroom. "What can I do?"

"It isn't something wrong, but we may need to act fast." The steward informed her. "We've had an unexpected guest arrive."

Audrey nodded, her mind already rushing ahead. She was on edge enough that almost any sudden news seemed a lot to process, but surely this was nothing she couldn't handle. They were stretched thin in terms of trying to provide a banquet for everyone, but she'd be certain everyone had a plate, even if she had to go without herself. And then there was the matter of offering a greeting, trying to make them feel welcome and ensure they were enjoying themselves, and of course she would have to do it all without being away from Lord Scrivello for too long, and then…

"And it's more than just another guest." The steward interrupted her racing thoughts. "There is a good chance it may be another chance at a suitor."

Audrey felt her stomach drop. Out of all the news she'd expected to hear, this was something that left her quite blindsided. She had to force herself to take a deep breath as the room threatened to start spinning.

"A-another?"

She'd been so certain that they'd already tried their luck with every available nobleman in a very large radius. Everyone had been speaking as if Lord Scrivello was her very last chance. And to hear now that it wasn't the case… she honestly wasn't sure how to feel.

"Now, he hasn't quite said as much." The steward continued. "He didn't even seem certain of whether or not he should have come. But we can only assume he must have heard something that impressed him, as he seems to speak of you with great regard."

Audrey was finding herself wrestling with a sense of relief and a feeling of apprehension. On one hand, it was hard to imagine that any man could be much worse than the one who had been her only option a few moments ago. But then again, what if he really was worse?

"Who, um…" She fidgeted with her hands, trying to force herself to keep up a steady outward appearance. "Who is it, exactly?"

"Well you see, the situation isn't… entirely ideal." He stated a little more reluctantly. "He seems to have no title and no lands of his own. He appears to be a sort of merchant, but he's recently amassed quite a sizeable fortune from some rare good he's acquired. It's almost miraculous, really, and it seems to be all anyone is talking about around the kingdom. And given the current state of our finances, we could hardly afford to turn our noses up at any sort of offer from him."

That was certainly true, though she wasn't sure if it calmed her nerves to know she might finally be able to help those who were counting on her, or if it made her even more nervous to know how important it might be to impress their unexpected guest. Preparations for the ball must have been taking up much of her attention, if she hadn't even heard of something that had become the talk of the kingdom, and she couldn't help but wonder if there was anything else she might have missed while he responsibilities were taking up almost all of her attention. But if there was one thing she did know, it was that it would be rude to put her new guest off for much longer.

"I should go welcome him." She was more thinking out loud rather than trying to give an order, but the steward still nodded, and looked rather urgent to begin rushing her in the right direction.

"Right this way."

It seemed as if many of the people helping to keep things running were already not entirely familiar with all of the proper protocols and were just trying to get through the night doing the best they could. They were even less sure of what to do when trying to introduce a guest that didn't have a title to announce him by, as well as one that had arrived long enough after everyone else that no one quite knew whether or not that was still the procedure to follow or if it would be improper to interrupt the night's proceedings. There was some last-minute and uncertain attempt at the horn blast that had heralded the other guests, which came out just loud enough to be audible for anyone nearby but not quite loud enough to sound fully committed to the note. Audrey gave an encouraging smile to the trumpet-bearer, but was inwardly grateful that most of the people there didn't appear to be paying any attention.

But a few moments later, the unexpected arrival stepped through the door, and all other thoughts immediately dropped away.

"Seymour?"