Chapter 2

"Are you excited for the ball, miss?" the maid asked Lucy as she gently tugged at Lucy's hair. Her name was Emma and while she was sweet and helpful, she also talked a little too much. It did not take Lucy Bingley long to realize that her maid enjoyed gossip. "The balls here are very nice, miss, I've been told. And the whole town is eager to meet the new tenants of Netherfield, miss. I think you'll be quite welcomed, you will."

Lucy nodded, trying to stay still as her hair was curled from behind. She wasn't particularly eager for the ball. While she was loath to agree with Caroline on such a topic, she had to admit that her sister was right. The society in Hertfordshire would undoubtedly be very eager to meet the Bingleys and they would be the center of attention. The idea discomforted her. "I am sure we shall be welcomed very well."

"Indeed, miss." Emma, unable to stay silent for far too long, searched for a topic to engage her mistress in while her hair was curled. "Did you have a nice ride this morning, miss? It was quite late when you returned, was it not? I hear your brother went with you."

"And Mr. Darcy as well. Yes, we had an excellent ride. I had hoped to go on further, but Charles was afraid that we should be late for lunch if we did not turn back. I shall certainly ride again tomorrow and I hope to see more of the beautiful country."

Emma beamed. "Oh, it's beautiful miss, very beautiful indeed! There are some excellent places to go horse riding, or so Felton tells me. You must surely ask him about the paths to take, he knows them all. Exercises the horses regularly, he does."

Lucy froze for a moment. "Felton. The head groom?"

"Oh yes, miss! He's excellent at his job, been here for almost five years now. The previous tenants didn't keep very many horses miss, but Felton is pleased that you have so many, he loves horses very much. I watch him exercising them in the grounds sometimes, miss, they like him as well."

Lucy wondered if she should admonish the maid for watching the grooms when she should be working, but decided that such unpleasant activities were best left to Caroline and Louisa. Perhaps Emma liked Felton a little more than was appropriate… then again, the maid seemed to speak of everything and everyone with the same level of excitement.

"Yes, Felton takes good care of the horses," Lucy admitted and then bit her lip thoughtfully. "He speaks very well, does he not? Had I met him elsewhere, I would certainly have thought him an educated gentleman."

Emma giggled excitedly while tugging on Lucy's hair. "Oh, miss, you're very observant! Felton has never spoken to anyone in the staff about his past, but there are rumors! I've heard it said that…" Emma paused, looking horrified. "But of course, miss, you mustn't tell anyone that I said anything!"

Lucy frowned up at Emma, but her curiosity was piqued. "I shall not."

"It's said, miss, that Andrew Felton is actually very high-born!" Emma whispered although they were alone in the room. "His father was born into a wealthy family, they say, and that he increased his fortune by investing in some sort of goods in India… silks, I believe. But this Mr. Felton contracted some horrible disease from that country and he was never quite right when he returned. Died when Felton was only nineteen, miss, that's what they say."

Lucy listened in disbelief. Surely this couldn't be true? "If so, should he not have inherited plenty of money? Even if he was a second or third son, circumstances should not have reduced an educated gentlemen so much as to have to work as a groom."

"Oh but they did, miss, they did indeed! You see, it's said that Felton was quite irresponsible at school and… well, that he did some terrible things, one of them involving…" Emma blushed. "Oh, but miss, I cannot say! I'm afraid this is far too inappropriate!"

Lucy turned and raised an eyebrow at Emma. "What nonsense. You started the story, you shall certainly finish it."

Emma looked pleased. "Well, they say that there was an incident… involving a woman, miss, and a-a child. Apparently Mr. Felton was so furious that he wrote Andrew Felton out of his will entirely and left him penniless. A friend of Mr. Felton's took pity on him and offered him work at Netherfield because he liked horses very much. And he's been here since then."

Lucy stared at Emma, wondering if she should believe this outrageous tale. It seemed a ludicrous way to explain a groom's polite manner of speech, and yet Lucy could not help but wonder if there was the slightest hint of truth in it. The fact that the tale was coming from a maid prone to gossip reduced it's credibility substantially. Lucy opened her mouth to speak but there was a knock on her door and her sister Louisa stepped inside.

"Goodness, Lucy, are you not ready? You must hurry, else we'll be late. Though I would much rather stay at home than mingle with this disagreeable society, I'm afraid our brother is quite adamant. You must be quick."

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As Caroline had predicted, the society at Hertfordshire could find nothing to speak of but the new tenants at Netherfield. All eyes turned to them as they entered the room and Lucy could only stand behind Caroline and hope that she would not be had made a number of acquaintances, and spoke to everyone amiably. Soon enough the dancing started, and Charles Bingley was enraptured by the number of beautiful girls there seemed to be in Hertfordshire. He immediately spotted one of the rumored beauties at the ball and obtained her hand for a dance, leaving his sisters to fend for themselves.

The norms of society worked very well in Lucy's favor that night. It was not appropriate for anyone to approach a lady without having been introduced; yet the only person who was capable of introducing anyone to her was Charles and he was busy dancing. Lucy slipped away from her sisters and sat in an inconspicuous corner. She reveled in the fact that while many people shot her curious glances, none of them could approach her without being inappropriate. Her seat was near a window and she pushed it open a little, allowing a faint breeze into the stuffy ballroom.

Her thoughts revolved around Felton, and the story which Emma had told her of his past. She could certainly believe that he was high-born; his manner of walking and his speech indicated that he was educated. Yet the idea that he had been involved in a scandal and written out of his inheritance… Lucy was unsure. He seemed polite and hard-working. But Felton was also uncommonly handsome; could some poor woman not have fallen trap to his polite speech and sharp features? It was difficult to ascertain whether Emma was telling the truth. Lucy did not know how long she sat there by the window, ignoring the ballroom and lost in her thoughts. The ball had neared its close and many people were beginning to leave. It wasn't until Lucy heard the loud voice of a middle-aged woman nearby that she looked up.

"What uncommon manners!" the woman whispered dramatically to her friend, unaware that Lucy could hear her. "She hasn't danced a single dance, nor spoken to a single person outside of her family! One would think she was unwell. But if she was unwell, then she should look pale and she does not. What brown skin she has!"

Lucy kept her gaze firmly out of the window, watching a carriage roll by in the street. Caroline had been right; the society in Hertfordshire was blunt and uncouth. Another woman responded. "Oh, but you mustn't blame her so, Mrs. Bennet. There is quite a shortage of men at the ball and she has been kind enough to allow her brother to dance all his dances with the ladies from our society."

"Dear me! As though Mr. Bingley needs his younger sister's permission to do what he wishes, such an agreeable young man! He could not take his eyes off my dear Jane. But this Miss Lucy Bingley… well, I am determined to declare her just as terrible as Mr. Darcy. What a proud man, to go about frowning at everyone and then insult Elizabeth! Tolerable, he called her, did you know?"

Lucy could not resist a small smile. Only Mr. Darcy was capable of putting a woman as terrible as this Mrs. Bennet in her place. She was pleased that he had rejected her daughter but the idea that Charles could be interested in another daughter disturbed her. Charles was far too sweet and trusting, a terrible judge of character. Lucy only hoped that this Jane did not have him fooled.

"But of course, she has no need to seem agreeable in society, not when she has such a rather large fortune. Do you know how much Miss Lucy and Miss Bingley have? A dowry of twenty thousand pounds each, I am told! Certainly such an amount of money will attract plenty of suitors, despite Miss Lucy's unappealing features. If my daughters had even half such an amount, I am sure that we should never-"

Having reached her breaking point, Lucy stood up abruptly from the chair in which she was sitting. It made a loud scraping noise that startled Mrs. Bennet and her companion and they turned to look at her, wide-eyed. "Excuse me," Lucy muttered, giving them a sharp look before walking past them in search of her sisters. The society at Hertfordshire was not merely unpleasant, it was atrocious.

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"Good morning, Felton!" Lucy greeted politely as she approached the stables in the morning. Felton was outside, grooming one of the horses and he greeted her with his usual bow. His dark hair was far too long in the front and when he bowed, it obstructed his vision. Lucy could not resist a giggle and Felton smiled in embarrassment as he pushed his hair out of his face.

"Good morning, Miss Bingley. I did not receive word that you planned to ride this morning, else I should have had Duchess saddled and ready for you," he explained. "Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst asked for the carriage to be prepared for them earlier. I thought you had gone with them on their trip."

"I did not, I'm afraid," Lucy replied. She was acutely aware of the fact that Felton's dark brown eyes stared straight into hers as she spoke. It was uncommon for a servant to maintain such bold eye contact. "They have gone to visit the Misses Bennet and I did not wish to join them. I thought I would much rather ride."

Felton smiled at her, a glint of amusement in his eyes as he took a step toward the stables and called out for one of the stableboys. "Thomas! Thomas, bring Miss Bingley's horse out and saddle it! She wishes to ride." Felton paused and turned to Lucy. "Shall I have Mr. Bingley's horse saddled as well?"

"Oh, no. My brother is detained by business, I shall be riding alone." At Felton's curious look, Lucy cleared her throat. "I do not intend to go far; I will stay in Netherfield, of course. I merely wished to spend some time with Duchess before my sisters'return."

"I apologize once more that your horse is not ready, Miss Bingley," Felton said as he glanced at the stable boy that was leading Duchess out of her stall. The boy was having trouble coaxing the horse out and Lucy watched in amusement. "Thomas is new, and he has yet to learn how to handle the horses. Perhaps you would wish to rest indoors and I shall send word once Duchess is ready? I may have to saddle her myself."

Lucy shook her head. "I would not dream of it, Felton. I am in no hurry at all and I would much rather wait outdoors. Do not have Thomas hurry on my account. It is my fault for not sending word of my plans to ride."

"That's very kind of you, Miss Bingley. Will you at least move into the shade?" he gestured towards one of the large trees just behind the stables that afforded a large shadow. "Surely you would not wish the sun to tire you, it is very bright today."

Lucy smiled to herself. "The sun is not enough to tire me at all, though I suppose it will make my skin brown. Apparently in Hertfordshire, young women are not considered to be appealing unless they are sickly and pale." She paused in her words, wondering if she was speaking to herself or to Felton. The head groom's gaze was still fixed on her and she wondered what had caused the words to come out of her mouth. Felton was looking at her oddly.

"I must disagree, Miss Bingley. Beauty of the skin does not depend upon the color but rather the texture and complexion. The latter two can only be gained by eating well and exercising regularly, as you do yourself. I see nothing in your skin to provoke any censure."

Lucy stared at Felton, wide-eyed. She found it difficult to comprehend that he was, in fact, complimenting her skin; yet he did it in such a polite manner that she could not be certain that he was doing it. Lucy paused silently for a few moments, before looking up at him. "You do not speak like a servant, Felton. Anyone listening to your words would most surely think you a gentleman."

Felton bowed, looking ashamed. "I did not mean to address you quite so inappropriately. I shall be certain to remember my station and I apologize if my comments caused any offense."

"No, Felton, I was not referring to your manner of addressing me, only your manner of speaking in general. You sound much more educated than a groom need necessarily sound," Lucy replied, wondering if he would explain himself. Perhaps then she could determine if Emma's story was true. "Are you educated?"

Felton's eyes diverted from hers and he looked at the ground, for the first time addressing her without holding her gaze. "I have been more fortunate than many of the servants at Netherfield, Miss Bingley. But you will excuse me, I must ensure that Thomas has saddled your horse properly."

Felton quickly walked away and joined Thomas, helping him to adjust the saddle that had been placed on Duchess. When the horse was finally ready, Felton did not move forward to help Lucy into her saddle. Instead he stood back and allowed Thomas to do it; the boy fumbled a little and Lucy had to grasp onto Duchess tightly so she would not fall.

"Thank you, Thomas," she told the boy who blushed with pleasure at hearing his name. Lucy then gave Felton one last look before leading Duchess away from the stables.

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