A/N : Did you think Lady Danbury will not get a POV? This is her chapter, thank you very much.
CHAPTER - 4 - A BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Lady Danbury walked down the stairs and saw a young woman in pink looking at a portrait of herself during her youthful days, standing next to a rather plump woman. Immediately recognising her old friend from her youth, Lady Danbury broke into a wide grin.
"Lady Mary!" she said, her happiness reflecting on her face.
"Oh, Lady Danbury!" the woman mused. "How delightful it is to see you," she added, as she reached out to Lady Danbury.
"And you. After all these years" chuckled lady Danbury. "You look well, Mary", she said with a hint of nostalgia in her voice.
Mary nodded in happiness. "Allow me to introduce to you, my youngest, Miss Edwina Sharma," she said. The young girl smiled nervously and curtsied politely.
"Ah, How wonderful," said Lady danbury.
"A true pleasure, Lady Danbury. I am so grateful for your hospitality," said the young miss. "Your home is magnificent" she smiled.
"Consider it yours for the season, my dear" she replied. Although, there was something missing. "I was expecting another, was I not?" Lady Danbury voiced.
The mother and daughter suddenly looked a little worrisome, which confused Lady danbury. They looked at each other and Lady Mary answered. "Yes, my eldest, Kate".
"Yes," paused Lady Danbury, rather aghast that the silence did not yield any further answer. "Well, she did get off the ship with you last night, did she not?" she enquired further.
Suddenly, Lady Danbury could hear the unmistakable sound of hurried footsteps nearing the morning room. The trio turned to look at the door hopefully. "Apologies," said a tall young woman perhaps in her twenties. "I hope I did not keep you waiting long," she said as she stood beside Lady Danbury to greet her.
"There you are dearest," sighed Mary, although she had a perplexed look on her face.
"The gardens here are so lovely, my Lady. After such a lengthy journey, I merely found myself wanting some freshness and morning air", she smiled. "But I am here now, Mama" she said, shuffling her dress as she turned to Mary.
Lady Mary gave a proud smile. "My eldest, Lady Danbury. Miss Kate Sharma" she said, looking towards her elder daughter, as if gesturing to her silently. The young woman however needed no warning or hint, for she was already in a beautiful curtsey by the time Lady Danbury looked back.
"Well," Lady Danbury began, "Now that we have all arrived-"
"Almost, Lady Danbury", Kate suddenly said.
"I beg your pardon?" Lady Danbury asked in surprise. There were only three guests to her knowledge. There was no one else in the sharma family. "There is also Newton" Kate added, as Mary and Edwina joined in.
Lady Danbury wondered as to what she was missing, for the presence of a male figure was never in question for the misfortunate Sharma family.
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Newton Sharma seemed to be the apple of Kate's eye. The little Corgi was seated in Kate's lap ever since he was brought downstairs by the eldest miss just before they broke their fast. The curious fellow he was, he liked to sniff everything in Lady Danbury's house, not that that was the main cause of her concern. It seemed as if his orange colored fur shed everywhere, for that was all Lady Danbury could see on her precious cushion covers, although he was sure Miss Kate would disagree. Maybe the entire Sharma family would. However, once Kate revealed all about how well trained Newton is and how he would never soil anything in the house, Lady Danbury resigned to her fate as the temporary mistress of a canine.
It seemed as if Lady Mary understood the crisp air in the room that came with Newton's presence, for she simply focused on making some tea. Lady Danbury continued to lock eyes with the canine, somewhat hoping that it would simply vanish into thin air. Newton, however, looked as happy as he could be.
"Mama tells us you host the first ball of every season, Lady Danbury," said Edwina excitedly, drawing Lady Danbury's attention. The spark in the young woman's eyes reminded her of her own youth.
"Yes", said Lady Danbury, her attention now drawn away from the musings of the canine. "I have in fact reserved a conservatory for this year's festivities, miss Edwina", she mused gallantly.
"Oh that sounds wonderful" said Mary, pouring tea for herself and Lady Danbury.
"Did you hear that Edwina?" said the eldest, patting the well rested dog in her lap. "It seems you will have a wonderful time."
"That sounds delightful Lady Danbury," the young miss said again.
"It will make for a most spectacular entrance to the society indeed, dear" joined Mary, offering Lady Danbury her tea, who took it quickly, setting her cane aside. "I cannot tell you how eager my daughters are for the upcoming season, Lady Danbury. I must thank you again." she smiled.
"As am I," Lady Danbury replied, taking a sip of her tea. "I would have ensured their presentation to her majesty, the Queen, but I thought it wise for me to examine their deportment prior to their first engagement." She turned to the girls and continued, "Her majesty is most discerning. You two must be flawless," she said.
"So her majesty will be in attendance then, at the ball?" said Lady Mary with an exhausted look on her face.
"Well, there is no reason for concern, Lady Mary" she replied. "You will be with me afterall."
"Ofcourse", came the reply, although something told her that her old friend was not so convinced. But it was time for action now. The young ladies needed to be prepared for society. And so Lady Danbury began.
"My dear girls, I've made all the arrangements. Now, the pianoforte is tuned, all the instructors are hired - dance lessons begin at noon, followed by a short but comprehensive visit from a lovely french tutor I have secured, and perhaps a trip to the modiste." The girls simply smiled. "Well, stand up now." she said authoritatively, and the girls immediately complied.
Although the creature was well rested in the elder miss sharma's lap, he made no sound when she moved him onto the floor. However, he immediately jumped onto Lady Mary's lap, like a babe that was used to being held, which amused Lady Danbury momentarily. Turning her focus back to the girls, one thing became very clear to Lady Danbury. The two women possessed two different souls.
The elder Miss Sharma was tall, perhaps had a good few inches on Lady Danbury herself. Her chocolate like complexion gave her an earthy look which was complemented beautifully by the plain, jewel toned blue dress the miss was wearing. Her simple gold necklace and earrings drew out her undertones and she smiled gently, appearing ethereal in a certain light. Although, one thing Lady Danbury did not understand was the way she tied her hair into a tight bun, for it made her look older than she must surely be.
The younger miss sharma was about half a foot shorter than the elder one, only reaching her mother in height. Her features were less sharp and more rounded, and her wheatish complexion matched her mothers by all means. Her embroidered pink color dress and the intricate gold jewelry were perfectly balanced by her elegant coiffure which was adorned with peonies from Lady Danbury's garden. Her wide smile painted her excitement profoundly.
"Exceptional Posture", Lady Danbury began. "Beautiful smiles".
"Yes, they are quite beautiful, my daughters," said Lady Mary with pride in her tone.
"The age of the elder miss may raise some concern, for any suitable gentleman will require some persuading whether we like it or not," said Lady Danbury picking up her cane and standing. "She will already be regarded as an old maid, at the mature age of…" she trailed, hoping Kate would catch on.
"... five and twenty, Ma'am," Kate finished.
"Ah." began Lady Danbury.
"But it should truly be of no concern," continued Kate, "as I assure you, I am not here to find a husband for myself".
"Now, now, Kate." slipped in Mary giving Kate a stern look. "We are here to find both of them good matches, Lady Danbury."
"My sister stands quite tall and smiles rather exquisitely, Lady Danbury..." Kate continued carefully as the younger missed only blushed in response. However, Kate still did not seem to finish. "...Even more so when she speaks French I rather think" she said as she signaled Edwina who perfectly delivered a beautiful verse from one of Victor Hugo's poems.
"She is well accomplished in Latin and Greek as well, that is in addition to Marathi and Hindustani languages, ofcourse. She also plays the Sitar and Harmonium, in addition to her exceptional skill at the Pianoforte. And as for her dancing, she is quite remarkable with the cotillion, the quadrille and the waltz", and Kate finally fell into a smile, proudly, as the room went a little glum.
"Forgive me, Lady Danbury," Mary interjected. "Kate feels quite passionately about her sister's prospects this season, do forgive her quick approach".
"Ofcourse, ofcourse," Lady Danbury replied, stunned. She has not anticipated that Mary could have already done so much given her under-confidence about coming back to England.
"Such an exceptional job you have done, Lady Mary, teaching the young misses all the way back in India," Lady Danbury began. "I can only imagine how hard it must have been for you to find them a governess" she chuckled quickly.
"Oh no no, Lady Danbury. It was all Kate," said Mary, who was rather saddened suddenly as she looked into the distance. "After Milan's death, a part of me was quite lost for some time."
Lady Danbury saw the young misses visibly saddened at the name of their father who had since passed. She also knew that his death was the reason their finances were in bad shape. "By the time I came to, Kate had already taught Edwina nearly everything from her memory," Lady Mary finished as she looked proudly at Kate.
Lady Danbury looked appalled at the elder Miss Sharma. She was truly talented, and would have certainly made a great match if she was younger. On rare occasions, even she understood that fate had wronged someone terribly, for now, Kate might just have to resign settling for a lot less than she deserved.
"I hope you did not find too much trouble in finding all those instructors Lady Danbury," Kate mused politely, although Lady Danbury could sense the pride within the young woman who seemed to have prepared a bit too much than required. Or maybe she wont settle, she thought as she replied "Not at all". She was sure of one thing though, that the younger miss would make an excellent diamond.
"My sister and I do look forward to your sponsorship this season", Kate said finally, with a gentle curtsey.
"Well then," Lady Danbury wondered about her next step, a little dejected, for it seemed Kate had already done most of her work.
"Kate, dearest", suggested Lady Mary, perhaps sensing the spice upon everyone's minds, "might you and Edwina play something for Lady Danbury on the Pianoforte? Perhaps it would be good to let Lady Danbury decide where you stand with respect to the society's requirements, hm?"
"Of course, Mama" harmonized the two girls as they received a nod from their hostess, and proceeded towards the piano.
Lady Danbury took her seat beside Lady Mary, whose worry did not seem to leave her brow. She reached out to the worried mother of two to offer assurance. "Lady Mary, you need not worry. Your daughters will do exceptionally well in the marriage mart" she hushed, as the younger began an energetic rendition of Dawn by the famed Daario Marianelli.
Lady Mary looked at the two young women who were in their own world by the piano. Edwina was playing, while Kate was watching over, gently nodding along as Edwina's fingers danced over the keys. Mary fell into a sad smile. "It is not that I doubt their capability, Lady Danbury. My Kate was also supposed to have a wonderful debut into society years ago, but fate hit us hard, and we are making the best of what we have," she said almost inaudibly as Lady Danbury politely looked on. "I only fear that my past mistakes might stand in their way to a happy life", Mary saddened.
"Mary, I know you worry about how they might fit into the society that all of you have left years ago, but give your girls some deserved credit," Lady Danbury implored in an even lower tone if that was even possible, taking a quick peek at the girls.
"Oh no no, it is not what I mean", Mary began. She took a swift look at her daughters and continued, "I only worry… if... My parents may try to cause trouble."
Lady Danbury understood the depth of Mary's words. But something more significant seemed to catch her eye, as she looked at the young misses in question. Had Miss Sharma frozen in place? Hey bouncy head bob and foot tapping, which had begun along with her sister's music, had simply vanished. She was standing with her shoulders rigid, like a fortified statue.
"You know they were not keen about my marriage to Milan. I don't want them to interfere with either of their matches", Mary's words quickly caught the attention of Lady Danbury again.
"If they try to, Mary, I am quite sure they would simply fail. I believe that Miss Edwina's virtues have capability to catch the eye of our most imposing Majesty. With her on our side, we shall rule the marriage mart as we like."
Mary looked curious. "The ton has been rather dull lately, and our Majesty likes Diamonds," Lady Danbury added, smirking.
Lady Mary broke out into a smile, more assured of her daughter's futures. Sitting comfortably, both the matriarchs resumed enjoying the music at play. Now all that is left is to lead the young Sharma Sisters into making their grand entrance.
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A/N : There is more than what meets the eye with the elder Miss sharma. Dear Reader, you have been warned.