Millicent Wetherby.

That was a name plain-old-Sarah Jane would never be able to forget.

Her name traveled like wildfire across the ballroom.

She was just about to ask the only woman left beside her of the vixen's name when a loud matronly matchmaking mama had exclaimed it out loud.

Millicent Wetherby was a force of nature. Everyone felt it. She was like bread in a barren pond and all the fishes came swimming immediately towards her just to get one small bite.

Sarah Jane was stunned. She really was just excruciatingly beautiful.

"How do you do," the lady beside her greeted.

Sarah Jane looked to her right and saw a woman in white, flowers in her hair and a distinct mole on her cheek—right inside the crook where her smile ends.

"How do you do," Sarah Jane curtsied.

The lady curtsied back. "I haven't introduced myself, you were surrounded by so many people I thought I might choke if I tried." She smiled again. "I am Miss Anne Hastings from Gloucestershire." She proceeded to tuck a small brown curl behind her ear.

"I am Sarah Jane from Rosenberg of Cheshire," she said, then remembered, "I meant, I'm Lady Sarah Jane Riverton from Cheshire. My father was the late Lord Rosenberg."

Anne bowed in acknowledgement of her title. "My lady."

"Oh please." Sarah Jane violently shook her head. "Cheshire is as country as it sounds. Please don't make it so formal. I am in want of friends."

"Well, you are in luck as I am in want too." She gave her a winning smile. "Although I must warn you, I am a bit shy."

Sarah Jane looked at her dubiously. This lady had approached her and made conversation, she was anything but shy.

"I know what you're thinking." Coyly, she glanced towards the paper of her dance card while tightening its ribbon around her wrist. "I really am shy, I jest you not. It's just that it's my 3rd season out and I have 3 more sisters. I am to be securely married this year to give hope for them."

Sarah Jane nodded. She had been told that this was a common situation.

"Have you any sisters?"

Sarah Jane shook her head. "None as many as brothers."

Anne's eyes widened. "Only you?"

"That is why you see only of me now and see of me only now." Her spirits were brightening because of this new friend and they laughed together.

Excellent news that her first friend in London has a sense of humor. "Your explanation has nothing to do with your shyness."

"Ah yes, but this shy girl cannot talk to potential husbands... and that is a very sad situation, don't you think?" Anne opened a fan and started fanning under her chin.

"A sad situation indeed." Sarah Jane was beginning to feel that it truly wasn't chilly after all. "But I fail to see what conversation has to do with anything." She pointed her chin to the current location of the famous girl. "Look at Miss Wetherby. I don't think she can make conversations with the number of men surrounding her."

Anne pursed her mouth in distaste.

"What's the matter?"

"I'd rather have a husband that I can talk to, than a husband who stares at me all day," she said matter-of-factly and started to fan herself even more vigorously. "I find staring rather uncomfortable, I do not know why she seeks it."

"Who seeks it?"

"Why, Miss Millicent Wetherby, of course! It is apparent that she goes to these parties late so that people will stare at her. Attention fuels her spirit, my lady—"

"Sarah Jane," she interrupted.

"Sarah Jane. And this attention is what she seeks. Although I do not see men staring at her any less if she is early in parties either," she said with a small tilt of her chin.

"You do not like her." It wasn't a question.

Sarah Jane could clearly hear Anne's annoyance with Miss Wetherby even if she was deaf. Very well, not so, but Miss Wetherby was so achingly beautiful that she found it hard not be taken with her, in the most admiration of senses. It was even very difficult to avoid staring at her.

"Please do not have a bad opinion of me, Sarah Jane," she said apologetically. "Miss Wetherby and I have a past together. We shared a schoolroom, she and I. She is also from Gloucestershire."

"But you do not like her." It beared repeating, as nothing in what Anne had said explained this fact.

"I do not, yes, that much is true. For reasons I cannot tell you so clearly in this ballroom." She leaned in conspiratorially. "I shall tell you when we are alone, but I shouldn't like to gossip. I shall only tell you when there is a need for you to know." Anne went back to her usual position.

"I do not approve of her character, but you do not know her. Perhaps, you are much inclined to like her."

Sarah Jane thought about this for a minute. "I believe I shall decide when I do get to know her."

"And that will be later in the evening." Anne spared the crowd and multiple men offering Millicent glasses of lemonades. "Perhaps much, much later in the evening."

Sarah Jane's lips hinted a smile. "Quite."

A few minutes later, Lady Killsworth and Lady Huntington approached them by the wall. Lady Huntington brought with her a wealthy and titled, but aging widower, who was currently looking for a wife. It was all Sarah Jane could do not to run and hide.

"I say, who are you?" Lady Huntington spared an accusing look towards Anne.

Anne dropped in a curtsy. "I am Miss Anne Hastings, your ladyship."

"Hastings?" She asked no one in particular.

Lady Killsworth acknowledged Anne and turned to Lady Huntington. "I believe she is the first of four sisters. Mr. Hastings of Gloucestershire's beautiful daughters, I believe." Lady Killsworth said placating the dowager.

Awareness dawned on the elderly lady. "Hastings! Yes! All of your sisters are out, is it not? And the littlest one is too young to be barely out of the schoolroom. All sisters out at once." Her mouth settled on a grim frown.

Anne's eyes dropped to the ground.

The elderly man cleared his throat.

"As you well know, I do not have the time nor the energy for silly courtships. I am a widower and I am in need of a sensible wife." He cleared his throat again. "I have an heir, but I need a spare. As you may notice, I am exceedingly forthright."

"And handsome," Lady Huntington quipped, trying her best to encourage Sarah Jane.

"Thank you," He said gratefully to the old aristocrat, and cleared his throat again. "I see that both of you are unmarried. Will you both dance with me then?"

Sarah Jane rather thought that the man was neither handsome nor appealing. He also seemed to have quite a number of missing teeth. She rather not dance with him, but Lady Huntington's eyes were shooting daggers that the discomfort from having been subjected to them was already starting to hurt.

She nodded, defeated, handing her card.

Anne followed suit, helpless in both the ladies' presence.

After securing a spot in both of their dance cards, the old man bowed and left. The two ladies removed themselves from their corner, allowing Sarah Jane and Anne to complain about being forced to dance with the widower.

Lady Huntington and Lady Killsworth wasted no time and socialized with the ton, to look for other elderly men looking for wives, that was sure.

Anne and Sarah Jane walked arm-in-arm as they surveyed the crowd. She had sweat on her forehead and on her palms, but it wasn't because of nervousness anymore, it was really hot. This has become quite a crush.

And then there was no escaping it.

She was on the path to Anthony who was talking to a few gentlemen dressed in handsome formal attire. He saw her coming and now it would be unforgivingly rude if she purposefully walked towards the opposite direction, especially with how she treated him earlier in the evening.

She decided that greeting them, perhaps introducing herself would not have been enough to cause talk. Sarah Jane rather thought that no one was actually paying attention to them. Introducing themselves would be a simple feat, and then Anne would accompany her to the greater part of the ball where they could secure themselves some dance partners. Yes, she thought to herself, that should be a wise plan, indeed.

Sarah Jane pulled Anne, and whispered to her that there was someone she would like her to meet. They stopped before the three debonair gentlemen.

Both of them curtsied as the men acknowledged their presence with a small bow. The two men with Anthony looked surprised, and truthfully, Anthony looked a little annoyed as well.

There were a few women on the sides started whispering behind them, but Sarah Jane ignored them. Everyone was whispering in this bloody ball anyway.

She took one good look at Anthony, and decided that maybe he was still mad at her for her behavior earlier. Sarah Jane squared her shoulders and swallowed.

"Hello, Anthony," she said before she could correct herself.

Then, Sarah Jane found herself in the middle of 2 wondering gazes, one female gasp, and Anthony's accusing stare.

She looked up helplessly to the other two gentlemen, whose expressions were most difficult to read. Anne's grip tightened on her arm sensing the awkward air between them all.

——-
A/N: while writing this I would always whisper to myself (and cringe) "would this night ever end????" I pity her really. There was no way she could've successfully pulled off the expectation of a gently bred lady when her training was only mere weeks. Other ladies had years and yet they stumble at times. Sarah Jane was just ripe for trouble. Poor girl.

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