Chapter 901
Chapter 901: Soon-to-be Son-in-law
Since Taylor could not just ignore the other girls while tending only to his little sister’s needs, he turned in their direction with a questioning look on his face.
The proposal to join them on their walk to the greenhouse where they could meet the two etchers had thus been extended to the other girls present in their group as well.
While he waited for them to make up their mind, he did not forget to turn toward the older boys who had joined their group only recently.
“I’m sure Elder brother and Brother Damien won’t be interested in looking at pretty flowers so I won’t force you to join us.” He uttered with a look of understanding which made the other girls nod.
However, anyone who knew Taylor better could tell at first glance that his words did not match his eyes.
In fact, he could not wait to send them away so that he could take his little sister far from the older boy whose intentions he did not seem to like.
Grasping what he was trying to achieve, both Damien and Topher raised their brows at him but Taylor stood his ground, staring right back at them while maintaining an innocent facade.
.....
Due to this sudden yet subtle confrontation, the atmosphere among the children had stagnated and a similar sight could be seen in a different area of the tea party.
___
The gentle smiles on the faces of the ladies who had formed a group stiffened when they noticed someone approaching them.
Countess Raylene St. Claire could see the shift in the emotions of the women standing with her but pretended to be oblivious as she turned towards the one who had now arrived close to them.
“Greetings, Duchess.” The Marchioness of the Yona family smiled as she curtsied to the woman with the highest status here.
The hostess, Duchess Beatrice Tanner nodded in response to the greeting before gesturing for her to join them.
Though she could detect obvious signs of unwillingness on the faces of a few women with her, the Duchess could not openly exclude someone at such a large social event with so many people gathered in her mansion.
Therefore, she needed to be impartial despite what her innermost thoughts were.
However, she did not forget to glance at the women with her, hoping that they understood her circumstance.
Marchioness Kiron, the lady who was the most hesitant at this moment, could not blame the Duchess for playing the role of a good host so she could only put on a forced smile as she stood in silence.
Next to her was Marchioness Jorbin who had now turned expressionless unlike how she had been only seconds ago as she too had encountered unpleasant experiences whenever she met this newcomer.
Being a foreigner in a new land was already a nerve-wracking experience, to begin with, but to have people who tried to look down on her at every turn made things much more difficult than they already were.
Among the few who did not forget to express their distaste towards her foreign origins was Marchioness Yona which was the reason for the Madam of the Jorbin family to look reluctant to join this conversation after the arrival of the newcomer.
However, her unwillingness did not deter the newcomer as Marchioness Yona had not bothered to look at the other women twice.
She had approached this group with a purpose in mind so she was not interested in the others but focused her attention on the one she had come here for.
“Lady Kiron, I could not help but notice that your youngest son wasn’t present for today’s event.” Marchioness Yona inquired while fixing her attention on the other noble lady of the same status as her.
The others present in this group, Countess St. Claire and Baroness MacIntyre, weren’t even granted a proper glance before the conversation had shifted in a different direction.
This was already something they had expected as the Marchioness was higher in terms of social hierarchy and not to mention that she was here for only one reason.
Therefore, they did not mind but turned their gaze towards Marchioness Kiron, who right now was nodding her head in reply.
“He should be here soon.” The other lady replied after a brief pause.
Today, a majority of the Kiron family members had arrived at the Tanner mansion ahead of time.
Their heir who had not been a part of such social events for a while had also made an appearance that had attracted a lot of attention from the other guests.
The second son who was the one looking after their fief’s growth in the place of the Marquess was also seen mingling with others around his age.
Their two daughters, each famous in their own right, were currently conversing in a group of children not far away from where these ladies stood.
However, the only member of the Kiron family who was missing was none other than the third child and also the youngest son, Jacob Kiron.
The Marquess had instructed the family to appear together at this event but their youngest son had a different plan in mind and hence had politely refused before stating his reason for doing so.
Understanding his perspective, the parents had gathered the rest of their children and made their way to the Tanner tea party, allowing Jacob to arrive when he saw fit.
Marchioness Kiron had already informed the Duchess about her son’s late arrival so there was no one who saw his actions as a sign of disrespect towards the Tanner family.
It was not just Jacob who had not made an appearance though the party had already begun.
There were quite a few on the guest list who were yet to arrive so the Duchess was not one to be upset.
As the arrival of newer guests had dwindled by now, the ladies were engrossed in their conversation but that pleasant atmosphere had been interrupted by the arrival of Lady Yona.
Everyone present here knew of the reason for the lady’s inquiry regarding the youngest son of the Kiron family.
Therefore, they simply remained silent spectators, watching how the scene unfolded.
A glint of displeasure flashed across Marchioness Yona’s eyes when she heard that the son of the Kiron family would take more time to arrive.
Ever since they had appeared at the Tanner estate, her daughter had been glancing around to seek the one who was on her mind and within her heart.
However, the young man who was now close to marriageable age was nowhere to be found which had put her child in a sullen mood.
The concerned mother knew of her child’s thoughts and since she supported these feelings, she too had been sneaking peeks at the entrance of the venue to catch a sight of the young man’s arrival.
The party had already begun but Jacob Kiron was still nowhere in sight.
She had been hoping that her daughter could use this opportunity to build a better relationship with the son of the Kiron family.
Therefore, when she noticed the young man’s absence, she had excused herself from the group she had been with and made her way to this place.
Her intention for coming here was clear to everyone and the words she uttered made it impossible for them to misunderstand what she was here for.
She too had no thoughts of concealing what was on her mind as she had been quite vocal about her desire to join the two families through marriage.
Her daughter liked the son of the Kiron family so it would be a blessing for them to gain a marriage partner of the same social status.
In the past few months as well, she had been hinting about proposing a marriage between the two families but it seemed that Marchioness Kiron was either too dense to grasp what she was trying to say or was blatantly ignoring her suggestions.
Despite what it might be, Marchioness Yona had not given up, especially after realizing that her daughter truly liked Young Master Jacob and would want no one other than this young man.
Her daughter, Cecily, would be turning sixteen soon and once her coming-of-age ceremony was held, she would need to find a suitable partner for herself.
Therefore, for the last few months, Marchioness Yona had not left any stone unturned whenever she met her soon-to-be son-in-law or his family.
If Cecily desired to be with the Kiron boy then she would make sure that the two of them got engaged as soon as she came of age.
With this determination, she had arrived at this group of women, most of whom she did not have a favorable opinion about.
Had it not been for Duchess Tanner and Marchioness Kiron’s presence, she never would have bothered to come this way.
However, for her child’s happiness and the steady growth of their family, she was willing to set aside her dissatisfaction and join this group.
As she thought of her reasons for joining them, Marchioness Yona scanned the women she was with right now.
Staying on the favorable side of the Duchess was the best thing to do as she was someone with the highest status along with the Duchess of the Brodie family.
Marchioness Kiron would soon be related to her through marriage so she wished to have a pleasant relationship with her as well.
As for the rest, she doubted if there would be any benefit in maintaining a good rapport with them.
One was a Baroness whose husband did small businesses which were of no use to her and the other was a woman of foreign origins whom she did not see fit to enter their noble society.
Finally, her gaze landed on the last woman present in this group.
‘Her daughter might suit my Zimon...’ A new thought flashed in the Marchioness’s mind which was now making her see Countess Raylene St. Claire in a positive light, something she had never done ever before.