“Am I to understand that your season is not going well?” his brows furrowed at his question.
Felicity found it utterly refreshing to be in the presence of someone who wanted to talk with her and wait long enough to get a response. Benjamin was in stark contrast to Lord Fitzroy. Her heart had slowed with every slow breath she took, the earlier dizziness all but faded.
Even still, she couldn’t keep the dejection out of her voice as she told him, “It is going exceedingly well.”
“Hmm,” he nodded as if deep in contemplation.
“The Queen chose me to be her Diamond of the Season,” she explained. “Every event I attend I have hardly a moment to myself. In fact, this is the first time since the Queen’s declaration that I have not felt dozens of pairs of eyes on me at all times.”
“To be the Diamond is a great honor, or so I’ve been told. Is it not as such for you?”
“It is the highest honor!” she exclaimed. “I could not be more grateful for the Queen’s favor. I thought the title would go to someone of higher nobility. My father is only a viscount, after all.”
“I see. The ton can be quite ruthless and rigid when imposing their hierarchies.”
Felicity sighed, grateful to have someone who understood.
“Yes, well, it has made me a target of sorts.”
Benjamin cocked his head before asking, “What do you mean by that?”
“Every eligible bachelor sees me only as a prize to claim, a way to enhance their own reputation as the man who won a Diamond. Every eligible maiden sees me as their biggest competition, especially those who outrank me. To them, I am unworthy of the title.”
“They are all fools.”
“What?”
His terse response caught her completely off guard. She worried she had said something to anger him.
“They are all fools. I have attended my fair share of societal events. I have seen the kind of maidens the ton has to offer. The Queen was right in her judgment of you.”
Felicity’s cheeks reddened, and her face flushed at his compliment. She didn’t know why, but his opinion of her had suddenly become very important to her.
“There must be something you enjoy about the season,” he hedged.
“I have enjoyed spending so much time with my sister, Delilah. She is my dearest friend. We were presented together, and it has made everything that much easier.”
“I can understand. The bond between siblings is very strong.”
She nodded, and the two slipped into silence once more. A few heartbeats passed before Benjamin began again.
“It must be nice not having to fret over having suitors.”
“I beg your pardon?” Felicity couldn’t understand what he was getting at. She had expressed her frustrations with the ton and thought he understood, thought he shared the frustrations with her. Yet, here he was, minimizing her down to how many men were interested in her hand.
“As the Diamond I am sure you get your pick of the lot. Do you and your sister spend your days trying out which title sounds best with your name? Choosing which set of initials you like most embroidered into your handkerchief?”
Nothing in his tone had shifted away from the kindness she had grown accustomed to in their few minutes together, but his words stung, nonetheless. How anyone could think that she would make a lasting decision like marriage based on such trivial things as initials was insulting. His eyes went wide as he noticed the air change between them.
“No, we do not.” Felicity pulled her shoulders back and notched her chin up a bit higher. “Since you seem to think so little of me, I will bother you with my presence no longer.”
“I do not —”
“Sir, you cannot hold me in much esteem if you think I base my affections on such trifling matters.” He began to speak again, but Felicity rose from where they sat, cutting him off. “Thank you for your assistance, Sir. I find I am well once more and must find my mother.”
For the second time that evening, Felicity left a gentleman behind without giving him the chance of a response. Her skirts swished behind her, whispering of her haste to make her way back into the ballroom.
This time, as she circled the room, her heart raced for an entirely different reason. Her face was heated, no longer from dizziness but from anger. It was baffling to her how a man could think such things, especially one that had seemed wholly understanding and reasonable only moments before. Felicity refused to give her rescuer any more of her time tonight. She pulled her shoulders back and pasted on a demure smile. The last thing she wanted was for her mother, or even worse Lady Eunice and Hannah, to discover anything amiss. Felicity wouldn’t know what to say to them.