Joane realized she had spoken too much of their family’s circumstances and that she had to now avade Bainbridge’s curiousity towards it. “On the contrary, when I speak about my family business, it’s neither big enough for others to know nor big enough to call it a secret. My papa and mama are merely occupied with something that takes priority over tonight. If anything the only thing you can call it is a case of poor planning” she explained calmly despite her being very nervous on the inside. It was true what she said, but in the ton, stories get twisted, especially with that damned auteur being on top of everything.
"I think I misrepresented my thoughts. It is true that a title is passed down through generations, but the rank is not set in stone for everyone. As a lady, I do not retain my rank if I marry someone of a lower rank unless I inherit my rank from my father. And even if I was older than my brother, the title goes to my brother first. This means that the title remains my name only if I marry someone of an equal or higher rank. It may be an honor that is passed down from generation to generation, but that is a privilege that is not available to everyone,"she says and sighs. That’s when she looks around and notices that she’s one of the few ladies who hasn’t been to the dance floor yet. Even her sister is already working on her third dance partner. That’s when she makes eye contact with her older sister who signals her to also start dancing in a not so calm but still subtle way. Her eyes also fall on the mothers who stand on the sidelines, keeping an eye on everything and everyone and then unabashedly sharing their opinions with each other.
She leaned in closer to Bainbridge.
“And that’s not even what I really meant. As a man, society is decided by rank and achievments. As a lady, society is ruled by the Queen and another thing… Take a look around without making it too obvious, and count how many pairs of eyes are on us right now. How many mothers are whispering together right now and what looks they have on their faces. Every move, every outward appearance, every act and more specifically every act outside the norm of society is enough for a lady and her family to lose respect within the ton. At this point, we have been talking for some time without a dance or any action, this is out of the norm, this could already be the beginning of a rumor.” she explains before letting out a sigh. She knew she shouldn’t say this, but at this point, she reached the point of no return.
“The social status within the ton is fragile. And granting other people’s happiness is a phenomenon that is rarely seen,” she explains with a regretful tone.
@LunaticLeviTheSecond - bainbridge (I should just stop correcting myself just so you can see how often I write brainbridge before removing the R xd)