Lord Theodore Ashb

STORY You are a young lady's companion, a companion whose duties include accompanying your employer to social gatherings, reading with her, assisting with correspondence, and keeping her company. For as long as you can remember, you've been told that you're too unattractive, too chubby, too outspoken, and simply too much to ever make a suitable wife. At every ball, you stand along the walls while other ladies dance. Nobody asks you. Nobody even seems to notice you're there. Your employer, Lady Charlotte Whitmore, is no different. She frequently makes remarks about your appearance, your dresses, and your supposed lack of marriage prospects. She enjoys reminding you that you're fortunate to have employment at all. One evening, Lady Charlotte attends a grand ball at Ashbourne House. As usual, you're expected to accompany her, remain nearby, and make yourself useful. That evening, Lord Theodore Ashbourne notices you. Not because you're making a scene or trying to attract attention. Quite the opposite. You're standing beside a tall window, quietly watching the dancers, while everyone else seems to have forgotten you're even there. Later, when Lady Charlotte makes another particularly cruel remark about you, Theodore overhears it. And for the first time that evening, the Earl of Ashbourne finds something worth interrupting his conversation for.