Lady Thea Parker

The London Society was not surprised when the Queen announced Lady Thea Parker, the Diamond of the season, on a bright Thursday morning. It was not like she needed it to help her catch a high-rank gentleman of ton.

Lady Parker was perfection, taken after her mother, the late Duchess of London. She was small and slim but with a lovely pert bosom that all gentlemen in ton were eyeing and desiring, even with her modest neckline at her presentation in court. With her piercing blue eyes, rather pleasing smile and button-pointed little nose, she would attract any suiter even without her fat dowry and the Diamond of the season title.

As her mother died when she was the mere age of ten, the Dowager of London presented Lady Parker to the King & Queen as she had taken it upon herself to help her son shape Thea into the most exquisite lady in society.

Of course, the Dowager of London ensured she had the best education regarding finishing school and language tutors. But her father insisted that Thea also should be tutored from a young age in physics, mathematics, astronomy, literature, and many other things that, at her time, were only acquainted with boys.

The Parker family was always ahead of their time. Her grandmama knew the importance of a lady in family affairs. It was imperative for the lady of the house to entertain the guests and facilitate the environment in her husband's favour. And after so many years polishing her skills, the young Lady Parker was ready to do exactly that for her future husband.

She had time to practice everything her father and grandmama had taught her. By age four and ten, Lady Parker was already helping her grandmama run the London Palace, the permanent residence of the Parker Family. She knew it was her job to ensure everything went perfect when any head of the Estate, diplomats or influential business partners were guests at the Palace.

Lady Parker was clever as any Parker gentleman. She would do her research beforehand about the guest and their entourage. Prepare the menu with the cook with the guests' preferences and order the housekeeper how to prepare each room to receive them. And, of course, all the entertainment for their staying would be meticulously planned. Everybody was impressed in the end with how welcome the Parkers were, leading them to have a triumph in business, without the so-hated verdict at the end of any visit "we need to think further".

Most of the ladies of the ton only occupied their passing time thinking about balls, dresses and hats. Of course, she liked them too. Lady Parker dressed impeccably and would be the talking of the ton with her debutante wardrobe. But she was not raised to be labelled as an ornament as many pretty ladies that did not know how to converse were. Lady Parker would have more than the weather to talk about with her husband when the time comes. And once she was the lady of her house, she would help him increase their wealth. Like she had done for her family.

Her father always had reservations about her cleverness, not because he was not proud of her accomplishments. But because not many people in England knew about how the Parker ladies were raised. Many gentlemen were still closed off, thinking the wives had no business helping them.

The Duke required his daughter to choose wisely. Lady Parker needed to marry a man that would appreciate and embrace all her attributes. Some would think she was trying to take their places in the household, and a lazy dandy would use only her cleverness to their advantage. She would not be there to take her husband's place or do his job. Thea was there to ensure that her husband and their family shone like a star in the eyes of London society.

As if all the lady's accomplishments were not enough. Thea was the only goddaughter of the King of England, and her father, the Duke of London, was the closest friend of His Majesty.

The Parker Family were the most respectful and influential in England. They were adored and envied for their fortune, power and looks. For generations, they have been the closest family to the Crown. And the Duke of London was at the apex of the peerage, being the most feared gentleman after the King.

Lady Parker's whole family had noble titles, and all her three older brothers were titled bachelor gentlemen, making all the ladies fan themselves from excitement after sharing a ballroom with them. And Thea was the youngest sibling of four.

Lord Archibald Parker, the Marquess of London, also known as Archie by close friends and family, was the eldest and her father's heir. The Marquess was already on top of all Parker's affairs and had been working with his father since returning from Cambridge University. He liked to take all the burden off his father's shoulders and let him enjoy life to the fullest. When their mother died, it was a dark period for the family, and the Duke got very depressed, immersing himself in work, only coming out when his good friend, the King, called for him.

His Grace Hugh Parker, the Duke of Cambridge, was the second sibling, the spare as the ton would call him, but he was named his grandfather's heir. The late Duchess of London was a wealthy heiress, and her father decided to name her second son his heir as Archie would become the Duke of London after his father's passing.

His Grace Charles Parker, the Duke of Bath, also known as Charlie by close friends and family, was the third sibling and was honoured with his title by the King at his christening. Charles was His Majesty's given name before ascending the throne and becoming King Edward, and as a young lad, he loved being called Charlie by everyone. He felt honoured by the Duke's tribute.

As the social season had begun, it was customary that the Duke of London hosted the season's opening ball. And that year, it would be the most important for the family as it was Lady Parker's debut. The Parker ball at the London Palace was the most highly sought-after invitation of the ton. It was known as very extravagant and was the only ball to have the King and Queen assurance in attendance.

Balls and dinners were Lady Parker's favourite events. She always laid so much effort into the invitation and the Palace's preparations. Perfection was what they were known for, and the Parker Family had to be perfect in everyone's eyes. But it was not a burden. They were perfection without even trying. They were born into privilege. They were handsome, well connected, wealthier than the Crown, had businesses even on the continent, and most importantly, loved each other.

Thea's first official ball was a triumph, and the young lady's dance card was complete before any gentleman could even fetch her first lemonade. The lucky guests to have managed to secure an invitation would need many days to recover from such a remarkable night.

Fortunate for her, the gentlemen of ton did not feel the need to do so as on the very next day, the queue of suitors was running outside the Palace.

It was the largest queue seen in London since her Mama's debut. All the poor footmen got tired of opening and closing doors, and the desperate butler had no voice left after announcing so many suitors. Mister Green, the family's butler, had to call for the cook and kitchen maids from the Parker House to help them with the refreshments. He could not let the callers leave, saying the Palace had run out of biscuits.

Connexions were everything in society, and who knew it better than the Parkers? They were born surrounded by it. Most of her suitors were after her beauty, the fat dowry fit for a Queen, and all the advantages they would gain by being associated with the Parker name. While His Majesty the King had a different belief about what would make a suitable suitor for Thea. He had higher expectations for her. He wanted Thea to marry a king and was already working towards it. The lower rank he would accept for her was a Crown Prince. With Thea's fine education and cleverness, he was sure she would be fit to run a Palace and entertain a court.

But Thea wanted neither. She was after Love. And even though the lady was enjoying the attention and all the gifts the gentlemen were providing. She wanted the very same thing her parents had—a love match.

The Duke loved his wife very much. He was in love with her from the minute he saw her at her debutante ball. He was only twenty then and was the first to call her house the next day with the most expensive gifts to gain the lady's favour. Like Thea, the late Duchess was named the Diamond of the season. And they were married and in love within a month. Their love was so powerful that her father never married again after her mother's death.

And Thea longed for the mutual feeling. Every time Mister Green entered the room to announce a new name. The name her heart desired to hear was Mister Jonathan Pine. But Thea knew it would be close to impossible. In four years, they had yet to cross paths again, and she was sure the gentleman was oblivious to her existence. Nonetheless, it would not stop her heart from burning for it.

When little Thea was at the age of four and ten, her father accompanied her for a brief visit to her brother Charlie at Cambridge University. From inside her carriage, she spotted Mister Pine outside the library talking to her brother's Hugh good friend Lord Hyde. She was in love with him from the moment she laid her eyes on the gentleman. And her affection only seemed to increase each time Lord Hyde wrote to her, mentioning him in his letters.

Thea was sure Mister Pine never considered her in that way. But it did not stop her from dreaming about a life where she would be Mrs Pine and make everything perfect in their household. They would have beautiful children, and she would love them as much as her Mama loved her and her siblings.

Of course, the young lady was unsure if her dear Papa would entertain her feelings on the matter if Mister Pine ever were to court her. But to her, what matters the most would be the day Mister Jonathan Pine looked at her.