The meeting of the ministers and vice ministers have just ended, and Charlton was just about to leave when Marquis Christopher Cross, the vice minister of justice, invited him, along with other vice ministers their age (21-26) and from the peerage, to join him for afternoon tea which his mother hosted in their ducal mansion.
It was no secret, and the meaning of the invite was clear as the afternoon tea was hosted for debutantes. Attending would mean that one was interested to find a match this season.
Last year, Charlton was also invited by the Marquis to the same event, and he declined giving some excuse he could no longer remember. Now, since he knew that Serena was in attendance and he wanted to see her, he had decided to accept.