Rafe just stood there with one eyebrow raised and his usual expression of curiosity and interest formed on his fine, bearded face as he observed the exquisitely blonde young woman when she was approached by another lady. His smile widened when the giggling commenced, a surefire sign that he had been noticed; his glistening white teeth sparkled like an animal's fangs beneath his close-clipped black mustache in an indication that the spectacle had indeed amused him.
There wasn't a doubt in his keen, cunning brain that he hadn't seen her before. From what he had observed so briefly in her behavior, she seemed that of a well-brought up young lady who most likely was brought up as all other young ladies were: A sheltered life in which they were reared to be cultured, educated, courteous and above all, gentle and shy. A trait that the every sturdy, red-nosed matron was wont to pass down amongst their daughters and so forth. Even if his assumptions were true, which he did not want to conclude himself if they yet were, he decided it best to settle his curiosity with an objective third party.
Turning to his left, Rafe tapped the shoulder of one Toby Drake, an older gentleman who was one of those rebellious bachelors that were more ignorant than their name required and sought maintain their youth far longer than was necessary. Thankfully, Toby was an amicable man who had many a friend and sought out even more acquaintances to add to his collection of socialites. He turned around to face Rafe with a smile on his face, "Did you need something, Rafe?"
"Yes, Toby. Tell me, just who is that woman over there?" He was quick to answer for fear that if he stayed too long with Lord Drake he would dragged into some nonsensical conversation that would bore him out of his mind. In a swift motion, he tossed a finger to the woman's direction.
"The red-head?" Toby muttered, obviously confused.
"No! The blonde in the pale blue dress. Yes, her, over there. Who is she? I've never seen her before." Rafe, though only half grinning, kept his vigilance upon her and only shot Toby a glance as reassurance that he was listening.
"Her? Why, that's Lady Cassandra Aalish. She's a young belle that just had her appearance about, eh say, four months ago if memory serves me correctly. It was a wonderful occasion. But why do you ask? Weren't you invited?"
With that brought to his attention, Rafe looked to Toby Drake with a visage that bespoke of obvious sarcasm.
"I'll take that as a no then. Well, anyhow, her mother, one Lady Janelle Aalish, is—"
"—another stone cold matron, I'm sure," Rafe finished for him.
"Er, yes. Well, she threw the bash just for her daughter at the king's palace in Arca. The lass is about nineteen, I would think, and a well-bred young lady if I do say so myself."
"Thank you, Toby. That's all." Rafe tapped the gentleman on the shoulder and departed from his side. All the while keeping his eyes on Cassandra, he moved through the crowd, his walk speaking the secrets of his passionate spirit, brave and strong and with an graceful lightness that would be unusual for someone of his height and body size for he was neither slender nor light but of a slightly greater than lean musculature.
He evaded the diners that chatted and ate along the rim of the twirling dance floor as he slipped toward the side of the ballroom, maintaining his fox-like vigilance from the corner of his eye. He slid to the side, nodding to one noble or another and admired the mural on the wall of what were called legendary 'spellswords' from a distant land called Runea. The image depicted one, clad in shining armor, bowing to his lady fair in a serene field surrounded by a glorious wood and hillside with his castle far in the distance as it shadowed against the sunset. When he managed to slip his way right beside Cassandra he remarked so that she could clearly hear, "Ah, Joslynn James at some of his best. Would you agree?" He turned to her and smiled, holding his hands behind his back.
[Just so you know, Joslynn James is a fictional famous author/painter of Serendipity that I completely made up and can be used as a topic of discussion between the two if you'd like.]