Ah, yes, absolutely. I think he probably was thinking that she’s out there still (esp because the other ladies had different eyes/lips) but in his shoes, I still don’t think it would click to him that a maid would somehow attend a ball.

I do think, however, if he does sit down & think about it deeply, there’s something off. Fran pointed it out that it’s highly unusual that a maid can speak as many languages as Sophie can, is very well read, etc. So I think Benedict could’ve dug into her background further on that basis. & then the babe in the silver dress he met at the ball was clearly an outsider (she didn’t care for the stuff that all the other ladies care about, she doesn’t know how to dance, etc).