Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Marie entered the ballroom. Everyone was wearing a mask. She edged around the room, making sure to keep out of everyone’s way. She did her best thinking when she was by herself. She sat in one of the chairs and clasped her hands in her lap.
The evening was still early, but she noted how lively the room was.
People were dancing and laughing. The music swelled beautifully through the air.
The colors of the ladies’ gowns were vibrant, and watching them as they spun in time to the music made Marie think of a flower garden in bloom. Lord Edon always had the best balls.
She couldn’t even begin to guess which gentleman was Edward.
He wasn’t prone to bright colors like some.
He preferred more muted tones. She didn’t realize how many others did as well, and that made him blend in with quite a few gentlemen.
She should have asked him what kind of mask he’d be wearing tonight.
Then, at least, she would have a chance of detecting him.
After fifteen minutes of not getting anywhere, she felt her spirit give way to disappointment. This was a waste of time. She would be better off staying at home.
The sound of familiar laughter drifted her way. Diane. She would recognize that laugh anywhere. Marie’s gaze went to the group of ladies standing nearby. They were fanning themselves and seemed to be having a good time. Diane laughed again. As always, Diane was the center of attention.
A couple of gentlemen approached Diane and her group.
Marie bet they recognized her laughter, which was why they suddenly surrounded her.
They flirted a bit with the other ladies, but most of their flirtation was directed at her.
Unless they had the most money and influence, they were wasting their time.
Marie let out a sigh. She didn’t want to spend any more time thinking about Diane. From now on, she wanted to focus on better things.
A lady wearing an orange gown with a matching mask approached her. At first, Marie thought she was Brooke since Brooke mentioned sitting to the side of the room at balls and watching people. But then the lady spoke, and Marie realized it wasn’t Brooke’s voice.
“Mind if I have a seat?” The lady gestured to the chair right next to her.
Marie shook her head, though she did experience a slight unease. There were other chairs around her. If this lady wanted to sit right next to her, then that had to mean she wished to speak with her. Could this lady be Juliet? Did Juliet recognize her despite her mask?
“How are things going with this experiment?”
Marie’s heartbeat picked up in excitement. “Are you Tove?”
The lady offered a nod and removed her mask.
Sure enough, it was Tove. Marie recognized the dark, wavy hair that was pulled back with pins decorated with orange, red, and yellow leaves.
There was also that strange glitter lining her eyelids, except this time the color was gold instead of silver. There was no color on her lips, though.
Tove replaced her mask before anyone else noticed her full appearance. “I believe I have allowed you sufficient time in this new life. Have you found a gentleman you love who loves you in return?”
“I’m not sure. I need to speak with him, but I have no way of telling who he is among everyone in the room.”
“Ah, that’s a simple fix. Who would you like to speak to?”
Marie wasn’t sure what she meant by ‘fix’, but she answered, “Mr. Edward Glover.”
“Isn’t that the gentlemen you were betrothed to in your other life?”
“Yes. It turns out he’s in this life, too.” Marie wasn’t sure how much more she should add. After a moment, she ventured, “I think he might be a suitable match after all. I haven’t had enough time with him to know for certain. I was hoping to be able to do that tonight.”
“Say no more. I can arrange it so you two can speak.” Tove pulled out the small, round item from her pocket that made Marie think of a pocket watch. She tapped something on it. Then she scanned the crowd. “There he is!”
Marie followed the direction the lady pointed to. She saw the gentleman with a golden glow around him and gasped.
“Don’t worry. No one else can see it,” Tove assured her. “He isn’t even aware of it. Go on and speak with him. I’ll be waiting for you when you’re done.”
Marie thanked her then rose to her feet. Strange. She had been eager for this moment, and yet, now that it was here, her palms were damp. She hurried to remove the handkerchief from her pocket and wiped them. Once done, she slipped the cloth back into her pocket and wove her way through the crowd.
He was talking with a couple of other gentlemen, so she slowed as she approached. It wouldn’t be good to interrupt their conversation. She had to make this look like a chance encounter.
She gave a glance back at the chairs, but Tove was gone.
Was Tove still watching? Sure, she had to be.
Tove had been watching her this entire time, right?
But if that was true, then why hadn’t Tove appeared to her last night when she called out to her?
Marie pushed the question aside. Tove probably didn’t spend all of her time watching her.
Marie took a moment to watch Edward. The glow was gone now.
It had served its purpose. Marie knew who Edward was among the three gentlemen.
His stature indicated that he was relaxed.
He was laughing and agreeing with whatever the gentleman to his right was saying, but she caught the way his fingers tapped against his leg.
He was nervous. He was just trying to hide it.
Did that mean he didn’t like crowded spaces any more than she did?
“Of course, you can’t judge a lady by the kind of pet she has,” Marie heard the gentleman to Edward’s right say. “Some animals are just contrary by nature.”
“I know just what you mean,” the other gentleman agreed.
“I had two dogs in the past. One was the friendliest sport. He let the young lads hop on him like he was some kind of horse. Then there was the other dog that barked all the time and snapped at anyone who showed the slightest bit of timidity.”
The first gentleman grimaced. “I hope that second dog was kept in the country.”
“It most certainly was. We didn’t want to risk it harming anyone.”
“What about you, Edward? Did you have any pets?”
Edward nodded. “We had a couple of birds. My mother liked the sound of their songs.”
Marie’s ears perked up. Edward must have had a good relationship with his mother since his voice had taken on a wistful tone as he spoke.
She briefly remembered her father telling Edward that she, herself, enjoyed going to Hyde Park and listening to the birds.
She had confirmed this by saying she thought their melodies were pretty.
At the time, she’d thought he found her simple explanation silly, but perhaps he hadn’t thought that after all.
Maybe she had reminded him of the pleasant times he’d had with his mother.
That had worked in her favor, though she’d had no way of knowing that then.
“Oh, I don’t know about birds,” the first gentleman said. “They have sharp claws and beaks.”
“It can’t be worse than a cat,” the other gentleman chimed in. “My wife’s cat is always clawing up my favorite pieces of furniture. If she didn’t love me, I’d swear she had the thing do it on purpose.”
Marie glanced between the three gentlemen and realized none of them had even noticed her. For all intents and purposes, she was just as invisible as she was in her other life. It was amazing how Tove could make people react so differently to her based on the situation.
If she was going to get Edward’s attention, she would have to do something she’d never do under ordinary circumstances.
She took a deep breath to work up her courage.
Then she moved right up to Edward and bumped his arm with hers.
She let out a startled gasp and hurried to apologize, hoping he would believe it had truly been an accident.
“There’s no need to apologize,” he hurried to assure her. “The room is crowded. I didn’t think to look before stepping back.” He inspected her elbow. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” She gave a tentative glance at the other two gentlemen.
They didn’t seem to be the wiser. She offered Edward a smile.
“As you pointed out, the room is crowded.” That wasn’t so true for the section where chairs lined the walls, but only a wallflower would notice something like that.
However, she wasn’t going to spend her time sitting in a chair when she could dance with Edward instead.
She let out a laugh she hoped would convey far more ease than she felt.
“I think there’s more room where people are dancing. ”
“Is there?”
She gave a nod then proceeded to say, “The music is splendid. It’s perfect for All Hallows’ Eve.
Just the right blend of whimsy and spookiness.
I think the orchestra is getting ready for the next dance.
I would love for a chance to go over there.
” Despite the bravado in her voice, her skin warmed all over.
Did a person’s heart always race when making such a bold move?
She’d never done anything like this before.
He hesitated for a moment, and she felt her stomach clench in dread. Was he going to ignore her hint?
“Would you like to share a dance?” he finally asked.
Her stomach eased. “I would love to.”
He extended his arm, and she accepted it. Her mind flashed back to the evening they met in her other life. He had given her the same smile he was giving her now. That meant he was sincere. He wasn’t simply being polite.
“It’s a pleasant evening, don’t you agree?” she asked so as to continue the conversation.
He gave a nod. “Yes, it’s very festive. The masks are fun. It gives the evening a sense of mystery to it.”
“You like mystery?”
“Yes, I do. A little mystery is nice. What about you? Do you like the masks?”
“I do. I feel like I can be myself instead of what others expect me to be.”
They reached the dancing area and waited for the orchestra to start.
“With the masks, there are no expectations,” she explained. “We don’t know who is around us. Like you and me. You don’t know who I am.”
“Yes, that’s true. You could be any of the ladies I’ve already met, or this could be our first meeting. I believe that’s the excitement in this evening’s ball. I bet that’s what Lord Edon hoped to accomplish.”
“If so, he succeeded.” She wouldn’t dare tell him she was cheating.
The music began to play, and they hurried to fall into step.
Dancing really only allowed for so much talking.
In her other life, she had chosen to meet Edward at a ball for this very reason.
It relieved her of the burden of having to come up with a lot to say.
Long periods of silence, after all, were dreadful, and meeting him for the first time had been awkward enough.
Now, she was beginning to realize there was a downside to all the music.
It prevented them from really getting to know each other.
Halfway into the dance, there was a moment when he accidentally stepped on her slippers. He stepped back and apologized.
“Oh, you needn’t worry. I have moments when I get clumsy while dancing, too.”
“I doubt it. All of your steps are flawless.”
She resisted the urge to offer up a disbelieving laugh. If only he remembered the way she’d danced when they first met. Deciding to put him at ease, she teased, “If I step on your boots or bump into you, you can’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He chuckled. “No, I can’t, and I promise I won’t.”
She wished she’d been this relaxed when they had danced before. He really was sweet and charming. It was much easier to focus when one was relaxed. To her dismay, the dance was quickly coming to an end. She needed to find a way to extend their time together.
“Do you have any plans for autumn?” she ventured as the music came to a stop. She would have asked about Christmas, but she remembered how much he enjoyed autumn. This would be her best chance of extending their conversation.
“Oh, well…” He glanced at the other couples who were changing partners for the next dance.
“We can talk over there.” She gestured to two chairs.
To her great relief—and excitement—he agreed to join her to the side of the room so they could get a better chance to talk.