The Apple of My Eye

Chapter 4

Upstairs the ball was a sight to behold. The entire room was bathed in gold which came from the light of the golden chandelier that hung above all the guests. Gentlemen and ladies were either  joyously dancing about, loudly conversing in friendly chats or idle gossip, or helping themselves to the complimentary drinks. The only person there not finding pleasure in this gathering was a young man hiding himself the shadows of various corners.

A lithe looking fellow who was dressed sharply in a wine suit which consisted of his best coat and trousers. He was dark eyed and both his skin and hair were a shade of light brown. He was Creole but one could mistake him as a white man who had just been in the sun too long. He was very handsome and he sported a most charming  smile on his face even though in truth he was actually quite bored with the evening so far.

His good friend Husk who was dangerously close to falling into a coma due to how much whisky he had chugged in the last hour, had urged him several times to interact with the ravishing young ladies who had been making eyes at him ever since he first entered the room. But the young man had no intention of indulging them because while they were indeed very pretty and very good with flattery, he knew not one of them were interested in him. Not genuinely that is.

"You know somethin." Husk slurred in his intoxicated state. "Women's attention is wasted on the wrong men. Here you have nearly every broad swoonin over you and you just hide from them. Do you have any idea how many lonely single men would kill to have your luck with the women?"

"No." Chuckled the young man. "But I do know this Husker if you take another swallow of that whiskey it will be one, two, three, floor for you."

"What? You think I'm a lightweight? I can handle it! I'll drink you under the table!"

The young man smirked and rolled his eyes. Truly his friend's intoxication was the only thing he found amusing about this ball. Or at least it was until a hush fell over the crowd. He turned his gaze toward what had captured everyone's attention and for the first time in his life he was completely astonished. At the entrance of the dance hall there stood a woman more lovely than any he had ever seen in all of his life. She shimmered under the chandelier light and moved with such elegance, overcoming each guest at the ball with her grace and beauty. However she seemed entirely unaware of just of radiant she was and that made her all the more beguiling to the young man.

At first Charlotte found herself so amazed by the ball that she didn't notice everyone staring at her. Everything was just so magnificent, from the decor to the music. It was also very diverse which she found to be very refreshing. When her father threw galas like these he only invited the wealthy and elite and although the people apart of that social group were indeed present there were also guests from the poor and the servitude. It made her feel much more at ease because it gave her the idea that the master of the house would be welcoming to every kind of person.

After admiring the ball she finally noticed the stares of all the guests. It made her feel very shy and self conscious. Like she had done something wrong or looked a certain way that was disturbing or awkward. Perhaps Katie was right. Maybe she would only be seen as a subject of ridicule here. She should probably just go back to the cellar before everyone started laughing or spouting insults at her.

She was just about to leave when she was approached by the most handsome man she had ever seen. She could tell that he was Creole because her father had educated her on how to distinguish them from black people with a lighter skin tone or white people with a darker skin tone. He said it was so she wouldn't associate herself with them, calling them half breeds or the product of a union that should never be. But Charlotte didn't care about any of that. White. Black, or Creole he was still no less human than she was and he was still the most dashing gentleman she had ever beheld.