Luisa: The Orphan Tale

Part XIX: Trouble at the Ball

Luisa, Chloe and Elise awoke, nude aw usual, one morning.

They quickly dressed themselves in simple dresses and went down to breakfast with Dubois and Genevieve and Frederic, and so after they awaited the tailor, with much anticipation, in the drawing room.

There was a knock at the door sometime later and a maid had answered and let the woman into the dressing room, she introduced herself to Chloe and Elise and soon whisked them away towards their room, fit with all her bags and supplies she somehow carried all of by herself.

A while later their reentered the drawing room and Luisa was stunned, their dresses were of the finest silks and fabrics, Chloe's colored a deep, wine red and Elise's colored lavender with white trim. Their hair was even put up in such elegant fashion and they tended, like Luisa, to go light on makeup and let their natural femininity and beauty speak for itself.

"My goodness!" Luisa gasped as she approached and grasped the two girls' hands, Chloe's in her left and Elise's in her right. "You look amazing!"

"You're saying we looked bad before?" Chloe teased with that cheeky grin she had.

"Of course not! It's just that seeing you this way...makes me feel like even more real that us three...we made it." Luisa responded, choking up on her own words.

"Aw hush and don't cry!" Elise said softly as she rubbed Luisa's cheek, wiping a tear from her right eye with her thumb.

"You know me..." Luisa said embarrassed. "Two weeks and it still feels so fresh!"

"Ever the crybaby!" Chloe giggled as she reached up and caressed Luisa's face as well.

"Well! Since we're all ecstatic with the dresses, why don't we throw a little soiree ourselves!" Dubois suggested cheerily.

"Oh that sounds wonderful!" Genevieve seconded.

"That would be wonderful!" Luisa said turning to her father.

"Excellent! It will start at sundown, and don't worry your heads. I'll handle all the detail of arrangement, you just prepare yourselves for a fun night!" He said as he used his cane to stand, feigning its necessity as usual.

"I don't suppose that tailor is till round to make me some fine garments of my own?" Frederic asked. "I haven't but old, dirty navy uniforms."

"She should be coming down." Chloe said.

Genevieve took Frederic by the arm and led him to the foyer where they caught her and requested a fine outfit be made for Frederic.

"Of course! You'll have to come pick it up this afternoon!" She said as she frantically exited the manor. "About three o'clock?" She asked and Frederic nodded in agreement and she nodded back before scurrying off, bags hooked to every limb.

"She looks so encumbered!" Frederic commented.

"Oh don't even hint at helping her, she'll take your head off!" Genevieve warned. "She nearly took off mine years ago!" Genevieve laughed.

_

The rest of the day before the ball was spent mostly idly by everyone.

Chloe had found Dubois' easel and canvases and asked to be allowed to use them, he assented and she practiced her painting. She used to do it as a young girl and took it back up while in the convent. She was quite good and she elected to paint Luisa and Elise while they performed their hobbies.

All sharing a room, Luisa leaned over the desk and wrote in her poetry book, prose and rhyme both came out of her mind and on to the page. She wrote about love and passion and adventure! But mostly she wrote of Chloe and Elise.