Hopeless Romance

2 | ...at First Sight

Addie lay on the chaise lounge in the parlor as she reached the end of her book awaiting her family's return from the assembly. She'd wondered if Mrs. Joyner's master plan worked and her sisters would have good news to share although she'd be just as entertained by something as disappointing as the ending of the book she'd closed and put down upon hearing the carriage wheels draw near the house.

Addie was already in the foyer near the large staircase when her family walked through the door two hours past midnight. "How was the ball?" she asked her stepmother.

"It was glorious," declared Mrs. Joyner, shedding her cloak and passing it to Addie, who in turn handed it to Cora, their sole maid. "I don't know if I've ever had so much fun at an assembly as tonight. Not even during my days as a fair maiden." Grace and Tiana began undoing their cloaks. Grace appeared annoyed, whereas Tiana stood with glossy eyes, radiant skin, and an effervescent smile. "Mister Forsythe was everything I thought he would be," Mrs. Joyner continued, boasting as Cora and Addie took the girls' cloaks. Mr. Joyner approached cane in hand. "Handsome, charming, and rich. Why, you should have seen him, Adele." Addie mentally cursed Mrs. Joyner. "He must have danced with every single lady at the ball and never complained once or showed any sign of weariness."

"I didn't notice," Grace bitterly remarked. "Perhaps it was because Tiana monopolized his attention for almost the entire assembly," she said, poking her tongue out at Tiana.

"I knew they'd be a match. Didn't I say it?" Mrs. Joyner went on. Addie smiled at an aggravated Mr. Joyner as she and Cora helped him out of his coat. "It was exactly as I envisioned. We arrived fashionably late, and all eyes were on us. The moment he saw Tatiana, his eyes lit up. Seconds after his dance with Miss Higgins ended, he asked Tatiana to dance. They danced all night. While the other ladies received a dance or two, Tatiana must have danced with him a dozen times or more."

"Oh, please, it was just a few times," Grace countered.

"How many times did you dance with him, Gracey?" Addie inquired with a smirk.

"Once...but I had so many other gentlemen to oblige that I couldn't be bothered to care," she said, her nose turned up to the ceiling. "He seems too old for me anyway," she said before removing her gloves. Addie took delight in Grace's bitterness although she knew it wouldn't last long before her attention went elsewhere.

"It won't be long before a proposal. I can feel it," Mrs. Joyner asserted.

"Oh, would you hush your nonsense, woman?" Mr. Joyner said. Mrs. Joyner gasped. "They don't even know each other. Give them some time to move past their hormones long enough to figure out if they even like each other before we begin planning a wedding."

"A gentleman pursuing a lady requires not time, but merely opportunity," Mrs. Joyner retorted. "You should know this well, Mister Joyner," she suggested. Her implication was not lost on Mr. Joyner who was uncharacteristically lost for words. He seethed in silence as Addie watched.

"Did you have a good time, Papa?" Addie asked to break the tension.

"I had a fine time, thank you," he said. Addie was relieved as he'd remained upset about her absence at the ball. Mr. Joyner came to loathe the assemblies over the years, only looking forward to one activity when there. "The only thing missing was a dance or two with my favorite partner." Mr. Joyner tossed his cane to Cora and then waltzed with Addie throughout the expansive foyer.

"Be careful, John," Mrs. Joyner said. He ignored her.

Addie laughed as they twirled again and again. Tiana and Cora clapped, creating music for them as Grace and Mrs. Joyner watched from the staircase.

Addie had enjoyed dancing with her father since her twelfth year when he first taught her to waltz. Just three years prior, she had the chance to dance at her first town assembly in Braeland after returning from governess school. Her father was the only man willing to dance with her at the balls, but Addie came to cherish the tradition.