And She Died Again ¦✔

~17~ The Ball

Lucinda Lutherfield walked slowly has she shot instructions each step she took. "Careful with that ice sculpture!" She shouted at a group of shabbily dressed men who had hastily entered the hall. The men looked taken aback for a moment and their expressions were like that of a deer caught up in the headlights. They sheepishly looked at mayor's wife and delicately carried the opalescent ice sculpture into the ballroom.  

  "Monique! What are you doing with that painting?" Lucinda bellowed, snapping a look at her secretary who was struggling up the stairs. 

Monique gave her a confused look, "Taking the painting up the stairs?"

  "No. Not that painting. Take it back." The painting was one of her most prized possessions. It was Pablo Picasso's Garcon a la pipe, a painting which featured the beautiful portrait of a local boy holding a pipe whilst wearing a festoon of flowers. Her mother was a collector of fine arts and throughout her childhood she'd seen vast paintings–some of which she thought were quite hideous. 

  Her personal favorite was "when will you marry" by Paul Gaugin a gift she had received from her mom on her twentieth birthday. How ironic that was, the old woman was clearly telling her to get married and get the heck out of her house. She couldn't blame her, her mother was the only sane person willing to put up with her irascibility for long. She reminded herself to wrap it up as a gift for Miss Del Rosario, the next time she visited.  

  "But Sir Lutherfield said-" Was she seriously still here? Lucinda sighed, placing a finger on her head. "That painting has nothing to with Woodwave's centennial celebration. Please take it back while I'm being nice."   

  "Okay." Monique said, scurrying back towards the direction of the big house. 

 Lucinda Lutherfeild looked around and was satisfied with how regimented everything was. The interior designers had done a very great job at making the town hall spark with glam. How they ably turned the town hall into an exquisite ballroom was beyond her. She thrummed her feet on the hardwood floor as she walked towards her husband who stood talking to a man, she didn't seem to recognize.

 He was taking this centennial celebration a little too serious. The grand ball was the closing event of the three day centennial celebration. It was now a hundred years since the last war in Woodwave. Many lives were lost and unfortunately little was gained. It took a lot of hard work and a lot of determination before Woodwave was rebuilt and came to be in state it was in now.

  Her husband was an advocate for peace and this centennial celebration meant a lot to him as much as it did to her. The first event had been an all-state funeral; thus, in black they mourned the souls they'd lost in the war. The next event was much brighter and less sorrowful; a glitter-themed summer concert. She wasn't one for concerts so she did not care much for it.   

  What she cared for was salvaging the grand ball with the little knowledge she had about successful balls. She approached Henry once he was done talking to the man. "Henry I just came up with a brilliant idea."   

  Henry Lutherfield smiled wryly, not liking how determined his wife sounded. He had no say anytime she was this hyper. 

  "I've made masks a requirement."

Henry looked nonplussed. "I'm not sure I understand,"

"No one gets in without a mask on," She smiled.

 "It's too late to come up with more ideas now, Luci."

  "I've already thought of that. The makeshift footmen will be giving one to everyone as they enter the ballroom." 

  "That's childish Luci." Henry protested. A masquerade ball was very much out of question and there was no way he was allowing that. That's what he'd thought two hours ago, two hours later he was dressed in a plectrum charcoal plaid tux with a black silk mask on. Lucinda Lutherfeild made a brief tour down the stairs as hundreds of people all stitched in colorful masks poured into the halls.