Patriots: New York

Chapter Twenty Three: Belle of the Ball, Part I

And so Christmas Eve arrived. New York seemed buried in snow and the weather was still bitter cold, but it did not feel that way inside the tavern. There was a fireplace in the dining room that, when lit, could warm the whole place. I woke up excited and thrilled to be alive that morning. I opened my eyes and saw Danny leaning on the window sill, looking out at the snowy city.
"Merry Christmas Eve Morning," I said cheerfully. "You got out of bed I see."
"Yeah," he said brightly. "Didn't even hurt my leg...much."
"Are you feeling up to going to the ball tonight?"
"Most definitely! So long as I don't have to have a cane.."
"I think you will still have to have one," I said slowly.
"I can just lean against the wall if my leg hurts," he said. "I'll be just fine."
"What happens if you want to move?"
"Well, I'll just figure it out. Shouldn't be too hard. I'll find Will or Jack or someone...they can help..."
"I haven't found anything yet, but I'll still look. Wouldn't you like to be able to move independently?" I asked.
"Not with a cane."
"I really don't see why you're so against it, Danny."
"Because it makes me look stupid! No one else is going to have a cane...unless they're very old."
"You really think no one else will be injured but still attending?" I asked. "You won't look stupid, it'll show your bravery in the face of danger!"
"Maybe."
"You ought to sit down and rest for the rest of the day if you're feeling up to going to the ball today," I suggested.
"I'll be fine. I've done enough sitting down and resting to last me a lifetime."
"Can you show me how you walk?"
"Yeah, watch." He walked slowly toward his bed, limping a little. It was difficult, but obviously practiced. He was doing fine until the limping grew heavier and he fell to the floor.
"Oh!" I exclaimed nervously, hurrying over to him. "Oh my goodness, are you alright?!"'
"I'm fine," he said quickly. "Happens every time." He paled. "Oops, should not have said that."
I shook my head, "Oh dear. Please get back in bed right now." I grabbed his arm and heaved him up.
"I'll be fine, Liza, really!" He protested.
"No, no, please may I check if it's alright?!" I asked nervously.
"It's fine, I promise. I won't walk any more until the ball, I promise."
"Alright. But please may I check it?" I asked again.
"Fine."
I rolled up his breech leg and looked at it. Yes, he had reopened the wound. "Oh Danny!" I sighed.
"It'll be fine. I'm still going if you have to cut off my leg."
"Just let me bandage it and rest all day, alright?" I sighed again.
"Alright," he muttered.
I went to get the bandage from the dining room and there was a knock at the door. I went over and opened it cautiously. There was a small stable boy from the army standing there, shivering from the cold.
"Oh. Good morning," I said warmly.
"I-I have a letter for Private Daniel Gannis. Is he here?" he asked through chattering teeth.
"Yes, would you like me to give it to him?" I offered, taking the letter.
"Yes please, if you would," the boy replied.
"Would you like to come in? Have a coffee? Warm up?" I asked.
"No thank you, Miss. I have to get back to camp. Merry Christmas," He said quickly and ran off to a horse on which he rode swiftly away.
I grabbed the bandage and took the letter along with me. "Danny, this just arrived for you."
"Oh. Who's it from?" he asked.
"Well, I didn't read it," I laughed. "It just says 'To Daniel Gannis.'"
"Oh, alright. Thank you," he said slowly.
I began to rewrap his leg and he broke the sealing wax on the envelope.
His eyes went wide as he read the contents of the letter. "What the hell...Liza...Liza, this is from my mother."
"Your mother? How...did you...who told her...?" I stuttered in disbelief.
"Certainly not me! I can't...how did she get the..." his voice trailed off as he turned back to the letter. "It was Will."
"Well, at least he told her you two were in New York," I said. "What does she have to say?"
"Well, I didn't want her to worry," Danny mumbled. "She says I shouldn't have run off without telling her. And she says she is very worried. And that she thought we were dead. Yes, about what I'd expected."
"Anything else?"
"The farm's been alright, she said," Danny continued. "Difficult to run without us, though. And she says to make sure I'm resting." He smiled a little. "Yes, definitely doing that."
"Will told her you'd been...?"
"Apparently." He shook his head. "I can't believe he's done this."
"At least she knows you're alive," I said. "That's good."
He looked at the letter again, his brow furrowing. "Oh dear..."
"What's the matter?" I asked worriedly.
"She says...she says she's fallen a bit ill but she'll be fine. And she hopes we have a Merry Christmas and hurry home to her. She still loves me..." he shook his head.
"Oh Danny, I'm sorry she's sick. I hope she gets well soon," I said, "And of course she still loves you."
"Well, I thought maybe she'd stopped..."
"She could never!" I exclaimed. "You're her son! She could never stop loving you!"
"I know that now."
"And that is wonderful. You see, nothing could kill a mother's..." I stopped, "a mother's love."
"So you should write home," Danny said.
"I-I did..." I stuttered, "To my sister."
"How about to your mother?"
"N-no..."
"Why the hell not?!"
"I-I'm too embarrassed!" I said quickly.
"Well, you shouldn't be!"
"Why? I mean...I ran...I ruined my life...all for a stupid reason. I mean, here he is taking me to the ball tonight. My Papa always said marriage was not about romantic love, it was about children. I don't even know what's going on...I was just a selfish brat, alright? I can't face them."
"You just said that nothing could kill a mother's love," Danny said shortly.
"That's not really what I'm worried about," I sighed.
"Alright," Danny muttered. "I still think you should, though."
"Maybe. I-I just don't want to endanger anyone by disclosing my location...and I'm perfectly happy here."
"Sure."
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You don't believe me? I've never been more excited for a day than today!"
"Alright!"
"I'm fine here. Sure, it hasn't been all sunshine here but the silence of home might be worse," I sighed.
Danny was silent.
"What's the matter?" I asked.
"Nothing. Hope it's fun. Tonight."
"I hope so too." I smiled.
Jack burst into the room. "Did you get the letter?! Will was really panicking about you getting it!"
"What the hell, Jack?! You knew?!"
"'Course I knew! Oh, good..."
"Morning, Jack." I said cheerfully. "My goodness, your hands are freezing! Here, I'll give you your Christmas present now!" I said, taking out the red scarf I knitted and the matching mittens.
"A Christmas present--" Jack shook his head. "I--well, Liza, I didn't get anything for you! I can't--did you make these?!"
"Yes, I certainly did. I have some for you too Danny," I said, pulling out the blue set I had made for him.
"Liza, when did you have time..." Danny's voice trailed off. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome. Danny, I knitted these right in front of you. You didn't notice?" I laughed.
"Well, I didn't...guess I wasn't paying attention..." he immediately put them on. "I love them."
"I'm glad," I laughed. "They suit you well, and will keep you warm all through these army winters."
"Thank you, Liza," Jack said. "I would put them on if my hands weren't so numb."
"Here," I laughed, pulling them on for him, "Warm up."
"Thanks, I will."
"Would either of you like some coffee or breakfast?" I asked.
"I'll take some coffee," Jack said, and Danny nodded, seconding.
"Alright. Coming right up," I said cheerfully, running to get them and coming back as fast as I could. "Here you are. Are you feeling much better today, Danny? And did you ever get over that cold, Jack?"
"Feeling better, yes," Danny said. "And no, look at Jack. He's still got a cold."
"It's better, though," Jack informed me.
"And how are Abe and Will?" I asked.
"Very excited about the ball tonight," Jack replied.
"Say, Jack, you never did come by for a dance lesson," I said.
"Yeah, guess I didn't," he said quietly. "Got too busy for that. I'm sorry, I would've liked to. Will did try to show me, but he looked terrible doing it. I feel bad for whoever he's being, if I'm being honest. But thank you for the offer, Liza."
"Would you like to try right now?" I asked.
"Sure," Jack said. "Anything's better than nothing."
"Alright," I laughed, taking his cup of coffee and setting it on Danny's bedside table.
"I'm not going to be able to dance, will I?" Danny muttered.
"We'll see," I smiled, taking Jack by the hand and moving his other hand to my waist.
"Do you just sort of...sway?"
"Not exactly," I laughed. "So, because you're the man, you lead. We'll start with a simple waltz. You get to step forward first while I step back. Then we use the other foot and step out and then put the other down again."
Jack stumbled a little. "Right...this isn't so hard..."
We tried it all over the room, only stepping on each other's toes a few times.
"See, you're doing great! Now let's turn it around," I suggested.
"Alright.....how?"
"Like this," I said, turning myself under his arm and switching places with him. "Now we can go the opposite way. You keep going forward."
"Jack," Danny called. "At least pretend like you know what you're doing. You've got to at the very least pretend that you're a good dancer or you'll look terrible."
"Thanks for the encouragement," Jack mumbled. "And I am a good dancer."
"You can lift things, right?" I asked.
"Yes, why?"
"Sometimes dances have lifts in them, mainly these will just go up and down. Do you want to try with me just to get a feel for it?" I asked.
"Sure...I just...lift you up....like this?"
He lifted me straight off the ground. "Umm, well yes, only usually the lady helps you out by jumping a little so you don't have to do all the lifting yourself."
"Oh. Right. Yes."
"And then you should probably know how to do this..." I said, pulling his arm up to his eye level and making my wrist touch with his. "You just walk in a circle like this."
"Oh, great. This isn't hard, then," Jack said slowly.
"Well, these are the basics. You will probably be fine if you know that basic step and are able to learn on the fly," I said, "I've never been to a ball like this. Only barn dances at my uncle's farm. Those were less formal."
"Well, they sound fun. And clearly you've learned something."
"Danny, would you like to try?" I asked.
"Yeah, sure. If I'm not too weak to," he added, like my concern was something to be made fun of.
"Alright," I said, helping him out of bed, "Go ahead and put all of your weight on me. Put your hand on my waist, you can wrap it around my back for now. You need the extra support, and you hold my other hand like this. And we go..."
Danny stumbled considerably more than Jack. "Well...alright, think I'm getting the hang of it..."
"And you were mocking my dancing," Jack said under his breath.
"I won't have you lift me. Do you have an idea of how to waltz?" I asked, "Keep leaning on me, it's alright."
"Yes, I think so. Sort of like this.."
"Yes. Just like that. It seems like you've got it, so how 'bout getting back into bed. You're still a little unsteady," I said, leading him back to the bed.
"Alright. Thank you," he told me.
"Oh Danny," Jack said with a smirk, "I Picked something up for you to use tonight." He held up a plain black cane.
"Disgusting," Danny said shortly.
"It really wouldn't be so bad," I said.
"Yes, it would. You try walking about with a cane."
I smiled and took the cane from Jack. I used it to walk across the room before handing it to Danny, "See?"
"Yeah, it's a lot different in public at a dance with people who are all better than you," Danny mumbled.
"I keep telling you, you won't be the only one! Right, Jack?" I looked to him for help.
"Um...sure?"
"There are other young fellows who may need to use them too," I reminded him.
"I would say I hope so, but that sounds terribly morbid," Danny said hesitantly.
"Besides," Jack laughed, "Which is more embarrassing, being carried everywhere or using a little cane for some extra help walking?"
"I suppose," Danny agreed grudgingly. "Thank you both. Sorry I'm so stubborn."
"It's not always a bad thing," I smiled.
"Yeah, it is."
Conall ran in. "Liza, I'm going outside..." he stopped when he saw Jack. "Oh...hello."
"Hello," Jack said.
"Conall, I want to give you your present first before you go play," I said, picking up his blue mitten and muffler that matched Danny's.
His eyes widened. "For me?!"
"For you," I laughed. "Continental blue, just like the soldiers."
"My favorite!" He exclaimed. "Thank you! Thank you thank you..."
"Now you wear them when you go outside. Can't have you catching cold too much now, could we?"
"Not with these. Thank you!"
"You're welcome, dear."
He ran out of the bedroom and out the back door of the tavern.
"What a sweetheart," I laughed.
"I've been reading to him," Danny told Jack.
"That's fun, I suppose. Long as you're not boring him with those stories."
"Jack! They're not boring!"
"He loves them," I laughed. "Has be made any progress in the way of reading himself?"
"Yeah! He's still slow, but he's recognizing words now and he can sound out bigger ones," Danny informed me.
"That's wonderful!" I exclaimed. "Now, would you all like to meet up here before the ball?"
"Don't have much of a choice," Danny muttered.
Jack laughed. "Sure, Liza."
"Alright. What time? The ball starts at 8. How long do you think the journey is?" I asked.
Jack shrugged. "You've probably a better idea than me."
"Zeb is picking me up. I think he said half past 6 o'clock. We'll just all meet then. My goodness, Will hasn't even met the girl he's taking," I laughed.
"That'll go well," Jack laughed. "Will's not always the outgoing type."
"Maybe he'll surprise you," Danny said, almost defensively.
"I'm sure he'll do fine. The girl is absolutely lovely," I put in.
Jack nodded. "Well, I'm interested to see how that turns out."
"Do you want anymore to drink or eat?" I asked. "Either of you?"
"I'm fine," Jack said, and Danny echoed agreement.
"Alright. I ought to go wait on some customers before I go to Audrey's at 4," I said.
"And I should be getting back," Jack said. "See you two later."
"Goodbye, Jack," I said.
"Goodbye, Liza, goodbye, Danny," he called.
"Bye," Danny echoed.
And so I worked until I had to go to Audrey's house. I was so excited I nearly ran down the street through the drifts of snow. A serving woman opened the door and led to to Audrey's room, where she was getting her hair done up in an elegant style by another slave.
"Oh! Hello, Liza!" She said excitedly. "Your dress is over on the bed, along with all of those petticoats that go with it."
I took them all behind the screen and changed into them. I already felt my wet stockings slipping down. The ribbon garters I had were so old and worn and would not stand up to the movement dancing would need. "Audrey," I asked timidly. "Would you happen to have any stockings and garters I could borrow?"
"Absolutely! That drawer right there at the bottom of the wardrobe has a bunch."
"Thank you," I said.
Indeed, she had more stockings and garters than anyone I had ever seen. I picked out some wool stockings and some nice ribbons. I sat down on the bed and tied them on. I fastened the stomacher to my dress and took a look into the looking glass. There was that beautiful ball gown that made me look fresh and sweet like a China doll in an expensive store, the kind I had never been able to afford as a child.
"Tia, would you do her hair please?" Audrey asked the woman who had shown me to the room.
"Yes, Miss," she said.
I took a seat in the chair next to Audrey's in front of the vanity. Tia took a brush and brushed my hair out. The golden curls poofed and spread all over the place. She took a section of my hair at the crown of my head and twisted it into a bun. She pinned it well and took another section of hair in front of the bun and spread it on top of it and over. She pinned it in place as well. She then began making pin curls that layered up on my head higher and higher. She left a section of hair by my ears down and took a hot iron and wrapped the sections around them for a few seconds. I had never had this done before, so I was a bit terrified, but the results were beautiful curls when she pulled them out. When the style was all done she set it with some strange substance to keep it from falling out. 
When I looked in the mirror I did not look like myself. No stray curls, no whispy hairs flying every which way, everything was beautifully in place. I looked like a woman of standing. No one would think for a second that I was a lowly barmaid.
"Well, look at you!" Audrey gushed. "You look absolutely stunning!"
"Thank you," I laughed, "But nothing compared to you!"
Her shiny chestnut hair was done up in a similar style and her silk royal blue gown had a bright sheen in the lamplight. Her grey eyes were clear and bright and her skin was smooth and pale and clear with a tinge of rose in her cheeks. Her dark lashes made her eyes look big and enchanting and her lips were rosy too.
"You don't really need it, but would you like to try some powder?" She asked. "It smooths your complexion and pales your skin to give you that sweet, snow white glow."
"Sure, I'll try," I laughed, picking up the puff. I applied a thin and even layer on my face and set it down. It did not do much difference color wise because I was already so pale from hardly ever going outside, but it did smooth my complexion.
"You can pinch your cheeks as well to make them pinker," Audrey said.
I had seen my mother so this, so I knew how. It did work quite well.
"You can also bite your lips to redden them," Audrey suggested.
I tried that and it worked too.
"And then you can dip your fingers in that water and rub them on your eyelashes. It makes them look longer."
I tried that and indeed it did. I was ready to go.
"There! Don't you look beautiful?"
"I-I guess," I stuttered in disbelief. "Thank you! And thank you, Tia for doing my hair..."
"No problem, Miss," she said with a smile.
"I ought to show you your cape and muff!" Audrey said, pulling them out of the wardrobe.
It was a snowy white cape of fur with a matching muff for my hands. The hair was long and softer than anything I had ever felt.
"Oh my goodness!" I breathed. "For me?!"
"For you!" She laughed, "I have a matching one. Oh! And I almost forgot your slippers!"
She took out a little pair of pink slippers that matched my dress perfectly.
"I noticed how small your feet were, so I found these from a few years ago before my feet grew. I hope they fit."
I slipped them on. "They're perfect!"
"Oh good! Now, we ought to get going to the tavern and not keep the young men waiting."
We left the room and came down the stairs. Audrey's parents were waiting at the door.
Her mother gasped, "Who are those two beautiful girls?"
Audrey laughed, "Oh mother..."
"And my goodness, you are not...no...you could not be..." Her father began to say to me.
"This is Liza Byers, father. The one who was so kind to us at the tavern," Audrey explained.
"What? That's not possible!" He exclaimed.
"It's still me," I laughed.
"I never would have recognized you," he smiled.
"Well, best not keep your escorts waiting. The carriage is outside," her mother said. "Goodbye, girls."
We stepped outside and were greeted by a coachman and a carriage. I stepped up uncertainly and we took off just the few yards down the road until we stopped at the tavern. There was a shiny black sleigh with four horses waiting outside. That could not be for us, could it?
We went inside and to the back bedrooms where we heard rustling and low voices muttering to each other. I opened the door and there sat Abe, Jack, Will, and Zeb all trying in vain to stuff small sandbags they had obviously picked up from the docks into their breech legs.
"Ummmmm..." I stuttered uncomfortably, "What the hell is this..."
Abe looked up. "Oh. Hello, Liza."
"What are you doing?" I sighed.
"Nothing," Will muttered. "How do you do this evening?"
"Quite well, thank you. Will, this is Audrey Winslow, the lady you will be taking to the ball this evening...Audrey, this is William Gannis..." I introduced them awkwardly.
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Gannis," Audrey said politely with a curtsy, trying to hide her alarm at the scene.
"The pleasure is all mine," Will said, bowing. "You look absolutely beautiful."
"Thank you," She blushed.
"Seriously though, what is this?!" I demanded. There was a pile of sand in the middle of the floor. "Is that sand?!"
"Umm, er...yes...wow," Zeb stuttered, staring at me speechlessly.
"Why is there sand?!" I demanded. "In the middle of December?"
"It's not important," Jack put in. "That's a lovely dress, Liza."
"Thank you," I blushed. "But seriously what is this?! Danny, I see you hiding and not doing this foolish thing. What is this?"
Danny glanced at everyone else. "Uh...just a...sand thing..."
"I see that...why do the sandbags need to be up your breeches?" I asked.
"It, um, is...." Jack's voice trailed off.
"Helpful for dancing," Abe said quickly.
"It looks like your legs have been inflated with air," I observed. "Why would that be helpful?"
"I don't know..."
Zeb stood up and immediately the bags started to fall down.
"Is this some kind of joke?" I laughed uncomfortably.
"Let's just get going," mumbled Abe.
"Alright...um...if you really want to...go out...like that...I also have presents for all of you..."
"What?"
"Yes, I worry about all you in the army freezing to death so I made you mufflers and mittens," I found Abe's and Will's and Zeb's. "Here you are."
"Thank you," Will said, stunned.
Abe nodded. "This is so kind."
"Oh, it's nothing. It's the least I can do for all that you do. Oh, and Audrey, I have a muffler for you as well..."
"Oh, thank you! You shouldn't have!" She cried.
"After all this," I motioned to my clothes and hair, "No way was I not paying you back!"
"Liza, why do you keep saving my life?" Zeb laughed, tying on his muffler.
"Why do you keep saving mine?" I laughed back.
"Alright, well, our sleigh awaits," he said gallantly; linking his arm with mine.
"That's really for us?" I asked in disbelief.
"Sure is," He smiled.
And we all headed out. Zeb lifted me up onto the driver's bench of the sleigh. Everyone else got into the back. It was pretty crammed back there, so we allowed Will and Audrey to sit up at the front with us. It just seemed proper with Audrey's dress.
"Ready to go?" Zeb asked.
"This is all so formal," Will murmured, a hint of nervousness in his tone.
"Zeb, however did you manage to get this sleigh?" I asked.
"I made friends with a fellow who had it in his barn back home and he was not using it to go to the ball so he drove back there and brought it up for me," He explained, urging the horses forward.
"It's a lovely sleigh," Will remarked.
"Sure is. I can't believe he just had it collecting dust for so long! It even has beautiful little bells on it..."
"I hear them," I laughed. "It sounds like Christmas."
Will nodded in agreement. "Perhaps Christmas in the army isn't so bad after all."
"I'm sure glad we can go to this. Some of the men got roped into crossing the Delaware river tonight with Washington," Zeb whispered as softly as he could.
"Zeb!" I scolded, "That sounds classified! Don't speak about that!"
"Yeah, I'm sure Audrey is going to inform the British army," Will laughed.
Audrey laughed, "I'll have you know I am from a very Whig background. My father is one of the only reasons you all have those uniforms and a little bit of salary."
"We're very grateful for it," Will told her. "It's an honor to take someone of such a wonderful background."
"Oh, you are too kind. Where do you hail from?" She asked.
Will smiled. "Nowhere important. Just a farm in Connecticut. Lovely farm, though."
"Connecticut. I can not say I have ever been. I have heard it is a nice place though. Are you all from Connecticut?" She asked Abe, Jack, and Danny.
They all nodded.
"We all grew up there together, and it was wonderful," Abe said.
"All together?" She asked.
"Well our families lived very close," Danny put in.
"That sounds wonderful. I have some cousins who live on a plantation down south but I have only met them once. It's nice you all got to grow up like that," She said.
"And how was growing up here?" Will asked.
"It was comfortable and lovely, but a bit dull at times. I never had many other children to play with. I had a very adult upbringing until my little sister was born. She is eight years younger than me," Audrey explained.
"I've only got one brother, Danny," Will said, gesturing toward him. "We're three years apart. Never felt like much though."
"That's wonderful," She said. "Liza, do you have any brothers and sisters?"
Zeb laughed.
"Indeed I do. I have four sisters and two brothers," I smiled.
Audrey's eyes widened, "That many?"
"Yep. Seven of us in total," I laughed.
"Wow. I never knew!" She said. "That must be why you are so good with that little boy I see running around the tavern."
"Well, I do like children...good children," I clarified.
Will laughed.
"Being naughty was not tolerated in my house one bit growing up. Of course, we still had our fair share of trouble," I nudged Zeb.
"Didn't we all..." Will glanced toward Danny.
"Remember when Tad's cow got out, Liza?" Zeb asked.
I smiled, "That was all your fault."
"That's one of the reasons why my Uncle Jacob sent me to the city to be an apprentice. I was no farmer," he laughed.
"That was such a mess. Of course it had to have just rained so everything was super muddy and slippery, and I had to fall of my horse, and the cow ran through the hay stack..."
"I miss chasing cows. Beats chasing redcoats any day," he smiled, putting an arm around my shoulders. "Did I tell you how beautiful you look this evening? You look like a princess."
"Thank you," I blushed.
"You know I always thought of you as a little kid sister. Well now, you don't seem so much like that anymore, just looking at you tonight," he said, almost romantically.
"You're just flattering me," I laughed.
"No I'm not," he insisted.
I shrugged and leaned against him for warmth.
"You do look lovely," Will agreed. "Both of you are stunning tonight."
"Thank you, Mr. Gannis. You look quite handsome tonight as well," Audrey said politely.
Will looked like had not expected nor had any idea how to respond to this compliment, and as a result just stuttered for a minute and reddened a bit.
"Just say thank you," I whispered in his ear.
"Thank you," he stammered.
"So Abe, you said you needed to pick up a girl?" Zeb asked.
"Probably several," Jack muttered.
Abe ignored him. "Yes, Zeb."
"Where?"
"Just up ahead."
"Alright. Tell me where when we get up there," he said.
"I will."
"So the bet's off?" Jack asked.
"What? No, of course not," Abe replied.
"What bet?" I asked curiously.
Jack rolled his eyes. "Abe says he's going to dance with all the Schuyler sisters. Like they'd dance with him."
Abe grinned. "Your loss, Jack."
"Yeah, we'll see."
"This is the place, Zeb," Jack said.
"Alright," he said, pulling back on the reigns. The horses stopped and Abe hopped out of the sleigh and walked up to the door. He went inside, and came back out in a moment escorting a girl in a dazzling green dress. Her hair was done up in the fashion, with a few loose, auburn curls escaping it. They hurried through the snow to the carriage.
"Sorry it's so crowded," Abe told her with a smile, and helped her up. "You can throw Danny out, if you'd like."
Danny glared at him.
The girl smiled a dazzling smile. "It's alright, I'll fit in somewhere. Good evening, everyone." She smoothed her skirts. "I'm Elaine."
"It's nice to meet you, Elaine. I'm Liza Byers," I introduced myself.
"Pleasure to meet you. You'll have to forgive me, I'd curtsy, but I'm in a sleigh."
"That's quite alright. I'm not used to being curtsied to," I laughed.
"Well, you're headed to a Schuyler Ball," Elaine laughed. "You'd best get used to it."
"I-I guess," I stuttered.
"It's nice to meet you, Elaine, I am Audrey Winslow," Audrey said politely.
"Winslow," Elaine repeated. "I believe I've heard your father's name before. Well, it's lovely to meet you. Both of you. Your dresses are enchanting, wherever did you get them?"
"Her closet," I laughed, tilting my head to Audrey.
"They suit you both. So." She turned to Danny. "You're Danny, but who is everyone else?"
Abe gestured to Jack. "This is my brother--"
"Jack," Elaine finished. "I've heard a lot about you."
Jack glanced at Abe warily. "Have you?"
"Up in front is my other cousin, Will," Abe continued.
"Good evening," Will said politely.
"And then Zeb is in front, too. He's a friend."
"Good Evening, Madam," He said politely.
"It's so great to meet you all. Abe speaks very highly of all of you," she told them.
"Well, Will and I could say the same about you," Jack said.
"Zeb, how far is the place we are going?" I asked quietly.
"About an hour away," He said, "Why, are you cold?"
"How could I be cold under all this fur?" I laughed.
"Alright," he said unsurely.
Elaine watched the snow covered roads go by with a smile. "White bird, featherless, flying out of paradise. Flying over sea and land. Dying in my hand."
Danny stared.
"What am I? Snow." Elaine grinned. "I've always been a fan of all those clever things. Riddles and rhymes. Poems. And the snow is very inspiring, don't you think?"
"The snow is quite beautiful, but not as beautiful as you," Abe said softly.
Jack gagged. I concealed a laugh best I could. Audrey seemed to be used to this kind of talk.
"I think winter is my favorite season," Elaine continued brightly. "It makes the world so different, with all the snow. You can forget there are bad things happening for a while and just lose yourself in all the beauty."
"It's not quite as beautiful when you've got to camp in it," Jack muttered.
"Oh, I'd imagine. But it's beautiful now, isn't it?"
"I'm just glad I have my Christmas present if I have to be out in this weather," Zeb nudged me.
"I'm glad you like it so much," I laughed.
They chattered all the way there until we pulled up in front of a grand mansion in the countryside just out of the city.
"That's beautiful," Elaine gasped. "Can you even imagine living there?"
"It would be pretty grand," I said quietly.
"I think I'd still prefer the farm," Danny said quietly. "No offense."
Elaine laughed. "I don't see how that's offensive in the least."
"I'll go unhitched the horses. You all go ahead in," Zeb said.
"Would you like any help?" Elaine asked.
Abe glanced at her. "Elaine, you don't have to--"
"I like horses!"
He smiled. "Yeah. But let's not ruin your dress. Come on."