Chapter 3
“This dress is extravagant beyond relief; my bosom is going to fall out if I even take a deep breath.” I complained to my sister that was keeping her eyes wide for her new beloved, a hand to hold her satin mask aloft. We wore matching black masks that covered half our faces but exposed our lips that were stained dark pink with almost matching dresses. William ‘suggested’ a new change of style in dress wear for me than the standard young woman’s usual color splice of dresses that I have a Spanish laced shawl like a wedding veil on the top of my braided hair that wrapped around my head and a short collared and small waisted rose red dress. Jude was wearing a striking dress as well with a new French hood hat that showed off her round forehead and her hair loose behind on layered rose pink shaded dress that had a glimmer in the fabric when she walked. The ball was already in full swing when we arrived. The host had not even made himself appear, yet.
It is a lovely dress though…I thought to myself.
“But it is exquisite, you, I and everyone else here knows it. You even look finer than me! I heard that the host is a French gentleman, that’s going to oppose most people to come but it’s such a lovely ballroom than anywhere else close to here, Especially during war.”Jude laughed to herself at her own joke. I took her arm again as a gentleman that reeked of alcohol and long beard walked close by and kept walking around the high ceilinged room that was a buttery color and the Orchestra was over twenty members now. It was wonderful here, all sitting away from everyone else in nature on this hill.
I opened my mouth to reply back to her to differ but then a hand on the small of my back stopped me.
“Is these the lookalike sisters Oland girls I see? Only those sisters come together alone!” A boisterous voice said over the charming music that made me want to dance. We turn around at the same time, almost knocking off our masks off. We didn’t relax, it was someone we didn’t know even without the curved scarlet red mask he wore over sharply defined features that couldn’t hide that he was very handsome and was in a peeking fit body than over half the men in here. Black piping hair peeked under the mask and around his face like a halo in the light that was in fat ringlets tight to his skull. His eyes seemed to change like a mood, they were gold with a hint of green, mesmerizing.
“Ah, that depends on who it is.” Jude half curtsied in his direction, trying not to look at his splendor. I bowed my head slightly to have the veil come suggestively over my half bare shoulders.
“Well I dare say you should since I’m hosting this magnificent place! Marques Laurence, I have made this ball for a welcome to everyone to meet. I fancy throwing these once in a while, and beautiful women come every time, so I will of course keep doing them until the day I die.” He said it with an sour arrogance by the end and lifted both of our chins with his fingers, trying to look at us in the eyes that made him smile when Jude stepped closer. I felt a pull inside of me but resisted it, it made my stomach seize at those eyes, they were not natural.
“We are pleased to be here Marques. It is a delightful place to live in—”Jude was beginning to blush as she said it.
“Care to dance with me beautiful Diana?” A silky voice asks me over Jude’s introduction she does with every boy she overly fancies with in flirty glances and flushed cheeks. Feeling almost sick at the great attraction she was pulling and being pulled away from it, I was to say the least grateful someone interrupted us. My eyes turned back from Jude’s unbashful eyes to a forest of green belonging to James.
“Oh…Yes Earl. I would be delighted to.”I said mechanically almost, an opposite of the heat that was starting to burst inside of me already, my hands got sweaty underneath my gloves. I had a tie around my mask to keep in place to not fall but Jude didn’t want to show it at a dance so she took it off for tonight and I had both hands to hold onto James’ hands. I glanced back at Jude and Marques before leaving. She already had a hand on his shoulder as he whispered in her ear. James led me into the open floored ballroom and the food had became refilled again so less couples were dancing by now.
