A Dangerous Dance [BOOK ONE]

Chapter Five

THE YOUNGER GIRLS WATCHED WITH SOLEMN eyes as the older girls readied themselves for the State Ball.

They were well practiced in preparing for a dance. They helped each other lace corsets and crinoline, button up dresses, style hair, and apply cosmetics.

"Thea, are you sure you want to wear that?" Dahlia asked as she helped Faith button up her dress.

Althea finished with her own last button, "Yes, Dahlia. You aren't going to change my mind."

She knew it was audacious of her to wear her military frock coat instead of a dress, but she had been boiling with anger when she decided to wear it. Althea wanted to remind her father that she had fought in the war just the same as he had.

Dahlia shrugged her shoulders and finished with Faith's dress.

While the rest of the girls finished getting ready, Althea reached under her bed and pulled out a polished mahogany case. The content of that case was all her things left from her time in the Army. Trousers and shirts, her musket and saber, the small one-shot pistol that was a gift, and her war medals tucked safely in a small box.

First, she pinned her insignia to her right lapel, two columns of silver with a small bridge between them, the rank of captain. Then she pinned her three medals over her heart. One was a medal of merit, another for honor in combat, and the last was her honorable discharge medal.

The frock coat felt complete with her insignia and medals on it.

"Are we ready?" Asked Althea, looking around at the girls attending the ball. They all had the finishing touches on their dresses; a sash of blood red printed with a shinning gold sun. It was High Marland's crest and marked the girls as royalty. Althea had her own, although it was a golden sash and the sun was printed in red. Her sash was special, it marked her as the heir of the throne. Her father would be wearing the same.

Grim faces and drawn eyebrows looked back at her. Once, they used to be excited about the prospect of dancing.

Althea could still remember when her mother first took her to that place. Althea and Blythe had been thirteen, around the time both started their dancing lessons.

"Let's go then." She murmured, leading the older girls out of their rooms. The younger girls would be entrained by Lady Andrea and the maids for the night.

Blythe led Cassidy, Dahlia, Evelina, Faith and Gwyneth into the ballroom while Althea stayed back to greet the guests. It wasn't a task she looked forward to, but as head of the household, it was her duty.

And no sooner than she took her place and straightened her skirt the great doors opened and guests came flooding in.

The first hour of the Ball for Althea was spent greeting and welcoming guests, smiling until it hurt, and pretending to ignore the looks of contempt from old men when they saw her frock coat and medals. Althea had been dealing with that look since she enlisted in the Army and she knew that she would always be dealing with it.

The hour struck ten and the doors were closed to anyone else arriving. Althea smoothed her skirt down, hiding her anxiety in the action. Her father was supposed to escort her in so they could dance the first dance, as was tradition.

However, it was Locklyn who appeared, impeccably dressed and handsome in his cold way, and held out his elbow for Althea to take.

"Where's Father?" She asked through her smile, consciously reminding herself not to curl her fingers in towards her palm.

Locklyn answered, "In his study, Your Highness."

"Of course he is." She muttered darkly. The ballroom was alive with cheers and applause.