The life and death of Nicolae Roman

Chapter 3: The Ball

Upon reaching the bottom of the grand staircase, Nicolae was suddenly faced with a multitude of people. Apparently, his family name was still important enough to attract the top layers of society, especially those who had daughters of a marriageable age.

Nicolae recognized some of the attendees and knew the names of many of his guests. There was: Count and Countess Herzog with their daughter Marie; Count and Countess Szabo with their daughter Stella; the recently widowed Count Rakoczy with his two daughters Erzy and Judith; the Mayor himself with his wife and daughter Anna; several wealthy businessmen and their families, and last, but not least, Count Viktor Bartholy who, as usual, came alone.

Nicolae greeted his guests as he encountered them, bowing to the gentlemen and kissing the proffered hands of the ladies. Soon, the main ballroom was bursting with color, voices, laughter, and music from the string quartet hired for the occasion. Nicolae looked for his sister, but Irina seemed to have vanished in the crowd.

He was scanning the area, when a feminine voice addressed him:

"Are you enjoying yourself, Count Roman?"

Startled, Nicolae turned around and looked straight into the almond-shaped dark eyes of an elegant brunette. It took him a few seconds to recognize Judith Rakoczy, even though they had known each other since they were children. Judith was a year younger than Nicolae. He had not seen her since she began attending an elite all-girls' school in Bucharest, several years prior. Nicolae was taken aback by her appearance. He had always thought of Judith as a skinny little girl with freckles. The person in front of him was tall, slim, elegant and quite sophisticated. Judith smiled warmly upon seeing his bewildered expression.

"What? You don't recognize your childhood playmate?" She teased Nicolae, fanning herself with a large white swan-feathered fan, while her pale green satin gown rustled in her wake.

"Judith? Is it really you?" Nicolae's voice betrayed his astonishment. "I would not have recognized you were it not for the freckles!"

Judith frowned a bit but quickly regained her composure. "Alas... I was not blessed with a porcelain complexion," she complained.

"Oh... that's not what I meant," Nicolae assured her. "They look quite fetching on you!" He gave her a beaming smile which made Judith blush.

"Are you still attending school in Bucharest?" Nicolae asked.

"No, silly," Judith gently smacked his shoulder with her fan. "I'm a bit too old for school," she laughed in a self-deprecating manner.

"Not married yet, though?" Nicolae asked and immediately regretted his faux-pas.

Judith's smile faded and she sighed. "There haven't been any... acceptable suitors."  She restarted to fan herself, a bit brusquely.

"And Erzy?" Nicolae inquired about Judith's younger sister.

"She's here... somewhere," Judith answered while scanning the room. "Being her usual social butterfly," she added.

"Are you talking about me?" They were suddenly interrupted by a bubbly voice behind them.

Nicolae's eyes widened as he gazed upon Elizabeth Rakoczy, Judith's younger sister. Elizabeth, or Erzy as she was known among friends, was shorter and a bit plumper than Judith. Her blonde hair was styled in the current fashion, with curls framing her heart-shaped face. Her blue eyes sparkled mischievously. Erzy was wearing a light blue taffeta dress that accentuated her ample assets, and a simple pearl choker. She looked absolutely beautiful.

"Cat got your tongue?" Erzy laughed pleasantly.

"I don't believe that Count Roman can picture us all grown up," Judith said. "He still thinks of us as little girls chasing him around the garden."