Peter Rakoczy: The Music of My Life

Chapter 20: Masquerade Part I

As evening approached and the sky darkened, the guests began to arrive at Rakoczy manor.  Among the first to get there were the members of the Andras family.  Madame Marta had obviously recovered from her recent illness.  She made a grand entrance dressed up as Queen Elizabeth I of England. Count Andras followed her, appropriately dressed as William Shakespeare, the queen's favorite playwright.  Their son, Edwin, came as Robin Hood, wearing all green.  Their daughter, Marina, was dressed as Queen Cleopatra, headdress with coiling serpents and all.

As soon as Marta saw Erzy, she ran up to her and hugged her.

"My dear Erzy!  It's been so long," Marta exclaimed.

"Not Erzy!  Not tonight.  Tonight I am Empress Catherine the Great," Erzy beamed in her gold brocade dress with a royal blue sash across her torso.  She wore a fake diamond crown and carried a golden scepter in her hand.  The necklace around her neck was genuine - it was the diamond and sapphire one gifted to her by her father for Christmas.

"And where is Judith?"  Marta asked looking around.

"You mean, where is Mary Queen of Scots?"  Erzy corrected her.  "She will join us shortly.  I beg you not to punish her tonight, your Majesty."  Erzy winked.  "She needs her head attached to her body in order to dance!"

Marta laughed at the very appropriate joke.  It was well known that Queen Elizabeth I was responsible for her cousin Mary's beheading and untimely demise.

"Do not worry.  Tonight, everything is forgiven," Marta assumed her royal role perfectly.

As time progressed, many more noble families arrived.  Soon, the dining room and the ballroom began to fill with historic and fictional characters, as well as with Greek, Roman and Norse gods and goddesses, and other mythological beings.  Erzy insisted that in addition to their costume, everyone don a mask in order to hide their identity.  Maintaining an air of mystery was part of the fun.

Nina, wearing her colorful gypsy costume, set up a little round table in the family parlor on which she placed a deck of Tarot cards and a sign that said:  "Madam Zoriah:  Card and palm readings.  Free only for tonight (tips welcome)."  She sat down and placed an empty chair across from her for potential 'customers.'

Count Rakoczy dressed as Napoleon Bonaparte and strolled majestically among his guests, greeting them with pomp worthy of a French emperor.  Behind him, Bogdan attempted to ridicule everyone in his black and white jester costume, complete with a hat that had tiny silver jingle bells sewn on.

People stopped and stared at beautiful Aphrodite.  However, most of them did not recognize her as Petra who let her golden curls down and donned a white goddess dress cinched at the waist with a braided gold cord.  On her head, she wore a delicate circlet made of golden laurel leaves.  Petra glided gracefully across the floor, attracting admiring looks from many of the young men present at the party.

Rose and Violet dressed as Flora and Fauna in ruffled shepherdess' outfits decorated with appliqué plants and animals respectively.  They both wore bonnets and carried staffs adorned with pastel ribbons.  They happily pranced around arm-in-arm, greeting everyone they literally ran into - to their mother's despair.

Peter was still upstairs, in his bedroom.  He finished dressing up as Romeo and studied himself in the mirror.  The burgundy velvet doublet suited him well.  He pulled it as low as possible over the tight dark cherry hose that came with the costume.  He attached the fake sword to his belt, put a black mask on, and walked down the hallway to Lisbeth's room.  He rapped on her door three times.

"Are you ready, my Juliet?"  He asked playfully.

The door opened.  Peter's eyes widened upon seeing his beloved.  She let her wavy chestnut hair down and placed a golden gauzy veil over it.  The high-waisted dark blue velvet dress with gold accents looked perfect on her.  She wore a golden mask through which he could see her azure eyes sparkling with excitement.