“Make sure you get it all up in the back,” Emma said. She was sitting in front of the mirror. I was fixing her hair for the dance. It was difficult to get her to sit still, with excitement radiating off of her.
“Yes, fear not. You know you will be the most beautiful guest at the ball,” I said, dramatically, purposefully flipping some of her hair in the process.
She ignored it, but for a smile, and said, “Oh, I do not know about that, but I cannot wait to dance. Do not pretend you are not looking at all forward to this.”
True enough, I was anticipating the music. There would be multiple young ladies playing the pianoforte, of course, but there would no doubt be a group of musicians, as well. I preferred to watch the others dance and simply listen to the music.
Of course, I would also be avoiding Mother and Margaret, though probably in vain, as the town was not so large that I could help but see them constantly. At least Father would also be in attendance.
“Our friend Mr. Richardson has been giving you more attention lately than ever before,” I said.
“Yes, perhaps. What do you mean by it?”
“Well, I mean that a mere amount of well-placed smiles could be all that stands between you and a proposal, if you are truly intent on marriage.”
“Hmm,” Emma was lost in thought for several seconds. “He is, as you said, a dear friend. There are really no obligations I can think of as to why I should not marry him. If he were to ask,” she added.
I was glad my comment had not surprised her. She had noticed his growing affection for her already. I agreed with her as far as there being no obligations, as I thought Kevin would treat his wife with every ounce of respect she deserved. As my sister was more deserving of this than anyone I knew, I valued this trait of his highly.
“So your answer would be yes, I imagine?”
“Yes, I suppose it would be,” she said matter-of-factly. Before I could pursue the subject further, she said, “Why do you ask if I am ‘intent on marriage’ soon as if it is an uncommon choice? What is a woman in this society to do without a husband?”
I started to protest, but she interrupted me.
“I am not agreeing with society,” Emma said. “You should know me more than to think that. I am merely stating a fact. What would you do otherwise? Is there really no one in this town you could see yourself settling with?”
“Settling would be the key word in that sentence,” I said, picking up her hairbrush once more. “No, I do not believe there to be a gentlemen here who could make me happy. Uncommon or not, there are woman who do not marry. Too many couples do out of necessity, if you would like my opinion on the subject. Mother and Father are a prime example of that.”
“They are happy enough, though, Elizabeth.”
That statement simply implied the word settling again.
“Anyhow… Mr. Richardson is the finest man in the neighborhood, and shall most likely be calling him a brother-in-law by this time next year,” I tried to lighten the mood. I didn’t want to send her to the dance with such a serious mind.
I finished Emma’s hair for the evening, and put on one of my finest gowns. The dress would be elegant enough for the evening, a pale shade of blue with long, flared sleeves. A white ribbon tied at the waist. My hair was slightly curled, and Emma let me borrow a bit of lipstick.
“Are you ready, sister?”
“How do you always prepare so quickly!” she was looking through her jewelry box. “Which bracelet?”
“This one will go best with the dress,” I pointed to a golden one that had belonged to our grandmother.
I enjoyed the preparation as much as she enjoyed the actual events. While I did not much bother with my own hairstyle, I enjoyed doing touch-ups to hers. When I finally convinced Emma that there was nothing more she could do, we went to retrieve Margaret from her room down the hall.
She was fretting over jewelry, also, and had changed gowns since I had last seen her.
I sat down on her bed while Emma helped Margaret put on her necklace. Being the youngest, Margaret had the smallest room. However, her room was graced by the most sunlight during the day, as her window was positioned at the front of the house. She had several picture cut-outs on her wall adjacent to the door, of women displaying the latest fashions. Like Emma, she had a vase of flowers on her nightstand, so the room was reminiscent of summer, since the flowers were drooping already.
“Margaret, do you intend for us to be the last to arrive?”
“Well, I do prefer to be fashionably late,” she told me.
I looked at the clock. “Your wish has already been granted. Now you are only keeping yourself from dancing,” I pushed her out the door.
The five of us swished into the carriage, and the two horses carried us to town. The assembly hall was already full of people. Many of the militia had come, more than I would have guessed. It was odd not to recognize so many faces.
“Here, let me take your coat,” Father said. “Enjoy yourselves,” he added to the three of us. Mother was already talking with an old friend of hers. “Yes, well, I think I shall go find something to drink. It shall help make the evening more enjoyable.” With a laugh, he set off through the crowd.
“I fear there will be no room to dance, with all these visitors,” Emma bit her lip.
“Look how handsome the militia men are!”
I laughed at Margaret. She was too young to be out in society.
“Oh, look, there is Henrietta,” Margaret said. The three of us walked over to her and thanked her for holding this event.
“Yes, I wanted to make sure the newcomers were welcome. Small towns are too often afflicted with the reputation of having no social gatherings. Perhaps we cannot complete with London’s grand scale, but we are not all boring country folk, either.”
She scanned the crowd, pleased with herself. When she smiled, dimples appeared. Her shape was similar to her round face. The dark, curly hair and pink cheeks could have given her a rosy, amiable sort of appearance, if it were not for her eyes, always calculating her surroundings and companions.
“Have you met many of the men?” Margaret asked.
“Of course,” Henrietta said. “Shall I introduce you?”
“Oh, please do!”
Henrietta looked around, and found a young man in uniform not currently engaged in conversation. She got his attention, and he was soon standing next to her. “May I present the Lochton sisters, Margaret, Emma, and Elizabeth.”
Margaret practically melted into his brown eyes, which were almost smiling back at her. His height was not too impressive, though he still looked down on even Emma, and his lean stature was juxtaposed to that of Henrietta’s. Unlike most of the militia men I had seen so far, he had facial hair, somewhat similar to Mr. Richardson’s.
“This is Alexander Mclean.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Margaret said, with a small curtsy.
“The pleasure is mine,” his voice of sweet, and he kissed her hand.
“Is the town to your liking so far, Mr. Mclean?” Emma asked.
He nodded. “I must thank you again for hosting this, Miss Brown.”
Henrietta was beside herself. One look, and he apparently rendered women useless. I coughed to cover a laugh. She and Margaret were looking at him as a child would a Christmas tree. Emma and I left them to find some refreshments. We were sipping on our glasses of punch when Kevin found us.
“Oh, good! You have saved us the trouble of searching for you!” Emma said.
He poured his own glass of punch. “Then I am glad. I wanted to inquire if you have saved a dance for me tonight?”
Emma smiled. “You have read my mind, as usual,” she said. “I have promised Mother that I would be your partner for at least one dance this evening. All three of us have, actually.”
“Well, then I shall ensure to reserve time for all the Lochton sisters in turn,” he grinned. “Though I hope you will not dance with me only to keep a promise.”
“Of course not! You know you are a favorite, not only of Mother’s, but of the entire family!”
“Speak for yourself, Emma,” I said. “I suppose you are tolerable,” I glared at him, folding my arms.
“It is a good thing I know you so well, otherwise I should be offended. Still, I suppose I should get our dance out of the way first, so I will still have at least two more to build my confidence.”
“Oh, it would take quite a woman to harm your confidence. Not even I could achieve that,” I grinned. He pretended to pour his punch over my head, but eventually simply took another sip.
True to his word, I was his first dance partner for the evening. Though he was not a natural, he was a true gentleman in every sense of the word. Kevin knew the steps to all the popular dances, so it was not for lack of trying. The fact was, his awareness of how a gentleman was expected to carry out these dances with perfection was visibly noticable on his face, which was perhaps why it was amusing to watch him dance with such concentration.
Aside from the smile it brought me, I did not mind that he was not the flawless partner some of my gender would require. Kevin probably thought the same of my own dancing; I was not as graceful as Emma or as attention-seeking as Margaret, who was having a grand time with Mr. Mclean.
After the dance, the couples cleared the dance floor.
“I hope I was not as poor a partner as you were expecting,” Kevin joked, as we joined my sisters and Mr. Mclean. Margaret introduced the two gentlemen.
“We came by way of your estate when coming to town, did we not?” Mr. Mclean asked.
Kevin nodded. “A shame you did not come in a warmer season, or the view would have been more to your liking.”
“Some falling leaves do not take away from the grandness of your acreage. You must be very successful.”
“Oh, do not get him started on his business affairs. Mr. Richardson enjoys the sound of his own voice too much,” Emma teased.
“I suppose Margaret will be my next dance partner,” he said pointedly, turning to Margaret. She obliged, promising her next song to him.
Too our dismay, the two gentlemen did begin to discuss their affairs and, having heard Kevin’s point of view on occupations, politics, and everything under the sun many times, Emma and I left them to their conversations. Margaret stayed with them, though she looked rather pouty.
Henrietta rushed up right then, her sister with her. Though Charlotte was two years her senior, a person would take Henrietta for the eldest, due to her bossy manner. Charlotte was quieter, though not the shy young lady that Mary was. She was of a pleasantly plump physique, with the rosy cheeks and friendly brown eyes her sister lacked, not to mention a more pleasant personality. At times. There was more hope for her, if Charlotte would only stop looking to her sister for guidance.
“We have new neighbors! How was I not privy to such information sooner?” Henrietta said.
Curiosity peaked, I wondered if these were the same persons Kevin had mentioned. Henrietta did look truly flustered that she was not the first told of newcomers. I supposed that everyone was too caught up with the arrival of the militia.
“Really? Do tell,” Emma said.
“Someone has purchased Netherfield! After all these years… can you imagine?”
Emma and I exchanged looks.
“A young man, I have only just met him.”
“He’s here?” I asked.
“Yes. To think of how much of my time tonight has been spent on the militia…”
“You suddenly act as if they have wasted your time,” I noticed.
She gave me an exasperated look. “Oh, Elizabeth, honestly. Do you never think of you future? Think of the fortune this man must possess to be able to purchase such an estate. Though these other men are entertaining, one can hardly expect to consider them a wise choice for marriage. Who could live on such a small means?”
“Are we to judge these gentlemen solely on so petty a basis? What if wealth has caused the Netherfield gentlemen to be selfish and dull, while having to live without such a fortune has caused these other gentlemen to have greater characters? Would you still prefer to spend your life with the first?”
Henrietta through her hands up in the air, as if I were being impossible. “I can only imagine what kind of choice you will make for a husband.” She was about to say something else, when she looked over my shoulder. “Oh, there he is now!” Henrietta grabbed him as he walked by. “May I introduce Mr. Carter to you?”
My mouth hung open for a second. Emma and I had already met him.
In a manner of speaking.
Chapter Two
Chapter Four
Unmistakable
Frick's Fairytales