Masquerade

Rhiannon Smith

Rosaline and Bethany weren’t allowed to attend any of the parties that were thrown for me because most of the parties lasted until midnight. They unfortunately were not allowed out after dark since Los Dias de Muertos was almost upon us. The townspeople didn’t want anything bad happening to their children.

The girls bounded into my room early in the morning wanting to know specific details about the evening. Specifically they wanted to question me about the boy they heard I spent so much time with. I knew Mama could not keep her thoughts to herself.

“Did he dance well,” Bethany sparked.

“Was he really handsome,” Rosaline cooed.

“Girls, calm down,” I laughed. “He was an absolute perfect gentleman, and I believe he asked me to my next ball.”

Both Rosaline and Bethany squealed with excitement. I smiled brightly as I stretched before realizing I was still in my dress. I sighed as I got out of bed. A plain dress was set aside for me, I put it on quickly before going about my morning chores. Cleaning my room, cleaning the bathroom, and feeding the chickens were just a few of the things I needed to get done.

I made my bed and mopped the floors. I was just about to start wiping down the sink and bathtub when I heard a loud banging. None of the pipes were loose, so there should not be a loud banging noise. I continued cleaning the bathroom before dusting my room.

“Rhiannon, we have guests,” Mama called from the front of the house. Realization dawned on me, the banging was our guests knocking on the door.

“Yes, Mama.”

I put away the mop, the dust cloth, and poured out the dirty mop water. After taking off my dirty apron, I smoothed the skirt of my dress before heading out to visit with the guests. My heart fluttered as I walked through the house with thoughts of Mr. Granger. Would he have come back to visit privately with my family so soon?

Disappointment flooded my expectations, but the polite smile remained upon my lips as I greeted the guests. Cousin Jack stood before me with a bright smile, well groomed chocolate hair, and his warm caramel eyes. His companion Benjamin stood by his side with a shy smile, ruffled sandy hair, and soft eyes that seemed to have the deep blue color of the ocean beaten.

“Hello dear cousin. To what do we owe the pleasure of your wonderful company?”

“Rhiannon, please tell me that the princess that we saw in you last night as not fallen back into her Cinderella ways this soon,” Jack laughed.

“Even princesses have chores, Jack,” I half-heartedly scolded.

“May I present to you for the second time Benjamin Feldon. I took the liberty of visiting just to make the introduction again since he has been jabbering on and on…” Benjamin subtly elbowed Jack as Jacked laughed mischievously.

“Yes, I remember our dance was interrupted. I hope you hold no hard feelings toward me for that matter,” a true smile crossed my lips as I stared into his deep eyes.

“No, madam, I could never hold hard feelings toward you,” Benjamin half whispered as he lowered his eyes. Jack elbowed his friend causing Benjamin to straighten while taking on a manner that covered his seeming shyness.

“Good,” I stated as I held out my hand to him. “Come take my hand in a show of friendship, kind sir, and in return I shall request your presence at the community ball since we have an unfinished dance to finish.”

“Yes, madam,” he smiled and took my hand. Instead of shaking my hand in a show of friendship like I expected, he stooped down and pressed his soft lips gently to the back of my hand. Before he rose, his eyes bore into my own as he spoke, “I shall impatiently count the moments until we do finish what we have left unfinished.”

My breath caught in my throat as he stood. Jack grinned wildly as if he just won some grand prize. Heat filled my cheeks. It was suddenly my turn to shyly face the floor while trying to hide my own blush. My heart pitter-pattered in my chest for a few moments, but I was soon brought back to the reality of standing in my parlor while my sisters squealed maddeningly.

“Thank you for coming to visit, but I must go attend the rest of my chores,” I stated, the sharp edge of my words filled the air. I grabbed my coat and rushed from the house. The animals would listen to my thoughts promptly, and they would not judge me as harshly as a person would.

For the second time, in two days, I was ecstatic that my brother was not home. Feeding the animals was supposed to be his chore, but he was not able to feed the animals while visiting friends far away. I was giving his chore, and that chore both saved me from further embarrassment and allowed to me express my feelings allowed without judgment. Or so I hoped.