Chapter 2

"Suck it in Maggie!" I hissed through gritted teeth, pulling at the strings of her corset with all my might.

"I can't breath in anymore," She whined in return.

"Look, should I just tie it normally? It really makes no difference, you can't see our waists either way in these dresses."

"I should've never ate all those pastries at that luncheon," she muttered, running a hand over corset swaddled belly. "Just tie it up Rosie, there's nothing else's I can do for it tonight."

"You look fine Maggie," I told her, tying on my corset myself much more loosely.

"I don't feel fine," she slipped into her intricately detailed bodice and with Lucy's help, they tied on the golden yellow overskirt. "But I am looking forward to dance, say Lucy, do you reckon he'd be there?"

"Who?" I asked, glancing at Lucy in confusion.

A smile appeared on Lucy pink lips and she bent down to hide her face.

"Come on tell me, who?"

Maggie covered her mouth to muffle her giggles and gave her a shove.

"Someone beginning with c and ending with e," she replied cheeky grin.

"Stop it." I snapped, "It isn't funny."

"I'm only joking, lighten up a bit Rosie goodness."

"I said it isn't funny."

"Fine, fine." She raised her hands defensively, "I promise I'll stop, it was only a little joke."

I turned away from her and clipped on my necklace, the cold metal fell against my rising chest and I turned it over so the gleaming diamond could be seen.

"Could you do my hair the way Anne had it the other day at the luncheon?" I asked her.

"Maybe you should wear you hair down tonight instead, as an up-do of course but not completely up, Anne's hair was little- unflattering that day, who let her leave the house looking like that I will never know," she pushed me into chair opposite the vanity mirror and picked up a brush and a handful of pins.

"Just make it look presentable, it doesn't have to be fancy mind." I told her, opening up in a novel to distract myself.

A few moments later, she patted my shoulders and instructed me to look. I glanced up from my book and gasped in surprise when I saw her handiwork.

"This is certainly a different style."

"But do you like it?" She squeezed my shoulders and grinned at my reflection in the mirror.

"It's wonderful, thank you Maggie," I tried to touched it but she slapped my hand away.

"I'll be raging if you ruin it Rosie," she told me and I assured her I wouldn't dream of doing such thing.

"Girls hurry on down, the carriage will be here soon," Sandra yelled up from the stairs.

"Rosie your bonnet." Lucy called out just as I began to leave the room.

"Oh but it's much too hot for such thing," I groaned.

"That would be scandalous," said Lucy with mortified eyes, "you can't go bareheaded Rosie."

I took the bonnet from her hands with a sigh and jammed it on my head.

"Straighten it out a little and you'll look beautiful." She told me as we hurried down the staircase.

"You are too kind with your compliments Lucy dear." I smiled at her and she beamed back.

"Rose go check if the carriage is here yet." Sandra asked and I went outside eagerly, letting the cool breeze run through my hair as the sun began to set in the horizon. I waited for the horses to draw up in the grassy roads opposite, watching our cats chase each other in the front garden as I did.

The murky sky was beginning to darken when the carriage finally drew up to the house, my uncle grasping the horses harnesses, his round cheeks redder than ripe tomatoes.

"Took your time Uncle," I said and he laughed.

"We better hurry, hadn't we?" He replied cheerfully and soon we had all clambered onto the carriage and was on our way.

I peered behind the little red curtains that covered the carriages windows and watched the world outside blur as we sped up to reach the ball in time.

Sandra began drilling us with regulations and rules for the night but her voice faded in with the sound of the horses hooves hitting the cobbled streets and quickly became indecipherable.

I did try to listen to her but the beauty of the darkening night with its luminous stars stole my interest instead. The shadows that the tall trees created with the moonlight was nothing less than captivating, it was all a glorious mess of colours, stunning and distinctive in their own right. When we slowed down outside the hall and the ride was over, I was reluctant to leave till Margret threatened to push me out the carriage.

A footmen opened the curved doors and I slipped my hand into his gloved. He helped me down the steep steps, giving me a charming smile once my shoes hit the ground.

"Well looks like we're here," Liam's brown eyes narrowed as he grinned.

"Looks like we are." He took my arm and we began to make our way to the large brown doors of the hall together.

"I be around, don't bother to look for me." He whispered.

The watchman opened the doors for us and we entered a high ceiling room, a mixture of a dozen perfumes hitting us at once.

"Well don't cause any trouble." I warned him.

"I think you are mistaking me for yourself, I don't cause trouble Rose." He gave my arm a quick pat and soon disappeared into the crowd.

I wanted to shout after him but realised that would be an extremely bad idea so I straighten out my dress, pursed my lips and looked straight ahead.

The hall was filled with men and women, dressed in their finery. Everyone doing their best to boast their wealth and it was a magnificent sight.

"Oh it feels like ages since I've been to a ball, this is going to so much fun Rosanna." Margret clutched my arm and almost bounced in excitement.

"I'm sure it will be," I stepped out the way of a oblivious couple spiralling around the room, the women's yellow skirt wrapping around the mans leg with every sharp turn they took.

Margret watched them with glazed eyes, her pink lips turned up in awe.

"Go on Maggie," I told her.

"Huh?" She turned to me, her confusion barley masking her eagerness.

"I know you want to dance, go on."

"But what about you? I'd hate to leave you by yourself." She asked with a concerned frown.

"I'll watch, just go Maggie, I'll be fine." She hesitated but then smiled and gave me a fleeting kiss on my cheek.

I was soon standing in solitude as Margret was quickly whisked off by a young man. Awkwardly I shifted my weight to each foot, watching ladies glide across the gleaming marble floor, their laughter filling the air, battling against the sounds of music.

I waved away a servant who offered me a glass of water and gazed around the hall till my eyes slid in the confines of Charles Genteels unwavering gaze, groaning silently as he immediately began to make his way towards me. There was determination flashing in his light blue eyes and that wasn't a good sign.

"No, no, no," I hissed, looking for a way to escape. I scanned the room frantically for somewhere to hid but before I could cower in the shadows behind the pillars that limed the hall, Charles came and stood beside me.

"A wonderful ball isn't it?" He said quietly.

I exhaled through my nostrils angrily and forcefully steadied my tone to a more sweeter one, "why yes it is, a quite pleasant ball I must admit."

"I feel as though you've been avoiding me these days Rosanna." He said.

"No, I don't thinks so." I had most definitely been avoiding him in past few weeks, not because I wanted to but because that was the only way I could avoid all these uncomfortable question he kept asking me.

"Really?" He asked.

"I just been extremely busy." I replied.

"Of course and how is your family doing Rossana?" he said.

"Quite well Charlie and yours?"

He nodded his head vigorously, "very well and my mother is looking very forward to your visit."

I rolled my eyes upwards and urged myself not to snap at him that I'd rather stick my head up a goats arse than go to his darn mothers.

I could feel him breathing heavily beside me and a suffocating wave of awkwardness fell upon us. I had never felt so uncomfortable in his presence before and it was all his fault.

I glanced in his direction fleetingly and he turn his head when he felt my eyes on him, I quickly turned away feeling the awkwardness even more painfully but suddenly he began to try slip his hands into my clasped ones.

"What are you doing Charlie?" I asked him, pulling away from his sweaty palms.

A red blotch appeared on his hollowed cheeks and his eyes flicked between the ground and mine.

"I wanted to ask you Miss Rossana if I could do the honour of being your first dance," he stuttered heavily and bit down on the middle part of his lips.

"How do you know it's my first dance and why on earth are you calling me miss Rosanna? Could you just be your usual self Charlie?" I asked, sighing wearily.

"I'm not sure what you mean Rosanna, so you won't dance?"

"Fine, one dance." I muttered.

He wiped his palms on the sides of his dark trousers and turned to me completely, holding out his long, thin hands for mine.

I had no choice but to agree and I placed my hand on his reluctantly, he tugged me jaggedly towards the middle of the room and I fumbled behind him, trying not to bump into the others around us.

Though I was far from the burning lamps that hung high on the walls an fiery heat began to rise up my chest as Charles turned to me and put his hand on the small of my back.

I placed my own gently on his chest and he cleared his voice.