Chapter 2

The dance ended.  The music had stopped, and we heard from the ballroom laughter and applause for the musicians.  I could hear a few cries of my name; it seemed they wanted me at my own party.  I suppose they would.1

I looked at Dominic, and even though I could feel my cheeks burning with life and blood from our fast waltz, his face stayed as pale as the pearls on my pink neck.  I wondered as we smiled at each other for a moment what illness it was that he was still recovering from.  2

Just then, as I was contemplating his face, he began to laugh.  I saw, for a moment, no more than fleeting, two flashes at the corners of his mouth of teeth as sharp as knives, and longer than mine.  Sharp fangs rested there.  My smile faded, and I looked into his eyes.  I was barred from his mind but I know that I betrayed to him the fear I felt so deeply at that moment.3

Dominic's laughter faded into a gentle smile, and he seemed to tell me through his eyes that I was fine, and that I was safe in his arms.  I felt an overpowering sense of warmth and comfort pressing the fear out of my mind, so I closed my eyes and smiled again.4

"We shall be wanted inside, I think," I said with a nudge and a smile.5

"Ah.  Of course!" Replied Dominic, "We must get Amrei back to her party.  Perhaps we'll have a bit more champagne."  6

He gave me a wink and I took his arm.  We paraded back through the grand manse to the enormous ballroom where I could just begin to hear my old mother and her circle of Swiss ladies talking about me.7

As I walked up, I heard her say, "Now where has that Amrei gone to?  She should be easy to find at her own party!"8

"I am right here, Mother," I said in her ear, Dominic still on my arm.  "Mother, this is Dominic Callahan; he has been entertaining me.  He and Father are business associates."9

"I am very pleased to meet you," Dominic  said to her, laying a small kiss on her gloved hand.10

"Well, Mr. Callahan," Mother said with thinly covered distaste, "I am very pleased to meet you, as well."  Turning quickly and sternly back to me, she said, "Amrei, gentlemen have been waiting to dance with you and the time is almost midnight.  You must pay attention to your responsibilities!  This is your party, my dear."11

"Yes, Mother," I said, still smiling, "I know.  I will not ignore all of your guests."  I kissed her on the cheek and left her, all the while wondering if she would ever realize that her guests were not my responsibilities.12

Dominic and I went toward the dance floor, stopping along the way to laugh and talk with the guests who knew me, yet none of them seemed to know Dominic.  He was content to speak with my friends a little and quietly walk with me, bringing me fresh champagne whenever my glass was empty.  13

I couldn't help wondering if he really did want to marry me one day, putting up the guise of friendship to get close to me.  Either way, I enjoyed his company almost more than my closest friend Sara, whom I had known for most of my life.14

The musicians came back from a break and started a fast waltz.  Dominic and I joined the couples on the dance floor and soon I found myself dancing with numerous gentlemen, not knowing their names, and not much caring.  But after dancing with Dominic, all these men seemed slow and ungraceful.  I smiled anyway because they had the decency not to step on my beautiful satin and lace boots.  15

When the last dance ended, it was 11:55 p.m. and the crowd began to clink their glasses together and began to cry out as a whole, "Speech!  Let the lady of the ball speak!"  So I went up to the table of hors d'oeuvres and stood on up a chair, much to the delight of Dominic and the horror of Mother.16

"My guests, my friends, and my beloved family," I began, "my Mother has gone far beyond my expectations this year for this lovely party.  In five minutes, the year will change, and I will begin my twentieth year.  For two decades my Aunt Hyacinth and my Uncle Edgar have cared for me, and I am quite thankful for all they have given me.  I could never imagine to express my sincerest gratitude for all the 17

loving care that they have bestowed upon me."  18

I stopped there to smile and catch my breath, and my Aunt and Uncle, who had become my mother and father, simply smiled back with a deep joy welling up in their eyes as tears.  I realized in that moment that my whole life, I should have been calling them "Mother" and "Father" instead of their given names.  The realization brought tears to my eyes, but I choked them back.19

And then I looked at Dominic, who, from across the room, met my gaze with complete happiness and sincerity.  I was so happy that we had met that night, and somehow, I knew that our friendship would be a long one.  20

I finished my speech saying something about the good food and fabulous wine, and the crowd seemed contented to dance and laugh for the rest of the night not quite knowing where I had gone.  I was in their midst, dancing and laughing with Dominic, though they were all too busy socializing in their own circles to miss me too terribly.21

At the end of the night, I found my Aunt and Uncle, and tried to tell them how much I had grown to love them, that they had become my parents, and I was so glad that I was raised by them and not my true mother.  They smiled with tears ready to dive down their cheeks, and told me that I'd had too much wine and to go to bed.22

I was on my way to bed, but somehow I ended up lost in the mansion and as I rounded a corner, I found myself once again in Dominic's arms.  I had been stumbling, tired from the dancing and drunk from the wine, so he swept me up off my feet and carried me to my room.  He took off my boots and lay me on my bed, covering me with a quilt.23

Before I fell asleep, I whispered in his ear, "Ever the gentleman..."24