Page 34 of Dropping the Ball

“The only infernal creature I see is you,” Kat shouted, rushing down the hall to rescue Napoleon.

“You witch!” Lord Waldorf bellowed once he and Kat were face to face.

“What a delightful compliment!” Kat shouted back triumphantly.

Bernadette had no idea what the conflict between the two of them was about. She was beginning to understand that there was some sort of history between Kat and Lord Waldorf. But she did not have time to contemplate it at the moment.

The snake made a move to slither away from the increasing throng of horror-struck but fascinated guests. Bernadette leaptafter it. So did Alden. The results of their combined movements threw them into each other’s arms as they both reached for the snake.

The sudden breath of Alden’s scent and the heat of contact with his body chased all thoughts from Bernadette’s mind. She glanced up, only to find that her face was mere inches from Alden’s. It did not matter one bit that they had an uncomfortably large audience, every feeling of love and desire that she felt for him rushed at her.

The moment was magnified by Alden’s intake of breath and the shift of his hands so that he could hold her and prevent her from spilling over onto the floor. He was so kind and so strong that Bernadette was hit unexpectedly by a wave of longing for him that made her insides ache.

“Phyllis,” Alden said, his voice rich and hoarse with longing.

Bernadette quivered for a moment before she realized he was not uttering her name with heartfelt affection. She blinked, then asked, “I beg your pardon?”

“Phyllis,” Alden repeated, then rocked back and cleared his throat. “The boa constrictor. That is who we are pursuing, is it not?”

“Oh. Yes,” Bernadette said, disappointed. Of course, it was silly to be disappointed. Particularly when half thetonwas watching them, and their entire purpose for being there was to make a match with Alden. “We must secure her,” she said, coming to her senses and pushing to her feet.

Phyllis had slithered to the other side of the hallway, but she did not seem keen to move from there. Bernadette didn’t blame her for not wanting to go near the guests, who watched the scene in the hall unfold as though they were at the Royal Theater in Drury Lane.

Alden attempted to reach for Phyllis, but it appeared as though the snake did not want to be caught. It wasn’t untilBernadette moved behind him, using her skirts to create the illusion that there was nowhere for her to go, that Phyllis allowed Alden to grasp hold of her and lift her.

“You see?” Alden addressed the startled and wary audience of his guests. “There is nothing to worry about. Phyllis here is an albino boa constrictor. It is true that her species is larger than the rest of the snakes in my collection–”

“The rest?” the same gentleman who had sounded so brave earlier, but who had gone pale, asked.

“Yes,” Alden said, fighting to contain the writhing snake as he spoke. “I was hoping to wait until all of my guests had arrived so that I might give a formal tour of the terrarium, but I have collected over two hundred species of reptiles, amphibians, and birds from across South America and the Caribbean, most of which are housed in the ballroom, which I have converted–”

“You keep snakes in the ballroom?” some unseen lady cried out incredulously.

“It is not a ballroom any longer,” Bernadette said, stepping forward in an attempt to assist Alden. “It has been converted into an oasis for Lord Alden’s zoological specimens.”

“What in God’s name does that mean?” another gentleman asked.

Bernadette was distracted from the question as Phyllis attempted to slide away from Alden and into her arms. It was a testament to the time she had spent at Lyndhurst Grove that she did not even question the snake’s intentions. Instead, she allowed the great, scaly thing to transfer into her arms. She helped Phyllis along by positioning her over her shoulders, like a shawl, to distribute her weight more comfortably.

She did not expect the round of gasps–and a few cries of surprise–that came from the scrum of guests.

“Are we all expected to commune with snakes in such a way if we are to win Lord Alden’s hand?” a young lady asked in horror.

“I will not do it,” another declared. “Mama, I want to go home. I want to go home at once.”

“Please, no,” Alden said, stepping forward. “I can assure you, my creatures will not bother you at all during your stay. They are meant to be confined to the terrarium.”

“I do not want to be here,” the lady who wanted to leave sobbed, trying to turn and flee.

Another rolling rush of pushing and shoving followed as she, and two other young ladies, tried to turn and run away through the crowd of guests that now clogged the entire end of the hallway and the front hall.

“Damnation,” Alden growled, then turned to send a pleading look to Bernadette. “What do we do now?”

Bernadette tried to lift Phyllis off her shoulders. The snake was heavy, though, so Alden had to step close to help her. That only meant he had his arms almost all the way around her in no time. And when Alden had his arms around her, it was impossible for Bernadette to think.

“I’ll see if I can stop them from leaving,” Muriel said, pivoting like she would barge her way through the crowd to barricade the door. Bernadette had been so caught up in her own travails that she hadn’t noticed her friends standing by, ready to help.

As it happened, help, of a sort, arrived before Bernadette could breach even the first line of anxious guests. The front door had remained open through nearly the entire ordeal, and as Bernadette made her way toward it, the guests parted to reveal the regal form of Lady Gladys standing framed in morning sunlight.

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