Page 61 of The Austen Escape
I plucked the skirt of my dress. It caught the light, billowed, and drifted back against my body. It had been gorgeous in the bathroom and was stunning here. The kind of dress Cinderella might wear—at the ball, not before. The small pearls and blue glass beads sewn into the bodice, circling the sleeves, and covering a full three inches of the hem shimmered like dark diamonds. Unlike Isabel’s cream dress that floated about her, mine swished. It didn’t just look beautiful. It sounded beautiful.
Nathan leaned against the wall next to me. I wondered if my dress and his coat had been commissioned for a couple—the colors paired perfectly.
“Are you playing wallflower?” He gently crashed against my shoulder. I swayed and stepped to keep my balance. “You look extraordinary tonight, by the way. You walked away earlier before I could tell you that.”
“Thank you.” I glanced over. “You’re kinda cute yourself.”
Across Nathan, my eyes landed on Helene. She sat only a few feet away and was clearly eavesdropping. She had the most implausibly innocent expression fixed upon her face. I bit my lip to keep from laughing.
Nathan noticed her too. “Mrs. Jennings.” He pushed off the wall to stand before her. He offered me a sly smile, then turned again to Helene. “Mrs. Jennings, I have news that might interest you... I invited a friend to join us this evening. LieutenantChessman is on leave and is an eligible handsome man.” He cast his focus to Isabel and Clara. “I don’t think any young lady here would be throwing herself away by consenting to a dance or two.”
“You are a delight.” Helene stood and tugged at Nathan’s arm, bringing his head a foot lower and on level with her own. She kissed his cheek then wiped away the lipstick with her gloved fingers. She looked with purpose beyond us. “I feel our Emma should lead the first with him.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Nathan directed his three slow words to me.
“With whom will you dance?” Helene thwapped him with her fan.
“Miss Morland, if she’ll have me.” He offered us a neat bow, then added, “If you’ll excuse me, I need to make sure Lieutenant Chessman knows his duty for this evening.”
Helene patted the cushion next to her, and I joined her on the love seat. “Your young man is truly divine.”
I laughed and started to protest, then stopped. Whether he was “my young man” or not, I wanted him to be. “Thank you. I think so too.”
Helene sank against the cushions. Her face fell as if she’d remembered something exhausting or unpleasant.
“Mrs. Jennings?”
“Austen had it right.” Helene rested her head against the back of the love seat. Her fluffy white hair squished against her head. “She focused on the promising young people because they had change and life ahead of them. The rest of us? It has passed us by.” She cast her gaze out to the floor. “I feel that now. It’s a joy to watch you, but I’ve fooled myself into thinking I’m not near the end of my story. It almost makes me wonder, what am I doing here?”
“You’re celebrating your anniversary.” I squeezed Helene’s hand. Devoid of diamonds tonight, it rested in her lap. “Why don’t you and Herman switch characters to the Gardiners fromPride and Prejudiceor the Crofts fromPersuasion?”
Helene’s eyes widened as if I’d missed the point of anything she’d been thinking or saying. “Why?”
“Because you’re right, Austen favors youth. But she has those two wonderful older couples, who love each other. Austen is very complimentary to them.” I watched Herman join the group in the center. “They are what all we ‘promising young people’ hope to become.”
“Thank you. That’s a lovely compliment, and suggestion.” Helene squeezed my hand. “You might want to take your own advice and change characters as well.”
Before I could ask what she meant, she pointed to the central group. “Look at them.” Nathan was now waltzing with Clara. “They are so eager, but Gertrude said the music won’t begin for at least another half hour.”
Isabel caught us staring and waved me to her. As I crossed the floor, she headed to the piano. I met her midway. “Will you come play for us? I heard the man practicing during lunch, and you are much more accomplished.”
“Until he arrives.” I dropped onto the bench and sorted the music. Someone had been practicing. New sheet music was stacked over what I had played the night before.
Isabel leaned over me. “I told Gertrude not to bother with that man. You are by far the superior pianist and you like playing.” She bit her lip. “That was okay, right? You don’t dance. You never do. I thought you’d enjoy playing tonight.”
I don’t dance? I never do?
“Why would you think I don’t dance?”
Isabel’s fingers fluttered at her neck. “But last night... I thought...”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to play.” I looked to Nathan, who was dancing with Clara. The little girl kept stumbling over his feet every time he pulled her in.
I ran my hands over the piano—a Bösendorfer with curlicue decorations and detailing that signaled it was old, rare, and, by its condition, well loved, in the best sense. As much as I wanted to test the theory that dancing was a certain step to falling in love, playing this instrument was an honor.
I positioned my hands when another thought grabbed me. “Isabel, with whom are you going to dance?”Emmahad taught me the significance of the first dance and partner. Mrs. Jennings had reminded me. Nathan had lined up Grant for her, but again... What wasshethinking? Where would her instincts lead her?
“I had hoped Grant.” She looked back to him just as his gaze met hers. “I thought he was going to ask me, but he didn’t.”
