Page 32 of Master of Paradise
The carriages were starting to arrive, soNicholas made his way back up to the house just in time to greetDr. and Mrs. Caldwell. Their two daughters, Romeda and Lorena hadcome in the carriage with their parents, while Ty had ridden hisnew hunter. Nick eyed it closely and decided it was certainly wortha wager or two.
Jennifer Joy stood at the entrance to greether guests. The girls squealed over Jenny's exquisite party dress.It was pale green organdy with dark green velvet ribbons.
The guests carried their dressed in largeboxes and rushed upstairs to complete their toilets.
Before the long blue twilight began to dim,Nicholas had made the acquaintance of all his friends' sisters. Hemet so many young women of marriageable age, he couldn't keep themstraight. He didn't know if he was dancing with Julia Hampden orBlanche Davis, but he did know that each belle, whether it wasLaurel Beverly or Sarah Vickers appraised him as if he were a studhorse, albeit they did it with blushes and giggles from behindtheir fans. Obviously he met with their approval and he had adifficult time extracting himself politely from the scheming littlegames and verbal entanglements they used to ensnare him.
Whenever Nicholas found himself in a largecompany, he felt almost as if he stood aside and observed hisfellowmen. It was nothing new, for in England he had found himselfdoing the same.
Here, people grouped together into distinctcamps. The married ladies sat together exchanging gossip aboutchildren, servants, andaccouchements.If a male hadoverheard their conversations, the ladies would have beenmortified.
The older men gathered and discussed cropsand politics; exclusive male topics that were almost forbidden towomen. Only the young people mixed to flirt and dance and laugh,but even this group kept segregating-- the girls regrouping towhisper what this boy had said or what that one had done; and theyoung men kept going outside to indulge in everything fromhundred-proof bourbon to home-brewed corn whisky.
Amanda had sworn that after NicholasPeacock's rebuff, she would not speak to him again that evening,but all that was soon forgotten as she found herself arguing withyoung Clay Hampden and a tipsy Ty Caldwell over the fine points ofhis new hunter.
"Well hell, it'll beat anything in theJackson stables," Clay argued.
"Hah! Brandon's hunter would make it looklike dog meat," Mandy boasted.
"Would you like to put money on it?" demandedTy, his pride stung.
"Yes! Ten dollars. I'll race you tomorrow atseven. Our stables to yours." Mandy had a pretty shrewd idea whatTy's head would feel like at seven in the morning.
Clay held out his hand. "I'll hold the bets.Where's your money Amanda Jackson?"
"Wait right there," she ordered, and made abeeline for Nicholas.
"Hello brat, are you enjoying yourself?"
"Let me have ten dollars, Nicholas. You'rethe only one I can ask," she stated bluntly.
"Am I allowed to ask what you want itfor?"
"No!" she said emphatically.
"How can I resist when you sweet-talk me so?"he said sarcastically, reaching into his pocket. He was alerted andintended to find out what she was up to.
Jennifer Joy whirled past in a daring waltz,and Mandy saw Nick's eyes follow her sister. "She's stolen myfavorite green. She did it on purpose because she knows I have apassion for it, and they've stuck me with this damned whiteagain."
"You look divine in white." He touched hercheek tenderly. "Like a goddess."
"Goddesses don't wear all these sillyfrills."
"Perhaps not. I should love to see you in awhite silk Grecian style gown."
"The kind that leaves one shoulder bare? Yourimagination is as dramatic as mine." She put her head on one side,"Perhaps worse?"
"It knows no bounds," he said wickedly.
She took the money and whispered, "I'll payyou back tomorrow."
He decided that next time Ty Caldwell steppedoutside, he would go and have a quiet word with him.
Suddenly, Jennifer was in front of him, andhe knew that she also wanted something from him.
"I thought I'd rescue you from my babysister. She can be such a pest, Nicholas."
"You only come to me when you want something.You are more alike than you think. You both want all your own way,"he said with a grin.
