A Mistake to Live For Part 1--The Flirt

I know this story is not any of your favorite styles nor is it my particular writing style so please, bear with me.

A Mistake to Live For

Part 1—The Flirt

“Eardel! Father is waiting!”

A young woman hurriedly slipped her dancing shoes on her feet and gave one last approving glance at her reflection in the mirror. Smoothing out her sparkling blue dress and readjusting her white shawl she turned quickly to her maid.

“How do I look?”

“Lovely M’Lady. I think you will be danced off your feet. Every man will want to dance with you”

The young woman smiled and turned her necklace so that is showed to better advantage.

“Well, hopefully only the handsome ones will ask me, they’re the ones I’m interested in. It would be rather awkward you know if that hideous old crow—I’ll not mention any names of course—were to ask me. I suppose I would have to dance with him. There would be no polite way to turn him down.”

“Yes M’Lady.”

“Eardel!” A slightly younger girl burst open the ornately carved door and stood in the open doorway looking reproachfully across the room. “Father is very impatient. He says we must go down now or else the Emperor might think we didn’t wish to attend the ball thrown in our honor.”

“Why don’t you and the old man go ahead and I’ll come when I am ready?”

“Eardel!”  The deeper voice floated down the passage way in a stern and commanding tone.

Eardel heaved a sigh and swept out of the room with a disparaging sniff at her sister.

“I’ll be surprised if you get more than two dances Ayson. That dress is so very unflattering on you.”

Ayson glared at her but by this time the girls’ father had caught up and she dared not throw a taunt back.

“Are you ready at last? It is very rude for a Parian diplomat to keep his host waiting Eardel.” Taking a daughter’s arm in each of his he turned and marched stiffly down the stairs and through several more palace passages before finally arriving at the grand ballroom. A young boy dressed in luxuriant clothes appeared and stood next to Eardel while they were waiting to be announced.

“Father,” Eardel leaned close so that no one else could hear, “You surely are not letting Jaydel come to the ball!”

“Of course! The Barivian Emperor invited the Parian diplomat and his family. That means all of us standing here Eardel. Even though there is no mother we are a family after all.” His tone told her that arguing was dangerous.

The large doors in front of them swung open and a servant intoned deeply in a language that Eardel only understood partly, “His Honor, Lord Aves, the diplomat of Parian. Her Ladyships, Lady Aves and Lady Ayson. Also Mr. Aves.”

Eardel knew that the first impression she gave would be the most lasting so pulling her shoulders back and showing all her teeth in a dazzling smile she tilted her head and swept onto the polished floor. The Emperor was there to great and introduce them and Eardel, being the lady of the family found herself immediately claimed by His Majesty for the first dance. It was only proper for them to open the ball together but she found herself resenting it anyway. The Emperor was an immensely boring partner and rather ugly. Eardel made no effort to enjoy the honor and was relieved when at the end of it he introduced her to a few ladies and promptly vanished. He wasn’t useful material for her to play with.

The ladies did their best but all were rather awkward around the young foreigner who could hardly speak a word of the Barivian language. One of the older ladies seemed especially preoccupied until slipping away for a moment she came back leading a much younger man by the arm.

“Lady Aves, this my son.” She faltered hesitantly in Parian.

“M’Lady.” The young man was very dark featured but as he bent and respectfully touched his lips to her gloved hand she decided he was unquestionably handsome. “I am very pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Likewise.” She tipped her head a little and let her hand linger in his a moment longer than necessary. “You speak wonderful Parian, sir. I declare it sounds absolutely enchanting with the slight accent you have. I do believe I could listen to it for hours!”

“I learned when I visited Paria about ten years ago. My father was a diplomat like yours and one year he took me with him.” He took two champagne filled glasses from a passing waiter and offered her one.

“Thank you. You must have met some people I know while on your trip.”

“Probably.” He turned his eyes full into hers, “But none so beautiful or charming as you.”

Eardel did her best to color at the unoriginal complement. At least he was trying and he certainly was handsome. Perhaps he would be a suitable plaything for the night.

“Do you find Barivia to your tastes?”

“Yes really I do. The people are all so pleasant,” she blocked out a mental image which would arise at this little fib, “and so very refined and genteel.”

“Perhaps you consider staying?” his eyes wondered towards the musicians tuning up in preparation for the next dance.

Now that was moving a bit fast so she decided to push him back down a peg. “Oh, I don’t know that there is anything I like well enough to keep me permanently but for a short visit it is absolutely wonderful.”

“Well, perhaps the people you mentioned earlier? Perhaps you might like some of them well enough to keep you here for a long time?”

Eardel giggled. He was moving so quickly but she sort of liked it. It was refreshing to have someone play with her this deeply.

“Oh, I don’t know.” She shrugged her shoulders and pulled the snowy shawl more tightly around her shoulders.

Seeing the action he politely offered his arm, “Are you cold? There is a cheery fire burning in the library, perhaps you would allow me to take you there?”

“Thank you. That would be nice. I am always afraid of catching cold and getting deathly sick like my mother did.”

As they passed out of the room she saw her sister, dancing on the arm of “The Old Crow”. Their eyes meeting Ayson scrunched up her nose at her as if to say, “If you don’t won’t a man with lots of money, I’ll take him.” Eardel tilted her chin a bit more and turned her eyes away. What did she care? Her sister might get the money but she would get an ugly old man with it. She turned to her companion and let him lead her across the large hall and through a smaller but still beautifully carved pair of doors. A bright fire immediately drew her and she hurried to it feeling the warmth relax her and make her feel a bit sleepy.

“Ah,” The voice behind her startled her; she had nearly forgotten her escort’s presence. “This is more like it. Now we can really talk.”

Turning around she found the doors shut with them inside, alone. Her heart began thumping loudly, this was moving very, very quickly and she wasn’t sure if she was okay with that.