Chapter 10
The nigh of the cotillion was warm, and just slightly breezy. Rosalie had done her best to twist her hair into an elegant knot at the back of her head. It had taken her more than an hour, but she was finally happy with it. After that, she’d put on the dress, shoes and necklace, gave herself a look in her mirror, and frowned. She still couldn’t like what she saw. She just felt like she was a little mouse dressed in silk, but still a mouse nonetheless. She’d dabbed some makeup on her face, and that was the best that she could do. Part of her was still a little nervous that this was all a setup, just a joke that he was going to play on her, so she took an overcoat with her that hid most of her elegant attire. It was almost time for him to pick her up, and she still needed to get to the library. She put her ear up to the door, listening for Vanessa. The silence in the front room told her that it was safe to leave. Coming out into the living room in front of her roommate, dressed to the nines as she was, would take some explaining, and she’d been so busy getting ready that she didn’t have a cover story. Even if this was a joke, she would never tell the secret that Eric had confided in her. That wasn’t who she was.
Leaving the dorm, she felt the breeze on her face, and she welcomed it. The coat covered her, but it really was too hot under it for the night. She took her time, walking slowly to the library. Not because she was having second thoughts, but because she didn’t want to rush there and end up being all sweaty and gross before she even got to the cotillion. She hid between the pillar and the corner of the building, still feeling a little silly for trusting this guy that she didn’t even really know. Twenty minutes of talking in a car on the way home from a party didn’t really qualify for the romance of the century. Rosalie’s head perked up as she saw headlights swinging her way. Her hands started to sweat, and her breathing grew rapid. Was this Eric? She drew back a little farther into the shadows, hiding, in case it was someone else. The car came and parked in front of the ornate steps that lead up to the front door. The car turned off, and someone got out. This was it. The moment of truth.
“Rosalie?” Eric’s voice reached into the darkness, like a tendril crawling towards her, wrapping her in its warmth. He passed under the light of the street lamp in front of the building, and she saw that he was dressed up as well. He wore a tuxedo, the creamy black material showing off the angles of his body to perfection. His bow tie was the same pink color as her dress, and it made her feel instantly better about the situation. She took a deep breath and walked out into the light.
Eric was nervous. He had no idea if she would really show up. He didn’t understand why he was so nervous, but he knew that the thought of her not going would upset him more than he cared to admit. The stairs of the library were empty, and he was starting to berate himself for hoping that she would be there. Ever since the first time he saw her, that day she was moving in, she’d been in his thoughts. Not very often, but lately, more and more. He heard a commotion up by the pillar, and he turned just in time to see her walk into the light from the street lamp. She was a vision. Her hair had been pulled up into a twist at the back of her head, not a single strand out of place, and the dress he’d bought her hugged her every curve. It looked like liquid rose gold flowing over her body. The light was weak, but he could see that she’d even put on some makeup. It wasn’t clumped on like a lot of girls seemed to do, no, it was a natural look that was just enough to highlight her natural beauty. His mouth fell open, and he didn’t even realize it.
Rosalie watched Eric’s reaction to her, and she couldn’t help it. She smiled. His mouth had dropped open when he’d seen her, and she took that as a good sign. She’d been worried that she wouldn’t look good enough to go to one of these fancy parties, and the way he’d looked at her reassured her.
“You look beautiful.” He’d finally closed his mouth and found his tongue.
“Thank you. You clean up pretty nice yourself.” She meant it to be teasing, since she’d only ever seen him in jeans and leather, and now it was his turn to blush a little.
“I don’t usually dress like this. I prefer not looking like a walking opportunity for a mugging.” She laughed. He seemed to be very pleasant tonight, without the usual put downs, or smart remarks, and she decided that she was going to enjoy the night. Even if it was the only nice time she would ever have with him. He bowed her into the car and she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face if she tried.
“So, I don’t know if you knew this, but I’ve never been to a cotillion, and I’m not even sure what it is.” Rosalie turned her head out the window, so she wouldn’t see the snigger that she was sure would be coming her way. She lived under a proverbial rock, and things were simple and good there.
“It’s boring really. It’s an old French tradition where the debutants were presented to society. Unfortunately, my mother likes to keep her social calendar full, and that means that we have these boring parties quite often. I usually can’t get out of them because she’s trying to play matchmaker with me and the daughters of every woman she knows. Some days I feel like she’s trying to pawn me off to someone else so she doesn’t have to deal with me.” At first, Rosalie thought that was a joke, but when she peeked at him from under her lashes, she saw that his jaw was clenched, and that it might be the truth after all. She’d read books of romantic stories from France, and she knew about debutants and everything that went with it, but she had no idea that those types of things still existed in the world. That fantasy world that she read about seemed romantic in the stories, but it couldn’t really be a way of life. She felt bad for him that his mother was trying to marry him off to some richer young woman. Her heart sank a little. That meant that she would never have a chance with him, even though she found herself liking him more and more, the longer she spent time with him.
“Well, I’ve never been to one, or anything like that, so I’m excited. I hope that I don’t embarrass you.” When the words left her mouth, fear gripped Rosalie’s gut. She’d never even thought that she might embarrass him. She didn’t know how to act at one of these things, and she could just see herself making some kind of mistake that would get her kicked out. Her shoulders slumped, and she lapsed into silence.
“I want to apologize ahead of time for my mother. She’s a social butterfly with a screw loose. Scratch that, screw missing. If she starts to bother you just tell me and we’ll leave.” He cleared his throat, and now it was Eric who was nervous. “The cotillion is at my parents’ house, and it can be a little overwhelming. My mom likes to have the best of the best, and she likes to flaunt that we have money. If it makes you uncomfortable, we can leave.” That just plummeted Rosalie even farther into her downward spiral. She was going to be on display for his family and his real friends, and she wasn’t going to make the cut. A single tear slid from her eye, and she dabbed at it quickly to get rid of it without smearing her makeup. Why did she suddenly care if she wasn’t good enough? She didn’t really want to be with him, did she? Rosalie shoved that thought from her mind. That was something that would need a pros and cons list later and some perusal time in order to get an honest answer out of herself, and she couldn’t do that with him sitting beside her.
About a half an hour later, Eric pulled up to a hotel. No, it wasn’t a hotel, it was a house the size of a hotel. Now it was Rosalie’s turn to let her mouth hang open. She felt like she’d just been brought to a castle, and that this was the one night in her life that she got to be Cinderella. No matter what happened, she was going to remember tonight for the rest of her life. A man was waiting outside in a uniform, and it hit her suddenly that he was wearing livery. Like back in the medieval days. How much money did Eric’s family have? Social royalty might even be an understatement at this point. The man walked around to Eric’s side of the car.
“Good evening, sir. How are you tonight?” Eric unbuckled his seat belt and got out, leaving Rosalie to hurry up and follow his lead. The man got in, and drove the car away. Wow, valet. That was the first time she’d even seen an event that required one, much less been to one. Eric was standing in front of her, looking just like the prince in her dream, holding out a hand to her, and giving her a little half bow. She put her hand in his and felt his warm strength. It made her straighten her shoulders and raise her chin. She could handle this. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t what his mother wanted for him. It didn’t even matter if he really wanted her or not. He had invited her to this, and that meant, for tonight at least, that they were together, and they were going to have a good time. As soon as she turned towards the house, the music and sweet perfume of flowers and rich food met her nose. Garlands of fresh cut flowers were stretched along the hallway, a plush rug led the way to another room that was so brightly lit, that Rosalie went blind for a few seconds after the darkness of the night outside.
When her eyes finally adjusted, she thought she was in a movie or a book. The room was as large as the one used for the Great Hall in Harry Potter, and it was almost as beautiful as it had been for the Yule Ball. There was a string quartet on a raised platform in one corner, banquet tables covered in white silk lining the walls, and a large chandelier hung in the middle of the room. Rosalie made a mental note not to get under it at all tonight, because it was so large that she was afraid the ceiling wouldn’t hold it. There were about a dozen girls in beautiful white dresses, all looking like they were no more than sixteen. The rest of the guests were dressed as if they were at a wedding or a more glamorous version of a prom. She was glad that Eric had given her this dress with the accessories, because nothing she owned would even be remotely close to acceptable. He was still leading her, her hand in the crook of his elbow, and with him by her side, she felt like she could face everything in front of her tonight. Even, gulp, his mom…who was on her way over.