The moment when the stars fell over the count's estate (4)
I froze in the center of the hall, and my body immediately tensed.
Lucas appeared next to me, a gentle smile on his lips. He reached out, put his arm around my waist and pulled me towards him. The distance between us has decreased significantly. His smile became even more expressive. I was very surprised when he clasped our hands together. Confusion instantly clouded my eyes.
- Raise your head.
- What? Oh, okay,” I nodded, and Lucas chuckled silently.
– Relax and repeat after me.
- Yes.
Soon a new classic melody began to play.
My tension increased. Lucas moved slowly while whispering to me to relax. At first my steps were hesitant, so I had to rely only on Lucas to dance. Gradually I adapted to his movements.
He indulged my slow pace, lagging behind by a step, but I was more willing to follow him. A couple more steps and the dance became not as difficult as it seemed to me from the very beginning.
The skirt was spinning in the air in accordance with my movements. I turned right, then left, then in a circle. Impressed by my ability to keep up, Lucas blinked approvingly. A confident smile appeared on my face and I continued at the same pace.
Suddenly the floor under my foot sank unnaturally.
- Oh!
- Hmph...
I accidentally stepped on his foot.
- Sorry!
- Everything is fine.
I quickly removed my foot from his shoe. Lucas just smiled and straightened up, but a grimace of pain still crossed his face. His body swayed for a moment, then straightened out and began to move more naturally again.
This time my leg turned and kicked him in the calf.
- Ay! – Lucas couldn’t suppress a groan of pain.
-...
I closed my eyes. I didn’t understand much about anything, but I was sure that he got a good deal from me. The way my foot dug tightly into his skin was too noticeable at that moment.
Lucas staggered, but quickly recovered.
- Sorry. This is new to me.
- Everything is fine.
But his face said otherwise. It was painful to watch him gently rub his calf with his other leg. I lowered my head in shame. Now I tried to concentrate and follow more carefully.
After that, I stepped on his foot several more times, and each time my head sank lower. But the music still didn’t end. At such a moment, such a leisurely melody only depressed me even more.
– Paula, you are doing well.
“I just want this to end soon.”
Then he leaned towards my ear and whispered: “Then maybe we can finish the dance?” I nodded quickly and Lucas chuckled.
At this moment...
- Oh!
He pushed my waist back and immediately grabbed my leg and lifted it up. I grabbed onto his shoulders, afraid to fall, and my head began to spin even more. Fortunately, I didn't fall. Lucas held me down with one hand and supported my raised leg with the other.
What's happening? My body was practically lying down, and my right leg was raised up. It didn’t immediately dawn on me what kind of situation I was in. I blinked and finally saw that I had a view of the chandelier and Lucas' head. Unlike me, who was at a loss, Lucas smiled at ease.
– This sounds like a compelling ending, doesn’t it?
-...
It looks like my heart did a couple of somersaults and fell down.
I had a hard time calming my racing heart. Probably, even through my hair, he could see my look, saying “you need to warn about this in advance.” Lucas smiled slyly. He probably did this on purpose. This is revenge for crippled legs.
At that very moment the music ended. The silence was broken by quiet applause. Turning my head, I saw Ethan, who immediately jumped up and clapped his hands. It would have been better if he hadn't reacted so violently.
I came to my senses, and Lucas returned me to my usual position. My feet safely touched the ground, after which Violet joined in the applause.
“That was amazing, Paula,” Violet commented.
- Thank you.
I looked at Vincent with a shy smile, who was sitting with his face turned away from me.
But a hand suddenly jumped out in front of my eyes, blocking my view. I turned around. When my eyes met Lucas, his initially stern face quickly softened, as if that was what he had always been. Then he offered his hand again.
- Shall we dance again?
“I guess I’ll refuse,” this time I confidently shook my head. Apparently, he wanted his legs to swell with pain. I could make his wishes come true, but I was too exhausted from trying to dance with caution.
My eyes looked forward again. Vincent was deep in conversation with Violet. It was like lovers whispering.
I was focused on the beautiful sight when Lucas' quiet voice interrupted me.
– Paula.
- Yes?
– This time, dance with the one you want.
I looked at Lucas, who pointed forward with his hand. I followed the direction of the hand, looked at the couple sitting in front, and looked back at Lucas. He was still smiling, but there was a hint of sadness in that smile. Did my refusal hurt him that much?
– Can I really do this?
- Certainly. In any case, everyone here is our own, and we are the only ones dancing, so it doesn’t matter who you choose.
It made sense. I nodded and moved forward. The rustle of the fluttering hem of the dress and the click of heels echoed throughout the hall. The two turned towards the approaching sound. I stopped next to them and carefully examined their faces.
Vincent's eyes widened. I put one hand behind my back, extended the other in front of me and slightly bowed my back. Remembering how Lucas asked to dance, I copied his movements. I had never tried this before, but it was easier than lifting the hem of my dress in a curtsey.
- Violet.
- A?
– Would you like to dance with me?
Violet blinked in confusion. I held my outstretched hand, waiting for an answer. After some silence there was loud laughter. Vincent, who was next to us, covered his mouth and turned away.
Was there a law that required only a man and a woman to dance together? Maybe such a thing really existed, but I decided that I needed to stand to the end, since I had already proposed it. Like Lucas said, we're alone here. There was no need to follow all the formalities and rules.
It took a little more time for Violet to smile expressively and accept my hand as her laughter died down. We stood opposite each other in the middle of the hall. Lively music began to play.
***
- Oh, that’s how it is.
- Yes.
We talked almost all night without getting tired. The lamp, the only source of light in the room, illuminated Violet's face. She smiled and talked non-stop. The conversation turned into a kind of exchange of experience, where the topic changed, either to a discussion of everyday things, or to memories from the past.
Having become too engrossed in conversation, Violet rubbed her eyes tiredly. I pulled up the blanket and covered her, suggesting that we finish this and go to bed. Violet complained a little more, but sleepiness took over.
Silence reigned in the room, diluted only by the soft glow of the moon. I turned off the lamp and lay down on the bed. Looking at the sleeping Violet, I closed my eyes.
The darkness was pierced by a burst of light, which became larger and larger until I saw a magnificent hall with a sparkling chandelier. The sounds of music combined with applause spread throughout the hall, creating a solemn atmosphere.
Carried away by the dancing, we laugh and smile, not paying attention to the already wrinkled skirts and frayed tailcoats. Even Isabella, who was usually strict, laughed with us at that moment.
Formalities, rules and etiquette were discarded - they were replaced by joy and sincere laughter.
When I opened my eyes, I again found myself in pitch darkness. The music and laughter disappeared, replaced by silence. The events of the past day seemed so distant, as if they were just a dream. Sad. I was still too excited to sleep.
At least for a moment, I want to feel all the emotions I experienced again.
I stood up and headed towards the exit, being especially careful not to wake Violet. I probed the darkness to find my shawl.
I wanted to take a walk to mentally immerse myself in my feelings.
I grabbed the lamp and left the room. Even when closing the door, I had to be extremely careful. I looked at the moon, softly illuminating the corridor, and put the lamp on the windowsill, trying to light a fire, when suddenly I heard the sound of a door opening. Turning around in fear, I found Vincent standing behind me.
- Mister?
The first thing that attracted attention was his pale face, then beads of sweat became noticeable - Vincent looked unwell. Assessing his condition, I came closer, and his gaze turned to me.
-… It's you?
This question could often be heard from him. And I knew that he asked this way when he was in confusion.
- Yes. It's me.
- Exactly?
- Yes. Exactly.
He reached out a trembling hand and grabbed my wrist. The trembling was transmitted from his grip throughout my entire body. He then pulled me closer and buried his face in my shoulder. I clearly heard his intermittent breathing.
– Did you have a nightmare? – I started.
He nodded slightly. Golden hair moved and tickled my cheek.
- But why did you leave the room? – I asked.
– I heard a sound.
– What would you do if it wasn’t me?
“I was hoping that I would meet you.”
I fell silent, stopping further questions. His uneven breathing gradually returned to normal. The hand that had been gripping my wrist moved down to my palm and intertwined our fingers with each other. The trembling passing through the clasped hands slowly faded away.
I gently squeezed the intertwined fingers and pulled them apart.
– Would you like to go for a walk?
He nodded again.
We walked down the corridor, one of my hands holding him tightly, the other holding the lamp. Our footsteps echoed down the quiet corridor.
- I want to get some fresh air.
- Shall we go outside then?
After another nod, I led him out of the mansion.
The night air was especially fresh. It was so calm outside. It was deep night, it was unlikely that anyone else could be nearby, so we calmly wandered towards the garden.
The black sky was strewn with stars. Today it was as clean as possible, and the stars shone brighter. It's so fascinating. I raised my eyes to the shimmering sky.
After a long walk we came across a fountain. Despite the late hour, water continued to flow from its center.