The Ball
by Brooklynn Cintron
This isn’t going to be fun at all.
I heaved a large breath, waiting for father to arrive. June 11,1811. Today would be grand. My first ball. The day in which I would try and find a husband. Perhaps it will be quick. I thought to herself. After all, times have changed since Mother was sent out into society. But nearly everyone in Britain will be there. Perhaps it will not be so regal. I stood before my large, pearl encrusted mirror. I eyed my feathery purple dress which hugged my body. The silk fabric of the dress flowed nicely when I did a little spin in my mirror. father always said that it was improper for a lady to do such childish things before men. But I was not with a man. Once I came to a complete stop, I admired myself. My mother’s emerald eyes stared back at me, framed by my father’s ebony hair. I examined my face. My olive skin glistened with the creamy rouge which had been applied by our servants. A smile crossed my rosy pink lips. I will never know hard labor. father, being a duke, is and will always be wealthy. Being his only child and a descendant of the Featherswallow family would be just as wealthy. father had always been a vain man with a strict taste for luxury. Nothing other than the best for him and his little girl, he loves to say. A small knock on my door slightly startled me. I turned toward my baby blue colored door.
“It’s me, my dove,” father called from the other side.
“May I come in?” A spark of excitement went off in me, making me smile.
“Enter, father,” I called back. The door opened to reveal my father dressed in his navy blue dress robes. My father was an older man. His face was slightly creased with 54 years of age. His facial features were always stone cold and dark with all but me. Grey streaks ran through his jet black hair like laces of silver. His dark brown eyes sparkled once he saw me. “Don’t I look lovely?” I beamed and spun around in place to show him myself.
“Absolutely, darling.” He slowly walked over to me with a small box in his hand. "Look at you. Already being brought out into society,” He stood before me with a small and slightly sorrowful smile.
“All ready to find a husband now, are we?” He placed his hands on my shoulders. I nodded up at him, feeling my smile slightly go down.
“Yes. A husband.” Doubt pooled in my stomach. A husband. I looked down at my father’s tie.
“Vivian, what have I told you about lowering your head?” father scolded me gently. I immediately snapped my gaze back up to look into his eyes again.
“Apologies, father,” I cleared my throat. “Just a bit…” I drifted off and took a deep breath. My heart pounded in my chest. Nervous. Scared. TERRIFIED.
“My lovely, Vivian,” father spoke softly. I tried my best to hold his gaze to look as confident as I could. “You will be just fine.”
“Father, what if none of the men are attractive to me?” I accidentally blurted out. Immediate regret filled me after those words escaped my lips. I clamped my mouth shut, embarrassed. Only a child would ask such foolish things. Pull it together, Vivian! But, rather than being shocked or angry, father let out a small and hearty chuckle.