Page 5 of A Sonata for the Fiery Lady
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Melisa stood with her parents at the entrance of the dance hall, welcoming every guest that her parents had invited – which seemed to be every prestigious family in London. Though she was riddled with anxiety and dread, Melisa did her best to smile at everyone, thanking them for coming and receiving their many compliments.
“My goodness, Miss Melisa, you are absolutely stunning. His Grace is a lucky man,” one particularly handsome gentleman had said to her as she curtsied and he dipped his head towards her before moving into the ballroom. Melisa looked after him, thinking that he was the type of handsome man she would have looked forward to marrying.
Melisa continued to receive compliment after compliment as she welcomed every guest and longed after every eligible gentleman that caught her attention. She wondered if any of them would look at her and fall in love at first sight, demanding her hand in marriage from her father right then and there. But as the line of guests dwindled and everyone made their way into the ballroom, no such thing happened. Melisa continued to feel dreadful as she followed her parents into the ballroom to mingle with the other guests. It also didn’t help that there had been no sight of the Duke yet.
“Perhaps the man won’t show,” Melisa spoke softly as she stayed close to her mother. She didn’t try to interject herself into any conversation as she continued to smile pleasantly at everyone her parents introduced her to. She noticed how most of the young ladies observed her, their eyes narrowing at her as though she was beneath them. Perhaps there had been some truth in her mother’s words that there were other young ladies that would readily take her place. She even wondered if there was any way that she could convince one of these young ladies to seduce the Duke, causing a scandal so large that she’d be able to break off their engagement. But the young ladies seemed to keep their distance as she moved about the room with her parents.
Eventually, a hush settled over the crowd as they parted, making way for Lord Smithers as he finally arrived and crossed the ballroom. She could see him coming towards her from afar as the guests moved out of his way, whispering and pointing at him. He appeared to love all the attention as he walked at an easy pace, smiling broadly. Melisa even thought that she caught him winking at a young lady who then started to blush. But perhaps she’d only been seeing things for no one else seemed to notice.
Lord Smithers then approached her, bowing low as she curtsied. He was dressed in a fine dinner coat, dark black and made of silk. His vest was the same with intricate designs threaded into the vest, emphasized by his starch-white shirt. He resembled wealth, power, and status amongst the elite, yet the sight of him made Melisa’s stomach sour.
“Good evening, Lord Stanton, Lady Stanton. And to you, Miss Melisa. You are a vision,” Lord Smithers said as he offered Melisa his arm. She took it, shivering at the contact as she wished that she could just sink into the floor and escape this man.
“Thank you, Lord Smithers. I believe I have you to thank for the beauty that I display,” Melisa said, referring to the gorgeous necklace he’d given her as a present. She knew it was the proper thing to say even as she tried to keep her distance from the man with her arm on his.
“You would be beautiful in the simplest of gowns, my dear. I merely wanted to give you a token of my affections on this momentous occasion,” the Duke replied as he looked down at her, smiling the whole time. Melisa was surprised by his words because he had never shown her any affection before. She reasoned that it was all for show as her father motioned towards the servants to settle the room so he could address them.
Once the room was relatively quiet, Lord Stanton said, “Good evening ladies and gentlemen. We’re so pleased to have you here tonight to celebrate the engagement of our daughter, Miss Melisa Stanton, to the Duke of Avertin, Lord Smithers.” The room filled with applause as Melisa looked out into the crowd, wondering if any of them were truly happy for her.
“We hope that you’ll join us in congratulating the couple and enjoying this splendid evening with us. The newly engaged couple will now start off the first dance of the night,” Lord Stanton called next, happy voices filling the air as couples began to near the dance floor.
Melisa allowed Lord Smithers to lead her by the arm, only letting go so they could take up positions in the dance line. She looked at her intended, their engagement officially announced as she pondered what it would be like to be his wife. He smiled at her kindly, moving with grace as the dance began. But as they danced together, their hands coming into contact, Melisa realized that she felt nothing for this man besides dread. How could she ever love him, or make love to him, when she felt this way?
Melisa did her best to look pleased all the way through the dance. She was happy when it ended, despite the beautiful music that was being played and the fact that she rarely was able to demonstrate her trained skills at dancing. She had expected to spend the remainder of the night on the Duke’s arm and was surprised when he stepped away from her.
“Forgive me, my dear. I’m going to search for some fresh air. It’s been a while since I’ve danced, and I find the sport quite tiring. I’ll return to you before dinner is announced,” Lord Smithers said as he bowed to her. Melisa curtsied and watched as he made his way through the crowd towards the open doors that led to the balcony and then out to the gardens. She was a little shocked, thinking that she should have remained with him, but also relieved because now she could wander the room at her pleasure.
But as she looked around the room as the next dance began, Melisa saw that there was no one she wanted to speak to. Even though many of the guests were watching her, more than likely gossiping about her already, she didn’t feel compelled to speak to any of them. Therefore, she began to wander the room with no intention or want from anyone.
First, she visited the punch table, picking up a glass cup and walking with it while taking small sips to quench her thirst from the dance. Then she started to walk around the outside of the room where there were fewer clusters of people as most were now dancing the second song. Two songs would follow and then dinner would be announced, so for the time she was left alone to do as she pleased.
But as she neared the musicians, she couldn’t help pausing and watching them. Melisa had to admit that they all performed well and that perhaps her father might be correct in thinking that many families would hire these proficient sounding musicians. However, there was one musician amongst them, the pianist, who played with much passion.
Melisa watched him carefully as his fingers moved over the keys with ease. She was surprised to see that his eyes were closed as though he was simply listening to the song in order to know what keys to play. He appeared to be familiar enough with the song that he didn’t need to read the sheet music any longer. His head moved with the rhythm of the song, his light brown hair moving this way and that. He clearly did not care about appearances, and yet again no one was watching him. Very few people paid the musicians any notice, and therefore Melisa felt at ease as she stared at the man.
Even from the side where Melisa could only see his profile, she reasoned that he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. His shoulders were broad even though his fingers moved nimbly across the keys. She watched as his feet pressed into the piano’s peddles, his whole body seeming to move to the music. His movements hypnotized Melisa, causing her to stare at him till the song came to an end.
Only when the crowd began to applause did she look away, her eyes quickly darting around the room to see if anyone had caught her staring at another man who wasn’t her intended. But as she looked around, she could tell that no one was paying her any attention. So, she looked back towards the piano player and was surprised that the man was looking at her, allowing Melisa to see that his eyes were a dark colour of brown, almost like freshly tanned leather. She smiled at him, and as she saw that the musicians were taking a short break, she decided to approach the man and compliment him on his playing.
“Good evening, My Lady,” the man said as she neared, bowing deeply as she dipped her head.
“Good evening. I wanted to say that I’ve never seen anyone play so wonderfully. I can tell that you are proficient with the piano and quite the expert that you do not need to even read the sheet music,” Melisa said as they locked eyes. She felt her breathing shorten as she tried to reason what this feeling was that had washed over her. Excitement? She couldn’t reason why as she continued to stare into his eyes, a smile coming to his full lips.
“Thank you, My Lady. I appreciate your praise. And if I heard correctly, I should be giving you congratulations on the announcement of your engagement,” he replied. She smiled kindly at him, but the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“I don’t feel like I should be congratulated. I’ve been betrothed to the Duke since I was twelve. This all seems like a waste of an evening when I had little choice in the matter,” Melisa confessed, surprised by how easy it was to speak freely with this commoner. After all, he wasn’t related to any of the social circles her parents frequented, so it was unreasonable to think that what she said to him would never reach her parents.
The man looked genuinely shocked as he regarded her. “Certainly, there is something you could do if you didn’t want to marry the Duke?” the man reasoned.
“Go against my parents’ wishes? Insult His Grace in front of everyone? It is not a sensible thing to do,” Melisa explained.
“But you’re talking about the rest of your life,” he continued. She watched him carefully, surprised by how caring he appeared. Especially since they were strangers.
“So I am,” Melisa said. “But I’ve never really had control over my life to begin with.” She would have shrugged her shoulders as to say that it was just the way life was, but she knew that it would be unsightly. “Pray tell, what is your name?”
He smiled as he answered, “My name is Mr Oliver Quinn.”
