Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty- Manchester, That Same Day in the Evening, Five Days Until the Wedding

Dianna stood in her bedroom in front of her floor-length vanity mirror, staring at her reflection as three ladies-in-waiting dressed her for the ball. Her room was just as she had left it a year ago: tall, white walls that led up to high ceiling with a crystal chandelier hanging down; pale gold furniture including a vanity and the mirror she now stood in front of; and a large bed with pale pink goose feather pillows and 1000 count Egyptian cotton sheets, blankets as soft as clouds and a modern, contemporary style. Her large closet that could fit a party of five people, including her hundreds of gowns and shoes and accessories was untouched as well. Everything seemed the same, and yet Dianna felt so different in a room she used to be so comfortable in.

She looked back at her reflection again. Her ladies had dressed her in a newly made gown that matched the pale pink color of her bed spreads. It was a long, pink skirt that was layered so it looked like a pink waterfall. Her corseted top was adorned with silver and gold sequined curlicues that sparkled in the lamplight, and the sleeves were cut shorter than normal. She wore long, white gloves on her hands and new shoes as well. One of her ladies finished with her hair.

"I left it down so everyone could see and remember your purity and innocence," the maid smiled. The maid speaking was Olivia, Dianna's favorite lady-in-waiting, because they were the same age, and used to play together, even as Olivia served and waited on Dianna. She had only taken some strands off Dianna's face and pulled them back and clipped them with a pink rose to adorn the back of her head. The rest of Dianna's long, black-red hair was cascading down her back. Only unmarried, virgin women could wear their hair down. Dianna frowned as she thought of the lie she was spinning. It wasn't right for her hair to be down when she was a virgin no more.

The maids finished powdering Dianna's face and adding a bit of red rouge to her cheeks and lips. Then Dianna was ready for the ball.

***

At the same time, Josey was in a smaller guest room of the mansion. He and Mack were sharing the room while the other men were also partnered off and sharing their own rooms. Mack and Josey were helping each other dress into the borrowed tailcoat tuxedos. They both felt a bit stiff in the borrowed clothes. It was fancier than anything either of them had ever worn, and it felt especially confining to Josey, who was used to walking around shirtless. They finished dressing and left the room.

They met with the rest of the crew in the ballroom. It was a large room, with most of the space taken up by a dance floor. The rest of the room consisted of tables covered in foods of every type. There were roasts of different birds, land and water animals, sizzling to perfection. There were vegetables prepared in different ways: seared, grilled, baked, sautéed, mashed and more. There hors-devours of many different types, and buckets filled with cold, expensive champagne bottles. Waiters in formal uniform walked around carrying platters of hors-devours and long glasses filled with the sparkling alcohol. Josey grabbed a glass off a passing waiter's plate and took a sip, enjoying his first taste of an expensive drink. However, he couldn't force himself to eat. He didn't feel hungry for food; he only wanted to hold Dianna.

Just as he thought of her, Tobias Franklin called for attention and announced, "I should like to present my best and dearest friend, Walter Desmond. And with him, his daughter; a woman we have finally brought back into our home, and I am proud to say, my daughter-in-law to-be in the near future. She is the guest of honor tonight, not only because of her return but also because today is her birthday. Please help me welcome back with open arms, the lovely Dianna Desmond!" Walter walked into the room, Dianna on his arm. Josey almost choked on his champagne, she looked so beautiful. She was ravishing in her long, pink ball gown, and her hair was hanging down her back and over her shoulders, black with a hint of a red glow in the lamplight. The room exploded with applause as the hundreds of guests clapped their hands and whistled happily. The guests began to slowly walk forward, all of them waiting their turn to hug Dianna and welcome her home.

Dianna was immediately crowded by all the people; older men and women who wished her well, other parents who told her repeatedly how Walter wasn't the same without her, girls she used to be good friends with, boys she used to dance and flirt with. She smiled and talked with them politely, but she felt out of place and uncomfortable. She felt like she didn't know these people anymore; they were her past, and she felt strange revisiting the past. It was familiar, but a time come and gone; she felt older and different as she hugged and kissed and chatted with friends from long ago.

"Dianna! Don't forget about your fiancée!" Tobias said as he took his turn hugging her. When he stepped aside, Arnold was standing behind him. He looked just the same as she had left him; average height and weight, only a few inches taller than her, and skinny but not muscular. Pale, freckled skin. Short, curly red-orange hair and light blue eyes that he kept downcast at all times. He was always so nervous and quiet.

"Hello, Arnold." Dianna smiled at him.

"Hello," Arnold barely whispered out, blushing a deep scarlet and bowing his head down in shyness. Dianna continued smiling but on the inside she felt like groaning in disappointment. She wouldn't be marrying a man; she'd be marrying a shadow, never talking, always in the quiet corners.

"Come on, my boy! Take your bride out to the dance floor," Tobias said, slapping Arnold on his back. Dianna could never understand how a loud, jolly man like Tobias could father a quiet little mouse like Arnold.

"I'd be honored," Dianna said and held her arm out for Arnold to take. He held her arm on his, but barely touching her. They walked out onto the dance floor, and other couples lined up around them as well. The band started to play a song and the dance began.

First, the couples stood across from each other, women in one line, men across the floor in another line. They stepped forward and clasped right hands with their partners and dipped. Then they stepped back and stepped forward again and this time clasped left hands and dipped. Then the men picked the women up and spun them once, placing them back on their feet again after the spin. The partners then circled each other, until the men took the ladies arms and spun them over to the next partner. Dianna danced like this first with Arnold, then a couple of men she used to be friends with, who complimented her beauty and told her how they missed her. She just smiled and nodded. Her third partner spun her, and she came face to face with her next partner: Josey.

"You!" She whisper-yelled at him.

"Me!" He whispered back.

"What are you doing?" She continued their whispered conversation as they danced, mechanically going along with the music and steps.

"I'm dancing. Is there something wrong with that?" Josey asked, completely nonchalant.

"No, I mean what are you doing here? I can't believe you're staying in my mansion!"

"Where else was I supposed to stay?"

"I hate you!" She whispered at him, forcing herself not to cry as they continued dancing.

"Why? Last night you didn't seem to hate me at all," Josey said, smiling slightly at her dramatics.

"You had me multiple times, you took my virginity. I thought you loved me, but it was all a trick just to get me to give myself to you! Now you want to torture me further by staying for my wedding, laughing at my misery and foolishness. To think I actually fell in love with a lying, stealing pirate!" Dianna said, even her whisper-voice cracking a bit in sadness. Josey picked her up and spun her around, but when he placed her back on her feet, he didn't let her go. "What are you doing? Someone will see--"

"Let them see. I want the whole world to know how I feel. I didn't play a trick on you; how could I fool someone I love so much? I am not here to laugh at your misery; I am here to take you away from your misery. I am here to break your sham of an engagement, stop this blasphemous marriage from happening, and claim you as mine. I will never let another man marry you, if I have to die to prove that you, I will do so happily. I will love you till the end of time, Dianna Desmond, and even after then." Josey whispered to her, his face inches from hers, their eyes locked in a powerful stare. He wanted to kiss her so badly, but so far no one had noticed their conversation, even when they had stopped dancing, and he didn't want to risk someone seeing. He would claim Dianna as his, but now wasn't the time.

Josey let go of Dianna and they stepped apart. The song was over, so Josey bowed to her, still keeping eye contact. Dianna forgot to bow, completely hypnotized by Josey's gaze, feeling her heart flutter with happiness and her body flare up in joy. Josey still loved her, and that was all that mattered to her. She nodded to let Josey know she understood and felt the same way. Josey winked at her, stood from his bow, and turned and walked off the dance floor.

Just like that, the moment was over. No one had seen or noticed a thing, but Dianna felt as if the whole world could see her love for Josey flow through her veins and pump the blood in her heart. She danced and laughed and cheered the rest of the night; she cut her large birthday cake and ate a lot of it. She even chatted and spent time with Arnold, only slightly less annoyed by him than usual.

That night, Dianna didn't drink a single sip of champagne, but she felt drunk in happiness and love.

~

Author: thanks so much to my fans for reading this far! I know I'm taking long uploading more, but please bear with me; it only gets better from here!! I promise!! If you want a better idea of what dianna's ball gown looks like, google an image of "meg's ball gown from monte carlo". I don't know if you guys have seen the movie monte carlo, but the character Meg's dress (played by actress Leighton Meester) is similar to what I had in mind for Dianna's dress.

Thanks so much for reading!! Please vote, comment, and hang on for more!!!

Love,

NeonSparkle, xoxo :)))))