The Ball began with the splendor the Willis family so excitedly displayed for their youngest daughter's engagement party. The husbands danced with their wives, the servants walked along the wall with platters containing various kinds of drinks and hors d'oeuvres.
"So, Miss Sophia Lancaster is your betrothed. I certainly was not expecting that. I wonder why they didn't offer you to her sister," Daniel comments as he takes a swig from his champagne.
Adam turns to watch Sophia as she stands by her mother's side, who is so avidly speaking to her, probably about the weeding details. "Oh I don't know," he replied. "Perhaps because she's been married twice?"
Daniel chuckles. "Come on, it was only two weddings, and they both went to hell is what I've heard. Don't deny that you much prefer to marry Lucia rather than her little sister."
Adam blinks in confusion. "Wait a minute, if I recall correctly, you were quite smitten with her little sister last Christmas."
"Was I? I can't quite remember. I was probably lonely. My wife was away last Christmas remember? I was definitely lonely."
Adam nods unsure if to believe him or not. Daniel was a newlywed, but that didn't quite erase the fact that he loved women. "So you don't remember dancing the whole night with her? People started talking, you know."
Daniel waves his hand dismissively. "The hell with people."
Adam laughs at his friend's unconcerned manner. A short, stout man surrounded by two tall and seemingly strong men, walk towards them, Adam runs his fingers through his hair hoping he looks presentable enough.
"Ah! Mr. Lancaster, Congratulations!" the man says a bit too enthusiastic.
"Mayor Smith, I am so honored you're here," he replies as he shakes his cold, sweaty hand.
"I was not going to miss such a celebration, I know you since you were a child. You two used to play by the lake collecting tadpoles," he says as he lays a comforting hand on Daniel's shoulder, Daniel smiles hesitantly as he feels as if his shoulder will dislocate at any moment.
"Well, I'm still grateful you could attend, I heard you've been quite busy with a few affairs in New York."
"Yes, but that is no excuse to miss your engagement party, it's quite a big step you're making there, young man. And what a beautiful young lady you have come to obtain, she's quite a beauty."
Adam nods and to his surprise he replies, "Yes. That she is."
"Speaking of which, I haven't had a chance to congratulate her yet, will you excuse me." Mayor Smith shakes Adam's hand one last time and with his two bodyguards close behind him, he makes his way towards the other end of the ballroom where he finds her listening still to her mother's every word.
"He's more irritable now that he became the Mayor of Lakewood," Daniel says as soon as his father leaves.
Adam just chuckles, his eyes fixed on Sophia. The Mayor greets Mrs. Willis with a kiss on her hand. He then pulls Sophia in for a hug, Sophia's face says it all. Her eyes widened as if she does not quite know if to embrace him back or pull away, her confusion written very clearly all over her face.
"You don't think it's all a mistake, do you?" Adam finds himself asking.
"What's a mistake?" Daniel replies now putting much thought into it.
"My engagement to Sophia."
"Oh so that's her name! I don't know why I couldn't remember, I kept thinking of Lucy."
Adam turns to him sternly. "Do you think I should go through with it?"
Daniel exhales loudly as if thinking for the right answer. "I don't know. She's a pretty girl, I'll give you that, but considering your history with Lucia, it might make things difficult."
"That ended years ago, I don't think it will affect us."
"Then...I supposed you have to decide on your own if you want to marry this girl or not. You will though, your father will hold you down at the altar if he has to. Trust me, I know."
Adam chuckles and turns to look for Sophia one more time. He finds her sitting gracefully against the wall, next to her sister; she seems to be having a nice time. He wants to approach her but with Daniel's words echoing in his head, he decides against it, not while Lucia was there.
Lucia looks dashing in her burgundy dress, several men walked by in front of her just to have a better look, but Adam's eyes don't leave Sophia. So much grace and poise radiated from her, he has the sudden urge to hold her in his arms. Lucia leans toward her sister and whispers something in her ear. Sophia's smile fades instantly. Lucia, with a satisfied look on her face, leaves her side.
Feeling disconcerted by this sight, he excuses himself and walks directly towards his fiancé. When Sophia looks up at him, she straightens and the smile returns. She stands and curtsies at his arrival. "Mr. Lancaster," she greets him.
Without thinking twice, he takes a hold of her hand, and as he vows, he kisses it gently, feeling her soft, perfumed skin on his lips. "Miss Willis."
He catches a hint of red on her cheeks and he smiles, what a sweet girl, he thinks as he signals towards the chair and Sophia takes it.
"What made you change your mind?" Sophia asks quietly.
"Oh, several factors influenced my decision. The party, for one, is a great one, I did not want to spoil it."
"Ah yes, that would've been a shame." Sophia replies.
"But also, you made me change my mind."
Sophia turns to him confused. "Really? How so?"
"Well, one look at you and I thought to myself, why would I let anyone else marry this creature? I must be mad."
Sophia giggles at his reply. "I'm terribly flattered."
"It's true," he says in a serious tone.
Before she can reply, Mr. Willis summons her with a wave of his hand. Sophia smiles hesitantly as Adam stands along with her. "Forgive me, duty calls," she jokes.
Adam follows her with his gaze. Her long, dark hair flows behind her as she makes her way towards his smiling father, who was certainly very proud of his youngest child. And why wouldn't he be? She was courteous, pleasant and a lady in every sense of the word, then he answered his own question.
"Hello handsome."
He hears a female's voice bringing him back to the present and to his misfortune, it was Lucia. She took Sophia's seat. "Where is your fiancé?"
"She's with your father," he replies trying to hide his uneasiness. He was not sure what it was about Lucia that made his stomach tighten every time she was near.
Lucia lays back on her chair and crosses her legs. "You must know what I am about to tell you, because well, you are my friend." She gets closer and he could smell her strong perfume. "You deserve someone better. Someone more pleasurable." Adam doesn't know how to reply, he takes a deep breath, why didn't he notice how venomous Lucia was when he first met her. But he knew the answer, her beauty over powered everything.
"May I be honest?" she continues. "I've known my little sister since, well, her birth. And I just fear that you will not be as happy like you deserve. She is rather dull and I am afraid you will be tired of her within a month." Adam shifts in his seat troubled with Lucia's words. What made her speak in such way about her own sister? "Oh, but she is not like she seems. She is not that immaculate girl that everyone likes. Dare I say that I have seen her doing a certain thing that is not very innocent?"
This gets Adam's attention. "What are you talking about?"
She laughs. "Why don't you ask her yourself," she whispers seductively in his ear. As if she accomplished her goal, she retires leaving a trace of doubt behind. What could it be? It was impossible to even grasp the thought of her doing something immoral. Though he knows that she is not perfect, he refuses to believe that she would do anything that resembled her sister's behavior. He decides that Lucia's hateful words were nothing but an attempt to trick him. Perhaps Daniel was right, his history with Lucia will make things challenging after all.
Sophia approaches him and Adam stands to greet her. "Would you mind if I went outside for a few minutes? I feel as if the air has been sucked out of me."
He sees her flushed cheeks and nods. "I'll keep you company," he says quickly. He offers his arm and she accepts it. They walk slowly towards the garden behind the ballroom, the cool night welcomes them. He keeps a close eye on Sophia, she seems to be able to breathe a bit easier. "Are you doing better?"
Sophia turns to him as if returning from a trance. "Oh yes, thank you. I'm afraid I don't do too well in crowded places."
They walk quietly down the long trail, the cacophony from the ballroom fading behind them, leaving them alone with their thoughts. Plants and flowers adorned their path, the full moon provided enough light to make their walk a memorable one. Adam looks up the sky and takes a deep breath. Perhaps he should feel nervous. He should feel some distress from being thrown into a marriage he didn't even want. For being pushed to marry a girl he never even met. But right now, under the moonlight, in this garden, and with Sophia's arm looped on his, he felt peace. The most peace he had ever felt since he came back from college.
"Beautiful night," she comments breaking the silence.
"Yes. The sky is very crowded tonight," he replies.
"Crowded?"
"Yes, according to Greek mythology, it is believed that the stars are heroes and beasts who received a place in the heavens in memory of their deeds by god. They were viewed, as semi-divine spirits, living beings who strode across the heavens."
"Really? Who's up there tonight?" she asks looking up at the sky in awe.
"Let see." They take a seat on a bench, their eyes fixed up on the sky. "Ah there." He points up at the sky. "Ganymedes, otherwise known as Aquarius. He was a Trojan prince. He was seized and carried off to heaven by an eagle sent down by Zeus, to become the cup-bearer of the gods. Also, there's Andromeda, an Ethiopian princess, her mother Cassiopea, boasted about her beauty claiming that she was more beautiful than the Nereids. Poseidon sent a sea-monster to devour the girl out of anger and he chained her to rocks. Perseus, the hero, killed the beast, and married her. The gods as a memorial, set the whole family amongst the stars as constellations."
"That's amazing, but I can't seem to find them."
Adam laughs. "Oh there, it's shaped as a dolphin. Can you see it?"
Sophia squints her eyes and then she widens them rapidly. "I see it! A dolphin right there!" She points at the stars excitedly. "What's his story?"
"He is Delphin, Poseidon's dolphin. Poseidon tried to woo the goddess Amphitrite, but she fled from his advances and hid herself away. Delphin was sent to find her, and he convinced her to return. As a reward, Poseidon set him amongst the stars."
"How beautiful. Did Amphitrite fall in love with Poseidon?"
Adam smiles at her curiosity. "She returned and married Poseidon. They lived in a golden palace under the sea happily in love. They are Triton's, the fish tailed merman, father and mother."
She smiles at the happy ending. "How have you come to know so much about Greek mythology?"
"I'm awfully passionate when it comes to stories about heroes of war and their adventures."
She smiles and looks down meeting his eyes. "Making you want to live adventures of your own," she replies woefully.
"Yes. And you Miss Willis," he starts as he places his finger tips on his soft cheek, just a whisper on her skin. "You are my biggest adventure yet."
Sophia smiles sheepishly and drops her eyes as if unable to face him.
"Forgive me, I hope I am not interrupting," Daniel says quietly. Adam stands taken aback, he didn't even hear him arriving.
Adam smiles. "No not at all."
Daniel smiles and gives him a hearty hand shake. "Miss Willis," he acknowledges her distantly. "I want to congratulate you, I'm sure this is what you've always wanted."
Adam turns to Sophia and notices her changing drastically. She stiffens and is unable to look up from the ground, she curtsies and whispers a thank you. Adam watches her concerned for her behavior.
"Well Adam, I must bid you adieu, my father called for a meeting and as his personal assistant, I am forced to attend."
Adam nods. "Of course, thank you for coming."
"Thank you for inviting me, congratulations again, I sure wish I could stay longer, the party is so much fun." Daniel raises his top hat. "Miss Willis, have a pleasant evening."
Sophia straightens as if finding some courage. "Thank you Mr. Smith, have a safe journey."
Daniel nods and excuses himself.
Adam turns to Sophia and sees that she's struggling to stay on her feet, she stumbles back and he hurries to catch her. "Miss Willis?" he asks panicking. He wraps his arm around her waist and walks her back to the bench.
Sophia smiles hazily. "I'm fine," she says out of breath. "I felt woozy for a second there."
"Do you need anything?"
"No, I just need to breathe."
Adam watches her intently worried that she might be ill, he doesn't let go for she looks weak and as if she will faint at any second. "You alright?"
She rubs her eyes and turns to him shyly, her eyes red and puffy. "I just need to lie down. Would you mind if I went to the drawing room for a few minutes?"
Adam helps her to her feet. "I'll walk you."
"No, that's not necessary. I'll be fine" She replies as she makes her way back to the ballroom. He walks her to the servant's hall and she turns. "I'll be out in a minute. Please do return to the ball, it's in our honor, it would be rude if neither of us are present."
Adam keeps watching her not wanting to leave her side.
She lets out a laugh. "I'm fine, I promise. It's the excitement of the evening, it's taking a toll on me, that's all."
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"
"Yes I am sure. Now go back to our party, I'm sure they're missing your presence."
Adam finally gives in, he opens the door for herand she gives him and assuring smile. Hesighs in relief when she's able to go up the stairs effortlessly. What made herill so suddenly? He was no fool, he knew Daniel had something to do with it.The way he looked at her and addressed her was very suspicious. What could haveDaniel done that made her loose her composure?