Chapter 3
The notes of the flute ran through her mind, washing all thought away, and finally wrapped around her heart. The running notes she was zipping up and down on the keys playfully tickled her, while the long notes soaked the weariness from her soul and discarded them out the window, light years past the edge of the horizon.
A confident knock reeled her back to reality. She was disturbed again and she was not amused. "What is it?"
In one smooth action, the door opened, and Lawrence strode in lightly and gave her a peck on the cheek. "I suppose you come for father, to persuade me to go to the ball. I won't, Lawrence. I'm tired of it. You're my fiancé, you should understand."
Faking surprise, Lawrence's eyes were wide with disappointment. "You're not going? Why, Tiffany, I even bought you a new dress. Well, I guess you could always wear it another time. I just thought you'd look stunning in it-"
"Oh, Lawrence. You shouldn't have. I have too many dresses and no where I want to wear them to." Her face softened.
"Would you care to try it? The French lace hem is really quite exquisite."
Tiffany looked at him properly. He had been so kind, preparing a dress for her. She remembered how she had made crepes for her father once, only to have them pushed aside, claiming he was 'too full to eat another bite'. The disappointment written all over Lawrence's face told her it must have been the same. "Of course I'll try it on, I see no harm in doing so," she gave him a warm smile.
As if on cue, Charlotte stepped in timidly and laid on the bed a flowing white dress that spelled elegance. "Wow," Tiffany gasped. Graciously, Lawrence stepped out, closing the door silently behind him, leaving Charlotte to help Tiffany change.
The satin lining caressed Tiffany's smooth skin as she slipped into the dress. The lace accentuated her firm assets, while the plain white chiffon made her look like an angel. Charlotte had gazed at her mistress in awe, and insisted she style Tiffany's hair. Soon, half of her long wavy hair was styled in a loose bun, secured with glittering pins around the edges. A cheerful corsage Lawrence had thoughtfully packed with the dress now circled her wrist prettily.
Gingerly, Tiffany stepped out of her room, into the hallway. "Lawrence?" No one. The corridor was empty. Oh, what a fool she had been to think that Lawrence would be outside, showering her with adoring praises as she stepped out.
Feeling cheated, she was just about to turn right back to her room and change, when Charlotte blurted out, "His Grace informed me that he would be waiting in the main lobby. He would be pleased if you would meet him in your new frock there."
The main lobby, Tiffany wondered, could Lawrence have in store yet another surprise for her? Her face glowing with excitement, Tiffany spun around and swiftly proceeded downstairs to the main lobby. A few paces later, she decided she wanted to impress Lawrence, and continued on her way with as much grace as she could muster.
The staircase that led to the main lobby was a broad, curving one. With intricate carvings on the marble banister, it was the main feature of the lobby. Tiffany put on slender foot in front of the other, held her head high, and descended the stairs with an air that was entirely captivating. Her eyes swept the lobby for Lawrence. Instead, they fixated at their own will on another young man standing at the foot of the stairs, and she momentarily lost control of them, along with her mind.
He was in conversation with another gentleman, she didn't notice who. In one hand, he held a strangely familiar long, black, leather case; the other hand encompassed a blood red rose that he put gently to his mouth. The refined, tuxedo-clad silhouette of his profile made her mouth open slightly, and his sculpted body made her hands tighten around the banister. He smiled, then, reminding Tiffany of a picture she saw as a child, a picture in the storybook she adored, a gift from her grandmother. She remembered the title now, Cinderella, last page, where Prince Charming gazed deep into Cinderella's eyes, and smiled. Just like that.