When they arrived at the theater, a large line had already formed. But instead of having to wait, the doorman recognized Fredrick and they were let in immediately. The theater was large and bright, shining crystal and gold chandeliers hung from the ceiling. It was one of the nicest cinemas she had even set foot in. They were allowed to browse the movie posters inside to decide which film they wanted to see. Fredrick told her it was up to her to decide, that he would be happy to watch anything as long as he was able to sit by her side. The comment made her blush and she started down the row of posters. She was grazing over them when one caused her to stop in her tracks. At first she wasn't sure if she was seeing things, but she was sure of what she saw. It was Fredrick on the poster, posing in a gallant way with a large gun in his hands. "Is this you?" she asked in shock.
He went over to where she was standing and sighed. He hadn't realized they had already begun placing his movie posters in cinemas yet. "Yes, that's me. I was a little embarrassed to mention it earlier. When I said I had been busy, what I meant is making a movie. Dr. Goebbels heard about my story and thought it would make a great film. I was surprised that he wanted me to star in it, it seemed a bit silly, but loving the cinema it was a dream come true so how could I turn it down?"
She stared up at him, not knowing what to say or think. No wonder everyone stopped to greet him, and he had such access to everything. The man was practically famous, and she had no idea. "Yes, I don't see how you could have, I just feel so silly for not knowing any of this before. I didn't realize I was dating a celebrity," She said the last part teasingly. Yes, she was a bit overwhelmed by all the new information, but she still liked him regardless. As a matter of fact, she should consider herself lucky; probably any girl would die for a chance to go out with this man.
He looked relived at her answer and guided her away from the poster to look at others; the 7 o' clock movie would begin soon. She picked a film noir called Black Cat, it was a few years old, but it was German and it starred a well-known German actress named Bridget von Hammersmark. Fredrick had mentioned that she may show up to his movie premiere here in Paris and asked her if she would like to go. Of course, she said yes and was excited to meet a movie star. She didn't know that half of the Nazi elite would be there, including Goebbels.
When Fredrick walked her to her door, after their date he was beaming. He was more confident around her and this time he didn't hesitate to ask her out another a date. This time he needed someone to accompany him to a ball held by some of his superiors. He promised it would be a lot of fun and that there would be dancing too. She happily agreed, not knowing what to expect, but knew if she went with Fredrick she would have fun.
The ball was the next weekend, but she didn't have any time to worry about it that week between dance practice and work. She had been showing up to practice on time every morning that week. It was like a fire had been lit inside of her that burned with desire and determination. Monsieur Herriot noticed that she was finally beginning to stand out among the others, and felt that it would be time to offer her a part soon. And at work she was having more fun, and enjoying herself. She didn't mind keeping the company of other men, but her thoughts were always of Fredrick. He even stopped by on Wednesday night to watch her dance again and then requested her at his table so that they could talk the rest of the night.
When Saturday night did arrive, Elizabeth didn't feel like she was prepared for it. She had never been to a ball before, and she was afraid of embarrassing Fredrick if she didn't dress appropriate. She hadn't thought about what type of dress would be needed and looking around her closet that morning it was evident that she would have to go shopping. She decided to bite the bullet and go to one of the most popular clothing shops in town, frequented by Nazi wives. It was called J. Broussards, and Elizabeth began to get clammy as she walked through the rotating glass doors, because she was certain she wouldn't be able to afford anything here. But, hopefully they had a good return policy and would be able to return the dress on Monday. Otherwise, she would be living on cheese and crackers for the next month.
The store was massive and there was no way she could navigate it on her own. She asked one of the men standing alert by the wall, where she would be able to find a gown for the ball tonight. His eyes nearly fell out of his head at the question. it was well known through out Paris that large ball was being held that night for the most prominent Nazi officials. Assuming that she must be someone of extreme importance to be attending such a ball he immediately rushed her upstairs and sat her down on a plush, pink settee. She was handed a glass of champagne, and she was told to wait while they found dresses to present her with. She didn't expect to be treated so well, and it was evident looking over the rail down to the first floor that not everyone was treated with the same respect. There were women browsing of the racks, not even gaining as much as a glance from one of the attendants.
About ten minutes later, the attendants presented her with a large rack of specially collected gowns. They were so beautiful she could barely contain herself. Satin in soft colored hues, bright colored sashes, billowing fabric was bursting out of the rack. She was excited to try them all on, wishing she didn't have to pick just one. Her excitement was slightly dimmed when she got a peek at one of the price tags. It was the amount of a rent check, not just a dress. But, she knew that these were not just any dresses, and if she wished to make a good impression tonight she would have to pay for it.
The first dress she tried on was a robin's egg blue, taffeta princess style gown. The fabric was shiny and Elizabeth liked it, but it seemed a little plain for the price. The second dress she tried on was a bubblegum pink color. Was satin and it had a piece of fabric that wrapped around her shoulders, the top was tight and cinched her waist. Then the bottom flowed outward with a mesh bow on the back. She thought it was beautiful, but maybe a bit much. She didn't want too many eyes on her tonight. The third dress she tried on was absolutely perfect. It was emerald green and brought out the green in her eyes and looked amazing against her porcelain skin. The top was a satin boned bodice which had a sweetheart neckline and the bottom was layers and layers of tulle, with an emerald lining beneath. The cherry on top was a dark green velvet back wrap that went over the dress. It was quarter sleeved, and wrapped around the back and clinched below her breast, she that the sweetheart neckline was still visible under the wrap. She knew it was the one and bought it was all the money she had left. It was difficult, but she knew it would be worth it that night.
She went home and immediately began to get ready for the ball, after shopping that afternoon she didn't have time to relax in the bath. She curled her hair in tight rolls and pinned them to the side of her head. She applied winged liner to her eyes, mascara, and then applied bright red lipstick to her lips. To top it all off she applied a small amount of rouge to her cheeks. She looked in the mirror and smiled at her reflection. She looked beautiful and radiant for the first time in a while.
Now that she was finished getting ready, all she had to do was sit down and wait for Fredrick to pick her up. As she waited, the butterflies began to flutter in her stomach. She hadn't been nervous at all until this moment, when she actually had time to think about. She wondered what it would look like, and who would be there. She hadn't thought about it before, but now she wondered who of the Nazi elite would be there. Fredrick was a popular man and surely had acquired friends in some high places.
A knock at the door brought her out of her thoughts and she jumped up and picked up her clutch. Smoothing down her dress she opened the door and was greeted by a very handsomely dressed Fredrick, who was in a tuxedo.
"You look amazing," she said smiling. She had had never seen him out of uniform and it was a welcomed change.
He smiled back at her. "You look beautiful as well. Green is definably your color. I can't wait to show you off tonight."
He took her hand and led her downstairs to a waiting a car. This time they had a private town car, not a taxi. It was much nicer inside and the fancy surroundings upped her nervousness. When they arrived at the venue, she wasn't able to see much through the tinted windows and it wasn't until Fredrick came around and opened the door for her that she was able to see the elegance before her. The venue was a mansion, obviously someone's personal house, although she couldn't imagine who could afford such a large home. It was white with marble columns in front over the wide front porch. Large windows covered a majority of the house, lit up by candles. The yard was also lit up by many candles, and the walkway to the house was covered by a red, velvet carpet just like they had a movie premieres.
She suddenly felt out of place, and she wasn't even inside yet. Fredrick wrapped his arm around her and laughed as he walked her through the door way. "I know it's a lot, they like to go over the top whenever they have a party." Over the top, she thought. This is a little bit more than over the top.
The outside did nothing to prepare her for the inside. Inside, throngs of people were about in bright colored dress and black and white suits and tuxedos. It was loud, and impossible to hear anyone who wasn't directly in front of you. The whole room was made of marble, including two spiral staircases on either side of the room. Large crystal chandeliers cast a bright glow over everything. The room was draped in red bunting and even here there was no escape from swastikas and a portrait of Hitler looking down on everyone, watching. An archway on the right side of the room led to the dining area, where servants were already waiting in anticipation for the meal, which wasn't set to take place until an hour.
She didn't recognize anyone in the room and grasped on to Fredrick so she wouldn't lose him. It was all little bit overwhelming and she dreaded having to mingle with these strangers. They were intimidating and although they were all laughing, they seemed cold. Her disdain for Nazis was beginning to rise back to surface, and she was secretly wishing she had never agreed to come. Even though she was uncomfortable, she stood by Fredrick's side as he began to speak with the other men. She smiled and laughed it was necessary, but otherwise kept out of the conversation. It was mostly about work anyway. After walking around the room for a while, Fredrick noticed that Elizabeth didn't look very happy.
"I'm sorry; I know all this must be very boring to you. I promise it will get better. And wait until it's time for dinner, you won't believe your eyes when you see all the food."
"I'm fine," she said feeling guilty. It wasn't his fault that she felt uncomfortable and she didn't want to ruin his night. She decided to perk up and enjoy what she could of the night.
Fredrick wrapped his arms around her and said, "How about we grab a glass of champagne and head upstairs? We can watch everyone from there and have some time to ourselves."
"That sounds fantastic" she said as he handed her a glass of champagne and they headed up the stairs.
Hope you all enjoyed, and for all of you Hans Landa fans out there he will finally make a reappearance in the next chapter :)
