Chapter Seven: The Harvest Ball - Part One
Riche Manor, Bièrves, France, 1723
"We're here!" exclaimed mademoiselle Juliette's escort, Charlotte.
"Already!" said Aella. She was getting more worried by the second. Why had she agreed to come? This was all a mistake!
"Let us go, girls," said Odette. Odette was Madame De la Roche's escort, and she was at least ten years older than Aella and Charlotte. She was stern with them, but they knew she had a kind heart. They were all very stressed about the party. A lot was riding on their shoulders.
The three chaperones got out of the carriage and saw the De la Roche family ahead of them, already walking up the stairs in a slow, neat fashion. Aella remembered what Èlise had told her, and went to stand a little way beyond them, but still right behind her friend. Charlotte and Odette joined her, and the group traveled up the stairs and into the glittering house. There seemed to be lanterns and candles everywhere you looked.
After making it up the stairs, the family entered the mansion. It was much bigger than the De la Roche's home, which Aella had not thought previously possible. The family was announced as they walked in, and their coats were taken. After Juliette's coat, the last one, was given to the servants of the house, the chaperones walked in and handed in their capes. When Odette saw Aella's dress, she gasped.
"It is not good for a lady to wear such a dress," Odette whispered to Aella underneath her breath as they walked into the foyer.
"It was not my idea. Mademoiselle Èlise designed it, and there was not enough time to change it." Aella whispered back.
Once in the foyer, they were encouraged to mingle, but all Aella wanted to do was disappear. This dress was too much. Madame De la Roche was staring daggers at her, and it didn't help the matter.
About twenty minutes later, all of the families had arrived, and they went to go eat the feast that the staff had been preparing for days. However, the servants and chaperones did not join them in the main hall. Instead, they went into a smaller dining room to enjoy some of the feast, away from all the rich families. There were soups, salads, quiches, pasta, and every other food imaginable. Aella had never seen such a feast in all her life. They ate delicious food until they could eat no more.
"I'm completely stuffed!" exclaimed a maid that the Dupont family had brought along.
"Me as well," said someone else.
A servant of the Riche family said, "Well, I suppose you may talk amongst yourselves for the time being. Once the families are ready to begin the festivities, I'll let you know." The group began to talk about all sorts of things. Aella went to talk to Charlotte and some maids from other households. They were gossiping about different butlers and such who had been brought along.
"Augustine, from the Auclair household, oh! So cute!" exclaimed Coralie, an escort for a girl in the Dufort family.
"What about Martin!?"
"He always smells like horses!"
"Well, that's where he normally works! In the horse stables!"
The conversation went on for about twenty more minutes until the servant announced that the families were about ready to start the ball.
"Please, stand against the wall until someone comes to ask you to dance or talk to you. We do not need stray maids and butlers roaming the halls." said the butler they now knew was named Maxence.
All of the servants and escorts were brought into the brilliant ballroom. It was covered in lanterns and candles, much like the outside. Aella stood against the wall on the left side of the wall. There were autumn leaves strung around banisters to give it a festive feel. Everything felt just right for a Harvest Ball.
A few minutes later, the families came into the ballroom one at a time. First was the Riche family, then the Duforts, the Cambouts, the Auclairs, the Duplantiers, and the De la Roches. More came after the family, but Aella didn't notice. She saw Èlise's curious eyes first, she was searching for her. Then she saw Peter. Aella had been so rushed into her carriage, she hadn't seen him. He looked so handsome in his formal coat. It was a creamy-white, maybe gray, it was hard to tell from a distance, with little gold buttons. Èlise caught her staring and made a face. Aella choked back a giggle.
Suddenly, the band started playing a song that Aella recognized. It was a tiny bit slower, but no doubt, this was a gigue and one that she had danced back in her old town. Èlise came over to where Aella was standing. Aella was actually supposed to stay with Èlise all through the party, but she knew Èlise wouldn't stand for such nonsense. She'd jump out a window if it meant getting away from her mother's rules.
"Aella! How was your dinner?" asked Èlise.
Aella could tell that she was struggling through pretending to be polite.
"It went well, mademoiselle Èlise. I thoroughly enjoye-"
"Oh, please, Aella, no one is listening to my conversation with my chaperone. Nobody cares that much. Èlise is my name, I do not believe 'mademoiselle' ever made it onto my birth certificate."
Aella laughed at this. She saw a young man, only a bit older than Èlise standing closeby.
"No matter how much you believe no one is listening, I believe there will always be a young man watching you." joked Aella.
"Who is it! What does he look like?" Èlise asked excitedly.
"Well, I do not know who it is, but he's wearing a dark blue coat, he has green eyes, and he has red hair."
"Red hair? Oh! It must be Jacques Rousseau. He has been interested in me since we were children."
"Is that so?"
"Yes," she sighed, "maman and papa are arranging my marriage to him, once I'm older of course. They've been rather irritable lately."
"I can see that."
Jacques walked up to Èlise.
"Mademoiselle, would you care to dance?" he asked.
"Yes, monsieur. Merci."
The music changed to a passepied as Èlise and Jacques began dancing. They looked so perfect there, dancing together. They danced for a few more songs, some fast and some slow until Èlise said her feet were bound to fall off. The two laughed and Èlise sat down on the chair closest to her. Aella walked over, remembering her job.
"Well, you look you had fun!" said Aella.
"Yes, Jacques is a very good dance partner, and I love talking to him… I'm just not looking for a relationship at eleven years old!"
"Quite sensible!"
"Well, what are you doing here, you should be dancing!"
"No one has asked me!"
"Is your dress that intimidating?" joked Èlise.
"I suppose that is the only answer. My dress is too intimidating, it's scaring off all my admirers!" laughed Aella.
"Well, if you stand by the wall, I'm sure someone is more likely to see you than by this chair. Now go on. That's an order!"
Aella walked away laughing. Èlise was such a personality! Little did she know, that as she walked to the side of the room, her red dress caught the eye of Peter. He had been dancing with Madeline and was about to jump out the window, when he saw a flash of red, moving up against the wall. The song had just finished, so he bowed to Madeline and took a seat near Èlise.
He saw Aella turn around, standing against the wall. It was the girl from before. In the past week, he had tried his best to ignore her, but she was invading his thoughts, driving him mad. What was so special about a servant girl that he couldn't take his mind off of her? When he saw her in that dress, it gave him a new light. She was more than a servant girl.
"Èlise?" asked Peter.
"Yes, Peter?"
"That girl, in the red dress. Do you know her?"
"Yes. She's the one you asked about at dinner. She's new. Her name is Aella, and she's a server and my maid. We've become quite great friends, actually. Why?"
"I'm going to ask her to dance," Peter said.
"Do you like her dress? I helped design it!"
"I love her dress! You did a great job. The red looks so beautiful on her."
"Is it prettier than Madeline Cambout?"
"Madeline or her dress?"
Èlise paused. She didn't know what to say to that.
"Because it's prettier than both. She is prettier than both. Her name is Aella, right?"
"Yes."
"Good."
Peter got up to ask Aella to dance. He walked across the floor to where she was standing.
"Mademoiselle Aella, correct?"
Aella was startled. He knew her name. She had seen him glance at her while talking to Èlise, but she didn't know that he knew her name.
"Yes, it is, Monsieur Peter."
"Would you care to dance?"