Chapter Eleven

Tonight was the night of the masquerade party. Hundreds of people were to be arriving in a few hours. Including Adrieanna's fiancé. He would be in for just the night though.

The Lord was downstairs making sure all the servants were doing as they were told. Upstairs was Lady O'Sirius, Maria and her friend, Adrieanna. Maria was assisting the Lady O'Sirius to get ready for the party.

Adrieanna walked over to friend's bed and sat down. "So my friend, what do you plan on wearing tonight? Or does my lord have something picked out for you?"

Salean pointed to a huge box sitting on a table in her room. "No," She said with a little laugh. "it's in that box." She said from behind a changing area, peeking her head around the corner. "It was my mother's dress."

Adrieanna walked over to the box and opened it. "Oh lord, this is beautiful!" She carefully took it out of the box to see the entire dress.

"Can you hand it to me?" Maria asked from over were the Lady O'Sirius was.

Adrieanna walked over and handed her the dress. "Tell me something.." Adrieanna paused. She walked over to the window and looked out it. Then looked back over to Salean. "Do you think your Knight will come?"

Maria stopped for a moment from helping getting the dress on. She put her hands on her hips and looked at Salean. "A Knight?" Salean just smiled. "The one who was here?"

Then Adrieanna added. "We saw him at church last Sunday. She invited him. And the other day, I shouldn't say but…" She walked over to Maria and spoke ever so softly. "She spent the entire day with him. And it ended with a kiss…" Adrieanna said and walked over to her bed, sitting down on it.

The expression on Salean's face was priceless. She was so shocked that she would even say something like that. Maria looked over at her. "I must protest!" Then she looked away. "We did not kiss." She said looking at herself twirling her fingers. "Now help me with this Maria."

She just smiled. "Well it sure sounded like it!" Adrieanna said with a tone. After Maria had helped her get the dress on she came out. Adrieanna looked at her and was speechless. "Oh! You're beautiful." Was all she could say to her friend.

The dress was made of the finest white and silver fabrics. The bodice tightly hugged her around her chest and the skirt accented it just perfectly. She twirled around to show off the extremely low cut backing.

"You look like…" She thought for a moment. "….an angel my lady." Maria said.

Salean smiled. "Thank you, both of you." She said and glanced over at Adrieanna. She went and sat down at her vanity mirror.

Maria followed. She picked up a brush a started to comb her long black curls. While she was doing that she asked Lady O'Sirius something. "So, my lady, if you didn't kiss what happened?"

Salean looked at Maria. "Maria! You too?" Maria smiled at her and continued to comb her hair. Salean took a deep breath. "Well, I was about to leave when he touched my arm. He asked me for my name, said it was beautiful. He softly ran his hand ran across the side of my face, his tender lips touched mine…" She stopped after that and closed her eyes, imagining that night all over again. After a moment she opened her eyes and looked down. "I had told him I couldn't and I fell into his arms. He embraced me, running his hands through my hair. His heart was so clam and mine…" She said with a laugh. "I could feel it racing. I think he felt it racing too. But still he held me ever so gently." Maria placed a small tiara on her head. Salean picked up a silver detailed mask and put it on.

Adrieanna walked over to Salean as she stood up. She hugged her and whispered in her ear. "It sounds like love my friend." She pulled away and looked her in the eyes with a smiled. Adrieanna could see behind her mask that she had tears. "Nothing can stop a true love."