Author's Note: Whoa, we are finally up to Chapter 10!
Awesome! I didn't think I'd ever hit the double-digits mark. I had so many
things to do over the weekend that I did not have time to write anything. Sorry
for the wait. Hope you enjoy this all-new chapter! (Oh and a huge thanks to
everyone who reviewed!!! You rock!!! 23 reviews!!! YAY!)
Chapter 10: The High Society Ball
The day is slowly winding down to the big event. Families are hurrying about, getting their daughters into dresses and their sons into suits. Excitement is stirring throughout London…especially in the Darling household. Misfortune has befallen it and the inhabitants are trying their best to straighten things out.
Mrs. Darling is dabbing Wendy's forehead with the water George retrieved, shaking her head every so often at the imposing figure in the corner of the room. She has untied the corset from around her daughter's waist and it is lying abandoned on the floor. Mr. Darling has moved Wendy onto her bed and there she lies, her breath coming in short gasps.
"I do hope she wakes soon," Aunt Millicent prays. "We are losing valuable time. We would not be in this situation if you had bought the corset three years ago." Mary clenches her jaw and touches Wendy's arm. As if by magic, the teenager's eyes flutter open and stare at her mother.
"Mother…" she hesitates. A look of pure anxiety crosses her face as she tries to remember what happened. "Have I missed the ball?" Wendy fears the worst. Did she pass out? Is it already too late to attend the ball? Has her aunt already branded her a failure? All these questions race through Wendy's mind as she waits for the woman to respond.
"No, darling. You just fainted because Aunt Millicent made your corset too tight," she whispers. Wendy recalls not being able to breathe and the intense pain that swept through her stomach. She relaxes and sees Millicent standing by the door. She looks infuriated.
"We will be late for the ball if you are not ready within two hours!" she says tersely. Wendy sits up, shrugging off the dizzy spell. "Go and take a bath. After that, I am going to smooth out your eyebrows. They look ghastly if I do say so myself. Oh, and we need to paint your nails." Mrs. Darling hands Wendy a bathrobe and she covers herself with it. She is in her undergarments after all. Millicent holds the door open for her and she walks out. Mr. Darling is waiting for her, along with her brothers.
"Wendy! How do you feel, dear girl?" her father asks compassionately.
"I'm fine…I just need to wash up. Would you excuse me?" she sighs and Mr. Darling steps out of the way. She closes the lavatory door behind her and feels hot tears stinging her eyes. They are not of despair, but of utter frustration. Why does Aunt Millicent do this to her? She bathes rather quickly because she does not want to keep her aunt waiting. No one dares to keep that woman waiting. Wendy hurries back to her room and changes into a crisp, new set of undergarments. They have white frills everywhere and Wendy feels like a porcelain doll with them on. While she rubs a sweet-smelling lotion on her arms and legs, Mrs. Darling sneaks in.
"I'm going to help you with your corset, Wendy. I'll try to make it a bit more bearable," she whispers.
"Where's Aunt Millicent?" Wendy interrogates, setting the lotion on the floor. "Is she not supposed to be doing my nails or my eyebrows?"
"She is downstairs arguing with your father about transportation," Mrs. Darling giggles. "This will give me enough time to attend to my daughter." Wendy smiles at her and Mary picks up the corset. She pulls it around Wendy's waist and torso and begins to pull lightly on the cords. Wendy closes her eyes as the corset tightens. She breathes in and out slowly. She feels the pressure of the corset on her body, but she keeps calm. "I know it hurts. I've had to endure the pain ever since I turned thirteen."
"I will become accustomed to it soon enough, Mother," Wendy exhales. She stands stiffly against the bed, feeling quite sleepy. Aunt Millicent enters, grumbling about the ball. She looks at the corset and asks her niece if she feels faint.
"No," Wendy replies and before she knows it, her eyebrows are throbbing from being plucked over and over again. Aunt Millicent holds her head under the light of the lamp and checks them.
"Much better," she murmurs and chooses a light pink nail polish. The transformation is beginning and Wendy is not prepared for it.
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A half hour remains until the ball commences. Mr. Darling is becoming restless. He is already in his tuxedo and lingers in the kitchen, drinking a cup of hot tea. Nana sits next to him, her head in between her paws. She is going to watch over the boys tonight, even though they are getting to the age when they can be left alone. Nana does not mind that much.
"Why are they taking so long?" Mr. Darling sighs impatiently. "This is nerve-racking, Nana. I cannot endure this anymore." The dog barks at her master as if to say, "You can wait!" Mr. Darling hears someone on the stairs and rushes to the parlor. He looks up and sees Millicent and his wife strolling down. Mary is dressed in a dark blue gown. Diamonds are sewn into the neckline and gloves that she wears. George kisses his wife's cheek and compliments her. Millicent sticks her nose in the air and clears her throat.
"We present to you, your daughter, Miss Wendy Moira Angela Darling!" Millicent announces and they all look upstairs. A vision of beauty descends toward them, smiling nervously.
Mary and Millicent's work has paid off. Wendy looks very much like a princess, or better yet, a bride without the veil. The gown she wears is pure white and sparkles in the candlelight. The sleeves are gathered and puffed and she wears a glistening pearl necklace. The white gloves reach up to her elbows and are embroidered with tiny white flowers. Her cheeks are a light pink, which makes her look like she is blushing. From her ears hang two pearl earrings and her hair is in an exquisite bun. A pearl clip holds the curls of brown in place. Her blue eyes gaze ahead, as if she is trying to understand what the future has in store for her. No one sees that she is apprehensive about the ball.
"Wendy, you are simply wonderful-looking!" Mr. Darling cries out. Wendy grins and looks around. The corset is bothering her now. She wishes it did not hurt so much. She goes into the parlor and stands by the window. The noise upstairs is deafening and the boys hurry down the stairs. They stop when they see Wendy and their mouths drop open. John nudges them and they close them out of respect. They cannot believe that the young woman that stands in front of them is their sister.
"Boy, Wendy, look at you," Nibs blurts. Wendy touches her dress and bites her lip.
"I do not appreciate your remark, Nibs. I'd very much like if you kept them to yourself," Wendy responds.
"I didn't mean - " he starts but Curly stops him.
"Shut up," he orders. He turns to Wendy and smiles. "You look very nice."
"Thank you." Mr. Darling walks up to his daughter, smiling.
"It is time to go. I want to get there early." Wendy nods and he helps her into her coat, careful not to wrinkle her dress. The women file out of the house and the boys follow them.
"Good – bye Cinderella! Be back before midnight!" Tootles calls in a singsong voice. Cinderella is the story Wendy used to tell John and Michael repeatedly. They always made up new scenes and lines. Cinderella is the story Peter Pan listened to at the nursery window. Wendy shakes her head. Peter Pan? Why would she think of that imaginary person? She climbs into the carriage, Aunt Millicent babbling on about transportation again. Wendy's eyes wander up to the stars and the sky as the stagecoach rolls away from the Darling house.
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Peter stands in the ballroom, his hands folded behind his back. He arrived there a few minutes ago with Charlie's family. He is very debonair, with his tuxedo on and his natural good looks. His blonde-brown hair is a bit on the wild side, but he is not perfect, is he? Some seem to think so. The wealthy are lingering around, greeting their friends and making acquaintances. He runs his hand through his hair and realizes he is nervous. It is because he is going to see Wendy.
"Peter?" a timid voice says. Peter turns to see Evelyn, with a huge smile plastered on her face.
"Oh, hello, Eve," he murmurs. She giggles and wrings her gloved hands. People have already started to dance to the soft classical music played by the orchestra. Evelyn's brown eyes stare straight at Peter.
"Erm…would you…um…like to…dance with me?" she stammers. Peter forces a grin and sees Charlie mouthing, "yes" from a few feet away.
"I'd – love to," Peter answers and Evelyn nearly crumples to the floor. He takes her hand and leads her out to the dance floor, where they start to waltz. By the time they are finished, there are already a line of young women waiting edgily to dance with Peter. He wipes his forehead and Charlie ambles over to him.
"Don't bring attention to yourself," he murmurs and Peter nods his head in agreement.
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Wendy walks behind her parents and her aunt. Her heart is up in her throat as she stares at all the people.
"I thought we were early," Mr. Darling laughs and Wendy knows that he is panicky. "Oh my, there are the Eddingtons." Wendy has heard about the Eddington family numerous times. They are very wealthy and the community respects them. They adopted a son three or four years ago because they could not have children. Aunt Millicent said that he was a wild boy, but Wendy did not believe her. Wendy has never met them before, but she will now.
George and Mary approach Henry and Patricia Eddington swiftly and George clears his throat rather loudly. They turn to him smiling. Wendy feels sorry for her father because he starts to stutter terribly when he talks to them.
"Hello…I would like to introduce – myself. I…am – George Darling, and this…is my wife – Mary Darling… It is…an…especially great – honor to meet you. Oh, and…this is my – daughter, Wendy. Seeing this is an introductory ball, I…ah…wanted to introduce…myself," George says. Wendy curtsies to the couple and they nod.
"It is nice to meet you. I'm Henry and this is my wife, Patricia," he responds.
"You have a lovely daughter, Mrs. Darling," Patricia compliments. Wendy blushes and Mrs. Darling pats her shoulder.
"Why, thank you. These past years, she has become quite the lady," Mary replies and the two mothers laugh. "I heard you have a son."
"Yes, we do. His name is Peter," Patricia explains. Wendy's eyebrows rise when she thinks of that name. It must be a silly coincidence. "I apologize that he is not here. He has run off somewhere. I hope you have a chance to dance with him, Ms. Darling." Wendy nods and begins to tire of listening to the conversation with the Eddingtons. She feels a tug on her arm and she spins around.
Katrina Birmingham is the one she comes face to face with. She is an old classmate who is, shall we say, a busybody. She knows all the gossip of London and can be referred to as the next Aunt Millicent. She smiles happily at Wendy and brings her into a tight embrace.
"Ooo, how are you, Wendy Darling?" she yells. Several couples turn to them and stare for a while. Wendy pulls away from the hyperactive teenager, trying to catch her breath.
"I'm just wonderful, Katrina. I hope you are too," Wendy responds. Katrina has always been nice to her…probably because she wanted to find out gossip-worthy information about the family. Fortunately, Wendy knew not to tell Katrina anything and kept her comments to herself.
"I'm great!" Katrina yells again and Wendy steps away from her. "Have you danced with Peter Eddington yet? Oh, he is quite the charmer!" Wendy tries to act excited over a person she has never met before, but it is hard. Katrina can be lying.
"No, I haven't. I've just arrived." Katrina's mouth drops open and she yanks on Wendy's arm.
"Well, then, we must find you a dance partner," she suggests and scans the dancers. "Oh, I see a boy. Oh! It is Charles Malcolm! He's a bit on the weird side, but he is a respectable young man. He'll do for now." Wendy tries to say something, like her mother is calling her, but Katrina keeps walking. They stop in front of a young man with red hair and freckles. He looks at them and gasps in horror. No one really likes Katrina. "You are not going anywhere! You are going to dance with this fine girl now!" With that, she moves aside and pushes Wendy forward.
"…Hello, I'm Charles…Malcolm," the boy says. He looks over Wendy's shoulder at Katrina, who is glaring at him manically. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"No, the pleasure is mine. I'm Wendy Darling. If I am not mistaken, your father is my doctor," she answers, smiling.
"Yes he is. My friend was asking about the Darling family. Low and behold, I'm about to dance with their daughter," Charles chuckles and takes Wendy out onto the dance floor. "It's the waltz, right?"
"Yes," Wendy laughs. Charles is surprisingly funny. He pokes fun at Katrina throughout the dance and Wendy cannot keep a straight face. By the time the dance is over, Charles and Wendy are giggling. Katrina begins to set Wendy up with different young men who are all perfect gentlemen. She learns to be serene and serious. As she dances, she thinks about what Charles said to her. His friend was asking about her family? She wonders who it was.
She looks at the clock at the top of the grand staircase. It is nine o'clock. Two long hours she has been dancing and she cannot do it anymore. She needs to rest before Katrina or Aunt Millicent comes over with another suitor. Her torso and waist ache as she walks to a non-populated area of the ballroom. She breathes slowly and wipes the sweat from her forehead. She hopes she still looks presentable after all that waltzing. She sees her parents and Aunt Millicent chatting with the Malcolm family and the Eddingtons dancing gracefully in the mass of rich people. She wonders about Peter Eddington and if she will ever get to dance with him like all the other young ladies.
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Peter could not believe his eyes when Charlie and Wendy were dancing. She looked so much like a lady; he almost did not recognize her. He sits outside on the stone steps with his head in his hands. He cannot believe he saw her. Wendy. His heart beats quickly and he feels nauseous. If he does not go to her now, he might never have the chance again. Will she even remember him? He gets up slowly and enters into the ball.
The line of girls that he promised he would dance with are still waiting.
"My turn, my turn!" one of them screams, rushing to the front of the line. "You kept me waiting far too long, Mr. Eddington." She clutches his hand and drags him into a waltzing position. Peter begins to dance, all the while glancing around for any sign of Wendy. He sees her through the crowd of people, sitting alone, watching the waltz. He lets go of his dancing partner, who starts to whine. He weaves his way through the people, as if under a trance. He remembers Neverland and the way he felt when he was around her. His heart beats with anticipation as he walks toward Wendy, unsure of how their reunion will turn out…
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Author's Note: Well, there you go. I hope you liked it! It is sort of a cliffhanger, isn't it? Questions, comments, anything except snide remarks are welcomed! J LoL! I hope you enjoy Charlie, Evelyn, the Eddingtons, etc. (Don't worry, Charlie and Wendy are not an item!! They are just friends!) Come back to the read the next chapter, okay? I will try try try to have that up ASAP! Bye bye!