They ascended the grand staircase and walked toward the formal ballroom to be presented for the evening. Elizabeth felt as if she had been doing this her whole life. Head held high, back straight she smiled graciously as the double doors swung open to reveal the elegantly decorated ballroom. To say it was unbelievable would have been an understatement. It looked like something from the guild age. A distinguished gentleman announced their arrival as they crossed the threshold. Count Demetri Merick and his son Anton warmly greeted them. The Count and Viktor were old friends and excused themselves from Elizabeth and Anton. "If we didn't know they were good friends, we would come to the conclusion that they did that on purpose." Anton joked to ease the awkward silence. "Well, this gives us an opportunity to catch up on our friendship." Elizabeth replied with a smile. Anton's eyes sparkled at her good nature and he extended his arm to her. She gladly excepted it and the pair walked to a secluded part of the ballroom. The table was elegant with fresh flowers, candles, and fine china. Anton's efforts didn't go unnoticed by Elizabeth's observant eyes. "This is wonderful!" she said with a warm smile. Anton had reminded himself a dozen times before the evening began to not openly gape at her for being breath taking. He wanted to kick himself for feeling flustered like a shy schoolboy at her kind remarks. Elizabeth reached across the table and intertwined her small hand in his. "Three hundred and sixty some odd days in between visits is too long." she sighed. "I hope this year will be different. I think we've started to become good friends over the years through our letters." Anton was taken back by her boldness. He very gently ran his thumb over her hand and pondered her words. "I agree with you." he finally replied. "This year will be different. I promise." The sparkle in her bright eyes and sincerity of her smile almost rendered him incapable of rational thought. "Would you like to dance?" he heard himself say. Anton led the way to the middle of the ballroom as the music began to play the overture to "Romeo and Juliet". "She has suffered enough." he thought as they danced. "This will be the year her life is set right." Anton silently decided as the melody ended. Two dances later, Anton and Elizabeth made their back to their table. This time they were not alone. Victor had been out of Elizabeth's company for almost three hours and needed to see that she was alright. "You fuss over her like she's a small child." Demetri chastised his old friend. "No more so than you, your son." Victor silkily replied. Smiles of satisfaction crossed both of their faces as the couple approached the table. "Count Merick, this has been a wonderful evening." Elizabeth exclaimed. "Please, call me Demetri. I'm glad you're having a good time." the Count replied. Elizabeth looked at her grandfather who was actually smiling. His eyes reflected warmth and happiness. She had grown to care about him over the years in spite of everything. Elizabeth casually moved around the table and sat next to him. "You look happy." she commented with a sparkle in her eyes that would revival the stars. Viktor laughed good naturedly at her observation. He felt daring by her behavior and opened his arms to see if she would accept a hug. To his pleasant surprise, Elizabeth hugged him tight. "I'm glad we came this evening, Grandfather." Elizabeth said softly in his ear. Demetri and Anton smiled at the affection Elizabeth and Viktor shared. They knew how hard it had been for them to get to this point in their relationship. Demetri felt it was time to steer the mood back towards a celebration. He tapped his glass and called for a toast. "To our loved ones and the future. Merry Christmas, my honored guests." he said in a deep resonating voice. "Here, here." echoed through out the ballroom. The evening had been a success.
