There was a peculiar feeling in the air, heavy with expectations and pressure from society. A distant smell of lavender and roses, along with a scent from wax candles which were there to set the dramatic scene to perfection. Certain sounds could be heard throughout the room, mainly from the orchestra playing by the main stage. Strings from violins and lutes coming together, creating harmonies and joy amongst their listeners, filling the halls with laughter, polite conversations and the sounds of feet dancing together to the created beat. But when listening closer, there's chance that you'll hear the sounds disguised by the sounds filling the room, and there's a chance that you'll see interactions not obvious at first glance. Fingers lingering during dances, stolen glances across the ballroom and forbidden whispers shared in the shadows. It's always the same procedure, always the same people and always the same pretences.
She is standing there, observing once again from the shadows. She is familiar with the scene before her, having seen it all before. Once upon a time, she too would partake in the cheerful conversations, enjoy the music with a dance partner or three, and drink wine throughout the night. Now she enjoyed staying the shadows to observe, truly observe what happened during the balls she dreamt of attending from an early age. Those from the fairytales she read as a child; those balls with magic and romance in the air where anything was possible, with your Prince Charming was around the corner. While she found the idea quite absurd when reading them, she couldn't help but understand the allure of the stories and princes. After all, which little girl didn't want to be a princess? She chuckled quietly, finding the notion of being a princess ridiculous and unwanted now while thinking back on the times where she ran around the village in a tiara made of some cheap fabric. Maybe wisdom came with age, she thought ironically, while letting her eyes scan through the now familiar ballroom and faces in front of her. Just shy of twenty and she's already thinking that she's becoming wise with age, like she'd lived a longer life than most of the people dancing and chatting in front of her.
A steward clears his throat beside her and offers her a beverage along with a polite but tight-lipped smile. She thanks him quietly and reached for one of the glasses, and then she's left alone again. She prefers to be hidden and ignored, while never having liked to be the centre of attention, she used to be in the spotlight when she made her debut. But she quickly grew tired of the same conversations, the inappropriate glances and the false acquaintances. So, she started to watch the people instead. While others considered her rude and peculiar, they were now used to her standing in the background, often forgetting her presence when caught up in the glamourous fog of the ball. That was her preference though, as she could observe the moments where they forgot themselves and acted as they wanted to, not how society told them to act. Those were the moments where the true observations could be made, the moments that still made the ball interesting.
When she looked to her right, close to two doors which she knew led to a balcony, she could see one of the ladies trying to find a husband this season: Miss Williams. A beauty with long, luscious locks of golden-brown hair, a sweet, youthful face and a perfect hourglass figure, she was one of the most eligible ladies of the season. She watched Miss Williams as she stood by her father and yet another suitor, but her eyes strayed more than once to one of the married men that was attending the ball. And he let his eyes wander over her, with a permanent smirk on his face, letting her know his feelings about her straying eyes. She sees when their eyes make contact for a few seconds before they have to return to politely make conversation with their current partners. While this is happening, another pair starts to leave. This time, a widow and a younger gentleman, who just happens to be engaged to a lady who couldn't attend the night's festivities. They keep up the pretences as she claims to feel lightheaded and he's happens to be on his way home, but this is the fourth gathering in a row that they're leaving together. This goes unnoticed by others wrapped up in the atmosphere, but not by her.
She absentmindedly takes a small sip of her wine. It's good but she wants to remain clearheaded throughout the night, remain in control of herself. Quickly, she pushes away that thought and goes back to watching the people in front of her. She gets the feeling that someone's watching her right now and turns her head a bit to the left, only to form a smirk of her own with her lips. Her vivacious friend, Miss Kavanaugh, makes eye-contact and quickly rolls her eyes, referring to her antics. Her smirk widens and she sends her friend a small wink before going back to observing. She can hear her friend's giggle, something her companion reacts to but refrain from commenting on. Instead, he asks her to dance, and she sees her friend reaching out her hand to the gentleman in front of her, accepting his offer. She sees them joining many other couples on the dancefloor as the band start to play. They all start to dance the minuet, some more gracefully than others; Miss Kavanaugh outshines her partner per usual. However, the band is now quickly asked to stop playing. This is something new, she observes from her point in the shadows. She can see the host, a Viscount, and his family gather in the centre of the ballroom, clearly about to make an announcement of sorts. She sees that some starts whispering about the unexpected break from the glamour, but everyone's showing a polite attentiveness to their hosts. She sees the lady of the house murmur a few words to her husband before he makes their announcement.
"Pardon the interruption ladies and gentlemen, however, we have new guests arriving. We're delighted to welcome my dear wife's cousin and her family to our humble estate. They just arrived and we hope that you all make them feel welcomed this season, as they will stay with us for the time being."
As the announcement is being made, the whispers increase in volume. She too is a bit shocked at the news; not only was this completely unexpected but this family would also join them throughout the social season? Well, this was interesting. It wasn't every day that a duke and his family would join a few months after the season started, especially attending a ball in a smaller village. Even though the Viscountess was related to the duke through his wife, this was still quite the surprise.
"Here we have Duke and Duchess Grey, along with their son and daughter", he announces, and four beautiful people approaches them. The Duke, whilst showing his age with his greying hair, is very handsome and seems kind. The Duchess is a beauty, with beautiful brown hair which has been done to perfection, and a beautiful gown that suits her well. Their daughter has inherited her mother's beauty, with the exception that her hair is dark blonde instead of brown, and she seems to be the one most excited for this ball, taking in the glamour in her gorgeous purple dress. And then it's their son, who seems the most indifferent to this. He's very handsome, she sucks in a short breath when she sees him. With a long blue coat and copper coloured hair, he scans his eyes lightly over the ballroom. His eyes suddenly meet her, and he keeps the eye-contact. She's suddenly struck with the thought that he's observing her as well, until the contact is gone. The announcement and pleasantries are over, and the orchestra starts to play the music again. She remains in the shadows, but now, she's thinking again. But about him. She's suddenly lost in her thoughts again, that she misses a new companion joining her. She is jolted out of her thoughts when she hears someone clear their throat and her startled blue eyes meet a pair of grey eyes. They are intense, impassive but also curious? She quickly curtsies, remembering her manors, and he bows back with a small smile gracing his lips.
"Pardon the intrusion, I didn't mean to frighten you", he says in a velvety and pleasant voice.
"It's quite all right, thank you. I just wasn't expecting anyone here, my lord."
"I could tell, but I saw you earlier and couldn't help but wonder why you were standing here in the corner rather than on the dance floor", he says, and now she can feel him observing her. Looking into her eyes, as if he's trying to find the answer in them. She blushes slightly and looks away briefly before meeting his eyes again.
"I'm usually not the most social during these gatherings, I much prefer to remain here and enjoy the music."
"Well, even though you are not being the most social person here, would you mind some company, my lady?", he asks smoothly, and she once again sucks in a short breath, feeling some sort of effect from his presence.
"No, some company would be appreciated, thank you sir", she says, and he smiles, stepping further into the shadows. Closer to her.
"Please, my name is Christian. Lord Christian Trevelyan Grey. And what's your name miss?", he says whilst taking my hand and giving my knuckles a sweet kiss. When he releases her hand, she observes him quickly before meeting his eyes again.
"My name is Lady Anastasia Steele, pleasure to meet you."
Well, I haven't been active on FF for quite a few years, but having read quite a few during the past few months, I felt inspired to write something. Could be a oneshot or multichapter – please leave a review or a PM to let me know what you think!
/Fijah