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Chapter 14

Aprender Bailar

Tom snorted.

"It's not funny!" Will snapped defensively, stepping outside.

"I'm sorry; you're right." Tom followed behind him. "I mean, a lot of people can't dance." He paused. "Still, the look on your face..."

"You wouldn't think it was very funny if you were in my situation." Will let out a deep breath, his hands in his pockets. "What am I going to do?"

"You must be able to dance a little."

Will looked up at him sadly. "No. Not at all."

Tom frowned. "Haven't you ever danced before?"

Will chewed on the inside of his cheek, thinking. "Yes," he began slowly. "But it was a long time ago..."

"But it's a start, right? Can you remember anything?"

He shot him a glare. "I was four."

Tom swallowed his laughter. "Oh, sorry. You haven't ever danced after that? Never?"

"When was I supposed to have?" Will whirled around to face him. "I haven't had many opportunities, all right?"

"Calm down, I'm just trying to help."

Will heaved a sigh, his shoulders slumping. "I know. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it; the only thing you need to do is learn how to dance."

Will paused, one eyebrow cocked higher than the other. "What?"

"Come on. Loads of people know how to dance around here." He gestured to himself. "I know how to dance."

Will grimaced. "You're not going to teach me, are you?"

Tom scowled impatiently. "Of course not. But I know someone who can."

Will tilted his head to the side. "Who?"

"Susan."

"Please!" Will pitted on his heel, continuing down the path. "Even if she would teach me, imagine the possibilities. And like I said, that's insinuating that she would, which she wouldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because she hates me!" Will explained exasperatedly. "I can hear her now." He took on a high, screechy voice. "'You klutz! Why are you stepping on my feet? Don't you know how to even walk?' There is no way that she is going to help me."

Tom smiled sardonically. "I don't know; I think she likes you, in her own strange, twisted way."

"Don't humor me." He fell silent for a moment, thinking. "You know, maybe I can get by without dancing..."

Tom shrugged. "I guess you could, if you don't mind watching James dance with Elizabeth the whole entire time."

Will's jaw clenched. "You say that as if it would affect me."

"Doesn't it?"

"No. Not really. I don't know. But that's not the point!"

Tom looked bemused. "What is your point, Will?"

"My point? My point is that..." Actually, what was his point? Tom's logic was starting to frustrate him. "My point is that I am not going to ask Susan for help, no matter how desperate I am!"

(Space)

Will rapped promptly on the door. "Susan, are you there?"

There was a slow shuffling noise as the door scraped open. She surveyed him coldly. "What? Did you forget where your room was?"

Tom gave him a nudge.

"Um...No, I just came to apologize for my earlier remark. It was unnecessary and uncalled for."

She grinned. "Thank you; anything else? Or did you really come all the way up here to apologize?"

"Er- No, that's all, thanks." He began to turn around when Tom put a firm grip on his shoulder.

"No you don't. Susan, we need you to do a favor."

She tilted her head back thoughtfully. "Oh really? And what might this endeavor of yours be?"

Will swallowed nervously. "Well, Miss Swann invited me to the celebration, but I don't know how to dance, at all, and I was wondering-"

She held up her hand. "I can see where this is going. All right, I'll teach you. But what's in it for me?"

Will blinked. He hadn't really thought of that. "I- uh, I thought that..."

Her lip curled in disgust. "Do you really think that I would put in all of the time and effort to teach you when I don't get anything out of the experience? You disappoint me. You're going to have to find someone else."

"No, Susan, please, wait!" The despondency in his voice surprised even him. "Please, I'll do anything you want me too, anything!"

The grin spread back across her face, except this time it held a wicked gleam. "Anything?"

He nodded solemnly. "Yes, anything."

She crossed her arms thoughtfully. "Very well then. Count me in."

"Susan, thank you, you don't know how-"

"Whatever. Anyway, we should probably do this now."

Susan led them to any empty storage area in the far back of the quarters, leading the way with an almost haughty supremacy. It fact, she seemed highly amused at the prospect of teaching Will to dance. However, he felt quite the opposite.

She sat down on a barrel, crossing her legs. "So tell me; do you know how to do any kind of a dancing? A jig, even?"

He hesitated. "No, not really..."

Susan heaved a sigh, as if to say she had her work cut out for her, before standing. "All right. I suppose we should start with something simple..."

Will nodded eagerly, in full support of that idea.

She cleared her throat. "First of all, you must assure me that you will take these lessons seriously."

"Trust me, I will!"

"Good. So, let's see..." She tapped her finger against her chain in a thoughtful manner. "I suppose that I could teach you how to Gavotte, but it is so outdated...The latest fashion seems to be Contredanse, but even they have grown complex over the decades...Then again, it's nothing but a figure repeated continually...But then again it can have several figures..." She massaged her temples, falling silent. "I don't think you're quite ready for the Minuet, and even then it seems that Mr. Brunswick would be better suited for that sort of thing..."

Tom interrupted her. "Mr. Brunswick?"

"Oh yes; you know, the one with the angelic eyes and pure complexion?" She glanced at Will, winking devilishly. "Miss Swann's friend?"

"I want to learn the Minuet," Will said in a gush, sounding almost frantic.

Susan was taken aback, suddenly serious. "Will, I don't think you're quite ready for something like that...It's rather difficult..."

"If James can do it, so can I!" he snapped, turning to Tom. "Right?"

Tom nodded loyally, if not warily and half-heartedly.

Susan's eyes looked heavenward as she moaned. "All right, Will, if it's what you want..."

Her back straightened, and she took on an elegant demeanor so unlike her own. She began to pace around him, snatching a broomstick from the corner. "You should know what dancing means among the aristocracy. To the upper-class, dancing is a way for them to present their social position and wealth, represented through graceful movements and ballroom finery. You are what you dance, and you are what you wear; it is all very superficial. Straighten your back." She whacked him in the back with rod, and none too gently. He immediately went straight. "Posture is an important part of one's grace. It speaks of one's status and background. If you go tromping through the room-"

"I don't 'tromp'," Will corrected defensively, feeling insecure as it was.

"Yes, well, either way, if you go running through the room slouching like a gardener or something, people aren't going to pay you any mind. No offense, Tom," she apologized tonelessly, still inspecting her student.

"None taken." He yawned.

She stopped moving, frowning. "I suppose this will have to do. I'm not going to go through all of the trouble to make you some outfit you'll never wear again. I'll leave that happy predicament up to you. Now, on to the Minuet...

"Minuets are in 3/4 time," she continued seamlessly, beginning to pace again. She eyed him dully. "I'm assuming that you don't know how to read music."

He could already tell he was hopeless. "No..."

She dismissed it with a shrug. "Neither can I. But that doesn't mean that you can't grasp the concept, as long as you know your basic mathematics." She crossed her arms, sitting back down on the barrel. "Now, let's say you have something you can divide...like...like..."

"Miss Swann's cakes?" Tom suggested helpfully, now lounging on the floor and observing the scene dryly.

Her shoulders twitched. "Very well. One of- Miss Swann's cakes. Divide the cake into fourths. The cake is a measure, and the slices are beats. Music is made up of measures; measures are made up of beats. This cake would be an example of 4/4 time; or common time."

Will was completely lost after that point. She went on to explain what she called '3/4 time' and how it was 'what held it all together'. In fact, she seemed so caught up in her speech, that she wasn't even paying attention to Will, who was forcing himself to nod and say, "Yes," every so often.

"Do you understand?" she eventually asked, one eyebrow arching higher than the other.

"Er...I think so," he began slowly.

She sighed. "I can see that you somehow managed to not retain a single word I just said. Just remember this." She clapped her hands rhythmically. "One-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three. Can you do that? Or do I need to write it down?"

"No." Still, none of it seemed to be making sense.

She nodded curtly, looking satisfied. "Good. We'll meet back here tomorrow night."

Will glanced back at Tom, somehow not surprised to see that he was fast asleep.

TBC...

williz: Thanks. I am a bit partial to this story myself...And yes, Will does seem to be having a hard time! Hopefully James will get his someday, eh?

lateBloomer04: Lol Was Susan the teacher you were thinking of? And yes, poor Will Hopefully he'll get a break soon.

piglet12345: I'm very glad that you're enjoying the story. As far as age, I kinda jumped their ages up because it's more fun (cuz they do look very young at the beginning on the movie, indeed), but only by a year or so. James isn't actually the one who owns the villa and everything, that's actually his parents. He's around the same age as Elizabeth and Will.

Nuriel: I'm glad you're enjoying it! And yes, poor Will; he can't dance and he doesn't have anything to wear!