"What a wonderful night's sleep," I said to myself as I finally climbed out of bed.
Bright morning sunlight streamed through my large picture window as I opened the drapes. I took off my pajama shirt and did a few simple stretches, and then dropped to the floor to do several sets of push-ups and sit-ups.
After my last push-up, I collapsed back onto the bed and my mind wandered off toward the prior evening. The day was not going to go by nearly fast enough! I could not wait to be with Cassandria again. She was such a lovely woman; I enjoyed her fun personality, her honesty, and of course her looks were quite stunning. The way a brief touch of her hand or her warm smile made my heart skip a beat was incredible. Just thinking of Cassandria made my stomach flutter. Not even Christine had given me such feelings of desire.
I decided to get the rest of my exercising done before the morning was over, so I could spend the rest of the day planning my picnic with Cassandria. I ran my ten laps around the barn, and then proceeded to lift handfuls of horseshoes. Elise had come up with this exercise the day before after finding a pile of abandoned and weathered horseshoes behind the barn. She had instructed me to hold five full sized horseshoes in each hand and lift them as if I were lifting weights. I didn't mind this exercise except for the fact that my hands were covered in orange rust when I was through.
Huffing and puffing, I jogged back to the house after I was done lifting the horseshoes, and rummaged around in the kitchen for some kind of nourishment.
"There is no food!" I said aloud as I opened cupboard after empty cupboard. It wasn't until I had eaten half of a stale biscuit that I realized there wouldn't be any food until I purchased it; there was no maid to buy it for me. I found a pencil and a piece of paper and began to make a list of the items I needed to stock the kitchen with. Growing up in a home with kitchen staff hadn't given me much of an opportunity to perfect my culinary skills, but how hard could it really be? Soups certainly couldn't be that difficult to prepare, so I planned to make a soup as my first meal alone. I pulled a giant book filled with recipes the cooking staff had collected over the years, and jotted down the ingredients to a vegetable beef soup.
For my picnic with Cassandria, I planned on picking up a pre-roasted chicken and some fresh bread from one of the nearby cafes. I would do all of my grocery shopping first, and then pick up the chicken and a fresh bouquet of lilies on my way home.
On my way out I nearly smacked right into Elise, who was just about to knock on the door.
"Raoul!" she exclaimed, clutched her chest. "You gave me quite a start, I didn't except the door to come flying open!"
"I'm sorry," I replied. "Are you all right?"
"Yes I'm fine, I just needed a moment to catch my breath. How was last night?"
"It was perfect," I answered dreamily.
"You must tell me all about it!"
"Of course. What are you doing right now? I need to buy some groceries, would you like to come?"
"Yes, I just have to be back for practice at 11:00," she replied and jumped into the carriage.
I climbed up onto the carriage and took hold of the reins. The second we started moving, Elise hit me with a barrage of questions.
"Slow down," I said. I was going to take my time telling Elise about last night. It would be more fun that way; it would be like re-living it all over again.
"She arrived early," I began, remembering how lovely she looked standing on the front steps looking perturbed. "She was a bit upset because apparently she had been knocking on the door for quite a while before I heard her. I wasn't fully ready yet, so she waited downstairs while I finished dressing. You should have seen her, Elise. She looked magnificent!"
"I'm sure she did; she looks like she has plenty of fine clothes judging from the dress she wore to the opera," Elise commented.
"Yes, well her dress was a bit more understated than the gown she wore to the opera. It's her hair and eyes that amaze me. I've never seen that shade of hair before, and her eyes dazzle like emeralds."
"That's my line!" Elise interrupted and punched me in the arm.
"Ouch!" I said, feigning pain as I rubbed where she hit me. "I know it was your line and I'd like to thank you for it."
"You're welcome," she smirked. "Go on."
"She seemed quite surprised when I asked her what she would like to do for the evening. She said something about whatever I had scheduled, and was stunned when I told her she was to create the agenda. We ended up going to the same restaurant you and I went to."
"That was a wise choice. It has a very nice atmosphere."
"I agree. Anyway, things were not off to the best start so I ordered a bottle of wine as you suggested. After the first sip, Cassandria apologized for her rudeness and said it is caused by her overbearing uncle."
"I can see where she's coming from," Elise interrupted. "Firmin introduced him to all of us ballet girls and he seemed quite boisterous. I can't imagine staying with him for two weeks like Cassandria has to!"
"Neither can I," I agreed. "Anyway, on to the next part of my story," I continued. "It seems Cassandria was under the impression that you and I are a couple."
"You? And me?" Elise laughed. "That's ridiculous! Siblings perhaps, but a couple? We barely spent any time together at the opera. I wonder how she got that impression? We didn't even dance!"
"I don't know, but that's what she thought. I quickly set her straight on the matter."
"Good," Elise answered firmly. "Luckily Andrew didn't get the impression at all."
"And who, pray tell, is Andrew?" I asked curiously.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, wait your turn," she said playfully. "You're the one telling stories right now. I'll tell mine later."
"All right, but you'd better not forget," I answered. Yesterday I had been so wrapped up in preparing for my date with Cassandria that I hadn't even bothered to ask Elise how her night at the opera had gone. I remembered the tall gentleman that introduced himself to her, and wondered if he was the Andrew fellow she had mentioned.
"Something tells me you won't let me forget," she replied. "Anyway, what happened after you told her we were friends?"
"She asked if I was seeing someone and I said no, then I asked her the same question. She said no, and then after a pause she said not yet."
"Oh Raoul! That's wonderful!" Elise cried, giving me half a hug which proved to be somewhat difficult due to the bouncing carriage.
"I know," I answered. "After dinner we got some chocolates and - "
"Chocolate!" Elise answered and clapped excitedly. "I knew I liked her!"
"I think you two will get along wonderfully," I laughed. "You were the first person I thought of when she mentioned getting chocolate."
"Good. So what happened after you got the chocolates?"
"We walked down to the park and talked while we ate the chocolates. She's not exactly like I thought she was. I thought perhaps she was going to be a bit more snobbish but she's very down to earth. As I walked her back to her suite we made plans to go riding and have a picnic this afternoon."
"How wonderful!" Elise exclaimed. "Raoul I am so happy for you."
"Thank you, but you have not yet heard the best part. I of course walked her to her door and as I was leaving she called me back and asked if in Paris it was appropriate for a good night kiss after the first date."
Again, I must have been grinning from ear to ear, because Elise commented on my expression.
"You look like a child on Christmas morning!"
"You don't know how wonderful it was, Elise. Her lips were so velvety smooth and they tasted a bit like chocolate. Her vanilla fragrance is almost overwhelming when I'm that close to her. My body just doesn't know what to do."
"Just do what comes naturally," Elise replied as she shrugged her shoulders. We had just arrived at the grocer, so Elise immediately jumped out of the carriage and helped me tie up the horse. I was glad to have her with me, for surely she would be of great assistance while grocery shopping.
I was right; Elise helped me pick out all the proper ingredients I needed as well as a few extra things to snack on between meals. She was a smart shopper, until she spotted the candy shelf. Silently, she ogled the many chocolates and hard candies as I paid for my groceries.
"It is such a shame I can't eat as much chocolate as I used to," she sighed as we left the grocer. "Madame Giry says I have the perfect build, so I mustn't overindulge in sweets if I am to maintain my slim figure."
"Surely a piece every now and then can't hurt," I said as I pulled out a piece of peppermint candy from my pocket.
"I suppose you're right," she replied and eagerly popped the piece of candy into her mouth.
"Now, I've kept up my end of the deal and told you about Cassandria, so you must tell me about Andrew," I said as we walked toward the café where I planned to order a chicken.
"Yes, you're right," she replied. "Right after Meg took me over the meet the other girls, this tall, handsome gentleman introduced himself to me. His name is Andrew Broussard, and he owns a small furniture shop downtown. Raoul, he is simply charming! We danced several dances before he had to return home, but we have plans to meet again tomorrow night after the performance."
"That is wonderful!" I replied. I held the door open for her as we walked into the café so I could order the chicken for my picnic with Cassandria.
While we waited for the chicken, Elise and I sat at a small table with two cups of coffee and chatted about my plans for the picnic.
"You do have a blanket to put on the ground, don't you Raoul? She will not want to get her dress filthy."
"Yes, last night when I got home I made sure I had a picnic basket and a blanket. I also packed plates and utensils in the basket so I wouldn't forget."
"My my, you're becoming quite responsible," she mused.
"I really owe it all to you, Elise. You're helping me improve myself."
"I don't know what to say," she replied, blushing slightly.
"You don't have to say anything. I'm just thanking you for being yourself, I suppose."
"It is my pleasure," she replied with a smile and finished the rest of her coffee. "I'm afraid I have to be going. I don't want to be late for practice."
"I was hoping that you would be able to help me choose a bouquet of flowers," I replied.
"Well, I suppose if we hurry I could help you. There is a lovely flower stand just down the street and it's on my way."
I quickly stood up and told the cashier that I would be right back to pick up the chicken, and then escorted Elise out of the café. We walked hurriedly to the flower stand.
"Now, what did you say her favorite flower was?" Elise asked as we arrived.
"Lilies; I was thinking of getting a bouquet of just lilies. What do you think?"
"Well, that would be fine, but I think a bit of variety would be better," she said tactfully. "Here, try mixing the lilies and these dahlias."
She selected 4 lilies and walked over to a bucket of dahlias and selected 4 pink dahlias, and then 4 small pink roses. She arranged them together with small stems of baby's breath in between, and then picked out a large fern leaf for the back of the bouquet. She selected a white ribbon and tied the bouquet together.
"There," she said, and handed me the bouquet.
"Wow, this is much prettier than anything I would have arranged. Thank you," I said happily as I brought the bouquet over to the cashier.
"You're quite welcome," she said and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. "Well, I must be going. Thank you for the coffee and good luck tonight!"
"Goodbye Elise," I called after her as she began to walk quickly toward the opera.
"Goodbye Raoul!" she called back.
With the bouquet in my hand, I walked happily back toward the café to pick up the chicken. As I approach the café, I suddenly stopped dead in my tracks when I noticed Christine going into a dress shop next door. For once I didn't feel the powerful urge to talk to her, although I considered going in to the dress shop just to say simple hello, but quickly thought the better of it. She probably didn't want to see me, and I didn't need to see her either. Satisfied with newfound closure with Christine, I smiled to myself and went inside the café to pick up my roasted chicken.
I was just packing up the chicken and the bouquet in the carriage when I heard someone calling my name. I turned around to see Elise running frantically down the street. Her hair was flying wildly around her face and I immediately thought something terrible had happened.
"Elise, what in the world is going on?" I asked. She must have run all of the way back
from the opera, for she was panting like a dog and had a concerned look on her face.
"Raoul," she gasped, trying to catch her breath. "Thank goodness I caught you."
"What is it? Are you all right? Has something happened?"
"No, no, I just thought of something," she replied as her breathing returning to normal. "It's not even noon yet – how are you going to keep the chicken warm until it is time to eat it?"
"Is that all?" I laughed as a feeling of relief washed over me. I had expected her to come with awful news, not to ask how I planned on preparing the chicken.
"Well it's important," she said huffily as she placed her hands on her hips. "You don't want to serve her cold chicken now do you?"
"Don't worry," I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I have everything taken care of. There is a small rotisserie in the kitchen at home. I'm simply going to pack it up and bring it with us. I'll build a fire wherever we have the picnic and we can warm it up. Really Elise, I'm not that simpleminded."
"Yes, well…I wanted to be sure," she replied sheepishly.
"Raoul? Is that you?" I heard a far too familiar voice behind me say.
I turned around to see Christine standing behind me.
"Christine, hello," I said, somewhat surprised to see her. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Elise giving me a bewildered look.
"Is everything all right? I was leaving the dress shop when I heard someone calling your name," Christine said, eyeing Elise.
"Yes, everything is fine," I replied. After an uncomfortably long pause, I broke the silence by introducing the two women. "Please excuse my manners. Elise, this is Christine. Christine this is Elise."
The two ladies smiled politely at each other, and Elise gently nudged me in the ribs. I nodded softly. She wanted to know if this was the Christine I had been "obsessed" with.
"I suppose if everything is all right I should be on my way," Christine said awkwardly after another moment of silence.
"Me too, Madame Giry will have my head if I'm late for practice," Elise said quickly.
"Madame Giry? Are you a dancer at the opera? How come I have not seen you before?" Christine asked curiously as she carefully studied my friend.
"I am new at the opera. I am not officially part of the corps yet, I'm on trial for the time being. Anyway I really must be going. It was nice to meet you, Christine. Raoul, good luck," she said turning toward me and giving my arm a quick squeeze.
"Goodbye Elise, I will see you tomorrow," I replied with a smile.
"Elise wait, I am going to the opera. Perhaps you would like to ride with me; it would be much more efficient than traveling by foot," Christine offered as she gestured toward a waiting carriage down the street. "I know what the wrath of Madame Giry is like all to well."
"Yes thank you, that would be nice," Elise replied, raising her left eyebrow as she glanced at me.
I shrugged my shoulders slightly and gave her a small wave as she walked toward Christine's carriage.
"Goodbye Raoul," Christine said softly, with the tiniest hint of friendliness in her voice. I could tell she hadn't yet forgiven me, but she was not quite so furious.
"Take care, Christine."
I watched as the ladies climbed into the carriage and headed off toward the opera.
"Interesting," I mumbled under my breath. I shook my head and climbed into my own carriage. What on earth was Christine up to?