A/N: I am SOOOO sorry for the delay! I have had no time to write anything recently! Anyway, I just want to thank AngeliqueBouchard1972, OutTheRulz, ms rosey cheeks, sureves96, dionne dance and lina love for reviewing/following/favouriting my story!

Saturday came quickly and soon all the servants were rushing around, sorting out starters, meat courses and delicious-looking puddings. Angelique was permitted to watch what was going on as long as she didn't get in the way of the other servants and Lucille was keeping a very close eye on her. The young girl didn't dare take a step out of line with her mother watching her, but she knew that eventually it would get so busy that the housekeeper wouldn't even realise that she had gone. She couldn't wait to see all the beautiful women in their gorgeous gowns!

It didn't take long before Lucille was hurrying everywhere and had stopped watching her daughter so closely. Angelique took her chance, slipping away out of the door behind one of the older maids. No one seemed to notice her as she hurried through the corridors, finding her way to the doorway that Barnabas had shown her a few nights before.

She knelt down and peered through the keyhole. It was exactly like she had imagined. Dozens of women dancing around the ballroom wore beautiful silk gowns of nearly every colour imaginable, the skirts billowing around them as they turned and waltzed around the room with their partners. Their hair was done up in extravagant styles, many with ribbon and beads threaded through to match their dress and around their necks lay silver and gold chains covered in expensive looking precious stones. Angelique had never seen anything so wonderful!

Turning her gaze to the room, she realised that it looked completely different from when she'd seen it last. The huge, glittering chandelier was now lit up, casting warm beams of light everywhere, and everything that could possibly be decorated was hung with wreaths and garlands. There was a large table down one wall filled with drinks and small canapés that she had just watched Martha and the kitchen staff make. Her mother was there, flittering over the maids refilling the plates before quickly shooing them back down to the kitchens, determined not to let any of them have a sneaky look at what was going on. It was quite fascinating to the young girl. She had never seen her mother at work before, having forever been up in their attic room or, more recently, helping Martha in the kitchens.

She looked around for Barnabas, the boy for who all this was being held in honour of. And there he was, standing with his mother and father, looking very bored. His parents were both speaking to a stern-looking man with a monocle and it seemed that poor Barnabas was being made to listen in. The young girl watched as Joshua Collins slipped an arm round his son's shoulders and looked down at him, smiling as he spoke. Barnabas smiled at the stranger, but Angelique could tell that it wasn't a genuine one.

The next thing he did made the young girl jump, as he suddenly turned his head in her direction and his warm, brown eyes seemed to collide with her own blue ones. She tore her gaze away and sat down with her back to the keyhole. If he kept that up, someone could notice! She couldn't risk being found! Tentatively, she knelt back up to look through the keyhole again. Barnabas wasn't with his parents. Neither was the strange man with the monocle for that fact. She gazed around, trying to spot him, but there were just too many people, and Barnabas was only small, he could have easily been hidden behind the ladies' skirts somewhere.

Sighing, Angelique was ready to give up and go back to the kitchens before her mother realised she was gone. However, just as she was about to move, she heard someone coming. Stumbling to stand up, the young girl was all ready to make apologies, except, when the person came into view, it wasn't another maid; it was Barnabas! No wonder she hadn't seen him in the ballroom, he hadn't been in there!

"Angelique, do you like it?" was the first thing that the young boy asked her. "The room looks so very different, doesn't it?"

"Yes! It's lovely, and this door gives me a good view. I don't know how to thank you for showing it to me."

"You don't have to," Barnabas replied. "It's what friends do for each other."

Angelique couldn't help but break into a smile at the young boy's words. Finally, after six years, she had someone who was happy to call her a friend!

"I wouldn't know, you're the first friend I've ever had."

"Well, I haven't had many… Father doesn't like me to socialise with anyone below our standing and there aren't any other such families near us that have boys my age. All the girls are so prissy and all they care about is their hair and dresses! It's so boring!"

"I'm not like that, am I?" Angelique asked cautiously. He had said all girls.

"No, no, of course not!" Barnabas replied instantly. "You're the most interesting girl I've ever met. None of the girls at the ball could compare to you with their ridiculous clothes and hairstyles. It makes them look so silly because the outfits are more suited to someone older than them!"

Angelique's cheeks had flushed a bright red at his words. He had just told her that she was prettier than those girls in the beautiful dresses! Her; a servant girl, prettier than rich upper class girls!

"You surely can't mean that, Barnabas? I'm just a plain servant! I am not in any way prettier than those girls!" Angelique protested.

"I do mean it! Trust me, when you get up close, they're not pretty at all! It's just because their mothers' have powdered their faces to cover any blemishes. You can actually see the layer of powder when you get close!"

"Really?" Angelique was shocked. She always assumed that the upper class were born with natural beauty. "But I'm sure they have more manners than me!"

"They may have more manners, but trust me when I say this only makes them dull! They won't play for fear of getting their dresses dirty and they never laugh! I just don't understand them, and I don't know why Mother and Father want me to marry one of them when I'm older!"

Angelique let out a giggle. "I can't imagine you marrying someone like what you described those girls as. Perhaps you'll change your mind as you grow up?"

"Or maybe I'll just ignore father and marry someone of lower class. I'd much rather have someone I love with no money than someone I hate with lots of money."

The young girl's heart fluttered. Was he talking about her? Would he actually defy his father and marry her?

Suddenly, the clock chimed, making Angelique jump. It was time for her to go. Her mother would soon realise she was gone.

"Barnabas, I'm sorry, but I have to go. My mother will be looking for me, and she won't ever let me out her sight again if she finds out where I've been!" she told him, sighing.

Barnabas shrugged. "Mother and Father are probably looking for me anyway. I'm the reason this ball was held after all! I'll see you on Thursday?"

"Yes, if I can get away. If there's a problem, I'll send down Sèraphine."

"Okay, well goodnight then."

"Goodnight," the young girl smiled. "Oh, and Barnabas?" He turned back. "Thank you, for showing me this spot. I've had a wonderful night."

"You're welcome–"

However, he didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as Angelique reached up and placed a soft kiss on his cheek before running back down the hallway, mentally cursing herself for her rashness in kissing him.