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The day of the ball comes, and I see the sun rise from the top of some low hills near the edge of our valley. The swallowtails do emerge, and I spend much of the day observing and sketching them. Afternoon comes too quickly, and with it, dark gray clouds. Whoops! Too late! I hurry home to get ready! I get caught in the rain the gray clouds bring with them. Not a big problem: I will change to a new set of field clothes, then head for the ball. I'll be a little late, but I will still be in the range of what's fashionably late.
Well... I thought that's what would happen. But when I get home Allura is still there, and she's furious!
"There you are! Where were you! How could you be so late! We'll be terribly late by the time you get dressed! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
"It's OK!" I yell back, "I'll be wearing these clothes. I'll be ready in ten minutes! Call the carriage. I'll be ready when it gets out front."
She looks at me like I'm a monster! "Going in those clothes? Are you insane? This a ball, my dear, not a peasant picnic!"
"It's a costume ball, and I'm going as a huntress." I retort.
She looks at me for a moment and I could see fear in her eyes. Then, a plan came into her head and she looked calm, and I didn't have to wait long to find out what the plan was....
"Jimmykins, please tie up 'Miss Huntress', here, and lock her in her room."
"What?" before I realized what I had heard, Allura's servant, Jimmykins, had moved behind me and pinned my arms. Jimmykins was muscular and had a very clean, very handsome face, but he was not particularly attractive, or manly, in my eyes. Like Allura, he worked way too hard to get looking the way he did. But, I now got to experience that he was as strong as those muscled arms looked, his massive hands pulled my arms behind me with little effort on his part, and he lead me off to my room. There, he tied me to my bed using some of my clothes, then he left and locked the door behind him. I complained a lot that he was tying me too tightly, and he listened, so I got loose almost as soon as he left. But... how was I going to get to the ball!
I was still changing into suitable clean huntress clothes when I heard the carriage come up, then drive off, and the rain was still pouring down outside.
How to get out? I could climb out the window... it wouldn't be the first time. But it was raining and I was going to a ball.... I laughed. There were always Plans B and C: Young ladies aren't supposed to know how to pick locks, or keep spare keys in their rooms, but then young ladies aren't supposed to be scientists, either, are they? I unlocked the door and walked out, and I rode my horse to the ball.
When I arrived at the ball I was flush with excitement! I'd just seen the swallowtails emerging, and I'd just outwitted my effete step-mother-to-be. I was bubbly, and it must have showed. I talked with lots of people and lots of people talked with me. And... one of those people was... The Baron! I got to meet Baron Rostov face-to-face! Not only that, but we started talking about plants and nature, and my father was right! He loved it!
We danced, and talked, and walked around the garden, and talked, and danced some more. At one point I saw Allura, and she looked shocked to see me. I noticed she wasn't with daddy. At another point, I saw a wonderful entertainer. His name was Gunther, and his singing and dancing was so funny! It wasn't just me, everyone was enjoying him.
The party was winding down when the Baron said, "I hope to see you again soon, Amoletta. I really mean that. This has been so enjoyable! Will that happen? Will I see you again?"
"...Yes." I smiled and put my hand on his cheek. He took it and kissed it.
I rode home with my father, and I was even bubblier!
"Sounds like we are likely to get an invite to his next party." my father smiled. I smiled, too, and hugged him.
Just then, Allura's carriage passed us on the way home. She was sitting inside, staring straight ahead, mind somewhere else. It made me think, and I asked my father, "Daddy, if I can ask, what do you see in Allura?"
My father hugged me, "Oh, she makes me feel very good." he said, "It didn't happen right away." he laughed, "The first two times we met I didn't even remember her. She was dressed like any other Venetian Grande Dame -- rich old lady -- maybe worse than most because she sure puts on a lot of stuff, doesn't she! But she was insistent, and said she really enjoyed my stories. Then at dinner the third time we met, I saw her in a different light, and the rest is history... or soon will be." he hugged me again.
"You know, she tried to keep me from coming tonight... said I wasn't dressed right."
I expected more of a response, but all my father did was hug me again and say in a somewhat distant way, "... She's a fine woman."
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