Alice's Love

The Party Part 1

James took in a deep breath; he adjusted his cufflinks and took one final look in the mirror. He was wearing a deep blue coat with lighter blue epaulettes, cuffs, and belt with pristine white trousers, and shining black shoes. It was the day of Margaret's party and he felt like he could face the world. James smiled confidently at his reflection before his eyes took a glance at the clock sitting on his desk. It was almost six; Alice and her mother would be here any minute. He was heading out of his room as he heard a knock at the front door.

"Coming, coming!" James called out, briskly going down the stairs.

He fixed his hair one more time and put on his overcoat before opening the door to see Alice standing before him. She was wearing a white cloak over her dress and her short hair was styled to add a touch of elegance. She smiled at him; he smiled back.

"Hello, James." She greeted.

"Evening, Alice." James greeted back. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." Alice said. "Ready to go?"

"As I'll ever be... even though it's a little unorthodox for the lady to pick up the gentleman when going to a social gathering."

"Indeed, but you know me. I'm all about unorthodox thinking."

"That you are."

They shared a laugh before they climbed into the waiting carriage. During the long ride, Alice and James talked about their childhoods and events that happened in their lives; Helen just sat in silence with a smile on her face, not wanting to interfere. When they arrived at Margaret and Lowell's house, James was slightly taken aback; he wasn't expecting the house to be so large. It was nowhere near as big as the Ascot manor, but this was probably a close second... almost.

"So... this is where Margaret lives?" James asked.

"It is. Now come on; she and her husband are waiting." Helen said as the carriage door opened.

James was the first to emerge from the carriage, then Alice and her mother. The moment they stepped inside, their coats were whisked away by a trio of servants. The moment their coats had come off, James could now see the dress Alice was wearing. She was wearing a beautiful dress in various shades of blue; it had short lace sleeves and turquoise accents. In his eyes, she looked stunning.

"Is everything alright, James?" Alice asked, turning her head in his direction. She cocked an eyebrow.

"I-I-I-I-I, uh..." James stuttered; he couldn't find the right words.

"Come on, you two. Margaret is waiting for us." Helen said as she pushed the pair along; she was wearing an emerald green dress with golden yellow accents.

"Emerald green silk, mother?" Alice asked in a playful tone.

"If it's good enough for the Asian elites, it should be just fine for Margaret and Lowell." Helen replied.

"A bold choice."

"Thank you, dear."

"Learning to be more headstrong?"

"As you would say, dear... it's just more fun that way."

They shared a laugh. The three of them walked through the halls until they entered an extravagant ballroom filled to the brim with guests. They were all dressed in various bright colors... which Alice liked very much.

"Mother! Alice!" A new voice exclaimed.

Alice turned her head to see her older sister Margaret coming towards her with a big smile on her face.

"Oh, Margaret!" Helen cried as she hugged her eldest daughter.

"It's so good to see you!" Margaret said, hugging her little sister.

"Good to see you too." Alice greeted.

Margaret then noticed James and her smile grew even wider. She looked at Alice and nearly gasped with glee.

"And you brought a boy!" She declared.

"Uh... hello." James awkwardly greeted.

"So, are you going to introduce me or not?"

"My name is James, James Harcourt." The young man said, holding out his hand to Margaret. She smiled and gladly shook it.

"He works for me and mother." Alice chimed in.

"I see. Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, James." Margaret said.

"Grandmamma! Auntie Alice!" A young voice exclaimed.

Alice and Helen looked to see Lowell approach them with two small children in tow; one was a boy with deep blonde hair and wearing a green coat and the other was a girl with curly brown hair and wearing a yellowish green dress. They both looked to be no older than two or three years old.

"Daniel, Bridget!" Alice kneeled down and gave her nephew and niece a big hug.

"There are my favorite grandchildren!" Helen beamed; Bridget and Daniel grinned and hugged her.

"We've missed you so much!" Bridget cried.

"Where were you?" Daniel asked.

"Daniel, Bridget, that's not very polite." Lowell gently scolded.

"Oh, it's fine." Helen said, standing up.

Lowell then turned his attention to James; he reluctantly offered his hand. "Hello. I'm Lowell, Margaret's husband. And you are?"

"James Harcourt. A pleasure." James shook his hand.

"Alright, that's enough introductions. It's time for our little cotillion to begin." Margaret announced.

"Yay!" Daniel and Bridget cheered before music began to play.

At that moment, the other guests began to dance, a happy, upbeat, and jubilant foxtrot. The men took the women into their embraces, and the couples twirled and spun across the floor in perfect synchronization. The ladies' bright beautiful dresses brought color to the event, and the handsome smiles of the gentlemen brightened the room. Alice quietly watched as Margaret and Lowell made their way to the dance floor to join in the festivities; a smile crept onto her lips.

"Um, would you like to join them?" James's voice asked.

She turned to see James standing next to her with a shy smile on his face; she had almost forgotten he was there.

"Pardon?" She asked.

"I mean, um... would you... care for a dance, Alice?" He offered his hand to her.

Her eyes slightly widened in surprise; was her most loyal employee really asking her to dance with him? She then saw that his shy expression had turned into a hopeful look. He WAS asking her to dance. She turned to Helen, who smiled and nodded her head in approval. After a moment, Alice smiled and gladly took his hand.

"I'd like that very much." She said before they walked out onto the dance floor.

Margaret quickly took notice and she gestured to the band to start playing a more romantic song; the conductor nodded at her and music started to play. Alice and James noticed the change of mood and their faces turned bright red in embarrassment, but after a moment, they started to move along with the rhythm of the music. As they started getting more and more into it, a few other guests had moved out of their way to make more room. But they either didn't realize it or they didn't care; James and Alice continued to dance, smiling at each other all the while.

Then the music slowly faded, and Alice and James slowed along with it. At the final note, James bowed to her while Alice gave him a curtsy and everyone clapped their hands in applause.