Isabella's Choice (The Choice Series, Book 1)

Chapter 5

The ballroom was filled with people and it was always peculiar to see many separate events that were happening within that mist of everything. The space was divided by each of their desires and goals. To what seemed like a harmonious event could be so fragmented and people were so close, yet, they were isolated. Isabella had concluded her observation by these terms already and she was bored by the facts.

However, things became slightly different now because this year she found Mr Lockwood - the man who found her gaze and danced with her. It was their third round of dance but they didn't care about the techniques anymore. They simply held each other in arms and talked, with beautiful background music, they talked and talked.

Now, if we moved from the centre to another corner which had the wall door attached, you could see Lady Elizabeth carefully hid behind the crowds and quickly opened the door, slid in skillfully (as if she had been doing this all the time) and Charles (the gifted pianist) followed in fifteen minutes afterwards.

Through the inner world of Harenton Hall, Elizabeth moved her way to the back door which led to the garden. She walked quickly into the maze of rose shrubs and waited for her someone. After a few moments, she saw the man rushing to her. The figure from blur to clear to Charles!

"Ah, Charles! Charles!" Elizabeth didn't wait any longer but ran to him and gave him a tight affectionate embrace.

"Lizzie," he breathed rapidly while catching his breath from the running, he gasped, "my dear Lizzie."

In the darkness of night, they didn't think about class or rules or families or titles. That moment was quiet and soft, accompanied by sounds from night creatures and the rhythm of their breathing.

Charles held her hands, wrapped around them carefully, he asked, "Did anyone see you?"

"I was rather careful. The servants were too busy in the hall serving. I walked to the back door straight away. No one was there. What about you, dear?"

"It's fine. Nobody would question a performer passing by the servant secret route." he teased lightly and saw the annoyance in her eyes.

"Oh, Charles, don't talk like this. It's difficult enough for us to meet each other. Let's cherish the moment with cheer thoughts and words."

He looked at Elizabeth and he felt utmost apologetic, though he shouldn't be, that he condemned his birth. He condemned himself for being born to a class below her, so below her, that caused their romance deemed to be impossible since the beginning of their life course.

"Charles, I hope you didn't wait for me so long that night. I was detained by Mrs Fairfax. I hope you didn't wait for an entire night, did you?"

"Unfortunately, Lizzie, I did," he sighed, "but I presumed you were caught by some troubles. I was passing by the gate, not waiting for you, I was imagining. I imagined the day I don't need to hide to see you. I pictured our future in that house, Lizzie, our children and you in that house. Did you try, my Lizzie bird, to reveal our romance with his lordship and ladyship?"

Elizabeth didn't know whether it was because the wind at night was always colder or that her heart found the world too cruel, she ignored the sudden chill and replied reasonably carried by an artificial calmness, "Charles, please don't find it upsetting, but I simply don't know what to do."

"You haven't told them, have you?" his smile dropped with his tone.

"Charles, please don't look at me like that, please, dear, I am as devastated as you are! I tricked mama that my beau is Baron Longenton to see how she might respond. However, she received it terribly and denied him completely. Mama didn't use horrible words but she explained to me why she found it unacceptable. A rather logical aspect, I suppose, and I understand. But I want to marry for love, not for -"

"Lizzie, I understand it completely. I don't have any chance at all! Baron Longenton, though has a difficult financial situation, is of noble blood after all. And I? I have neither financial power nor a respectful title!" he pushed her hands away and walked and turned to the next corner of the garden maze. Elizabeth followed him behind.

"Don't say that, Charles! Please, don't say that! You have what we all don't have, Charles. You have talents, incredible God-gifted talents!" she hugged him from behind and leaned her head on his shoulder tenderly and whispered, "and, most of all, you have my heart. Laugh at me if you like but my words are true. And you know I never say words like these."

Charles turned to her and held her hands. His warm fingers formed a contrast with her skin which was cooled by the night breeze. He took off his blazer and wrapped it around her shoulders. It was until now that he realised the fabric of her dress was too thin for November.

"Lizzie, I have nothing but music. Do you trust me?"

"Yes, I do." Her reply was not adorned with fancy adjectives or complicated structures. It was naked and bare which stood before his face blushfully and found its way to his heart through his gaze.

He clasped his lips with hers and she answered with equal passion.

***

People in the ballroom gathered around the piano. To the performer of the night, some of the audiences looked at his exquisite countenance, some of them looked intently at his fingers and studied his techniques, some of them didn't look at all but chose to close their eyes (because they found them too distracting) and listened to his music, and some of them didn't listen and didn't look but made use of the opportunity to chat and to ask questions (quietly, of course).

Lady Marchwood was one of the final group of people. She turned to Lizzie and so roughly cut her enjoyment toward Charles's performance in half. "Lizzie, where were you just then? I couldn't find you anywhere. The elder son of Earl Blakeford was asking for you."

"Ah, mama, I'm so very sorry. I felt stuffy in the room so I took some walk in the garden." she kept her composure with a deceiving relaxation.

"All alone?"

"Yes, mama"

"Lizzie, a lady should never do such a thing!" she criticised in a low voice, "you should know better than your sister!"

"I apologise, mama"

"Oh, Lizzie!" Lady Marchwood exclaimed in her low voice. She looked at Elizabeth and her expression was too dramatic for the matter she had discovered. "Your lips colour, Lizzie! It's smudged. Go, go quickly to fix it. Oh, darling, be careful."

Isabella was disturbed by her sister's sudden departure and her being disturbed caused a chain reaction to Mr Lockwood. He, too, looked at the direction Isabella was staring at.

Isabella didn't realise but when she caught sight of Elizabeth walking away with her hand elegantly covering her mouth, at this split second which Isabella's eyes vaguely looked and her brows knitted and her complexion changed, she became a curiosity in Mr Lockwood's eyes and he found her charmingly handsome.