Sarah's Roses, Book I: Roses of Blue

Chapter XII

Chapter XII

“Sarah, You will not fall flat on your face. Your first ball will be a total success.” I tried my best to convince myself. I sat in front of the dressing table, gazing at my reflection while Elsie fixed my hair. I had on a beautiful dress, it was a pale blue color and covered in fancy lace. The dress was very fashionable, and the silk swished with ease. It was truly a beautiful gown, a girl’s first coming out gown must be beautiful. Elsie was busy stringing star flowers in my hair. The tiny flowers looked lovely in my golden hair, even I had to admit it. There was a silver chain with a diamond pendant around my neck and silver earrings in my ears and I had just adjusted my ring and fixed my bracelet. Outwardly I looked perfect, now I just had to act accordingly. Elsie finished her work and gazed at me with great satisfaction. There were several other girls in my room, all getting dressed up for the ball as well. Among them was Priscilla Melissa Thompson. I had so not wanted to invite her to my ball, but I really didn’t have a choice. Aunt Helen would have never heard of the Thompsons not coming, so the invitation had been sent and of course they had accepted.

“Are you nervous, Sarah?” Prissy waltzed up to me and asked in a patronizing voice. Prissy was a year older than me and had had her début last year. I had not attended but knew it had been a great success. She had grown to be quite a beauty. With dark brown locks, captivating eyes, and a graceful figure, she easily turned the eyes of men. Too bad her voice was a little too shrill for my liking, if only she would tone it down just an octave or two, maybe it wouldn't bug me as much as it did. I wondered if her suitors found her voice as annoying as I did.

“I guess I'm a little nervous,” I answered her question. She looked me up and down with a critical eye.

“You do look the quite the part,” she said in a knowing tone; a tone that made my blood boil! “You’re features are sort of…well…wanting, but you’ve obviously done the best that you could do with your face and figure…”

“Prissy, if I want your opinion, I’ll ask for it,” I snapped at her. Prissy turned her nose up at me and sauntered away.

“Don’t listen to Prissy, Sarah,” Clara Grey, one of my guest, walked over to me and said in a low tone. “She’s frightfully jealous of you. You are about to become serious competition to her, and she’s afraid that you might take some of her suitors away.”

I smirked. Not a very ladylike thing to do, but I couldn’t help myself. Priscilla guarded her suitors and her popularity like a tigress and she constantly tried to stamp out any and all competition. Prissy was so vain and so in love with herself that most other girls weren't friends with her and avoided her company.

“Honestly, Sarah, you will be the belle of the ball tonight,” Jessica Earl glided over to me. “Just look at your lovely dress and your hair.” The rest of the girls crowded around me, praising my hairstyle and my clothes and everything else about me. It was a promising start!

The ball had already begun but I still hung about in my room. I wanted to go down, I wanted to see if any of the young men would admire me and ask me to dance, but that fear, that fear of being discovered, the fear of not being accepted, the fear of not being good enough, it clung to me and refused to let me go. A knock on the door told me that probably someone had come to look for me.

“Who is it?” I called

“Uncle Andrew.”

“Come in, Uncle.”

“It’s Sarah’s début and she is hiding in her room,” He said as he came in. “Where is the belle of our ball! Why aren’t you out there?”

“I don’t know Uncle, I guess I’m a little afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

“Of being…well…discovered.”