"Mother!" Marie exlaimed running into the sitting room.
"Mother, Mother!" She again shouted.
"Marie, my dear child, there is no nees for shouting unless you or someone else is dying and you do not look like you are dying nor does it sound like anyone else is dying. Now, darling, what is it you have to say?" Mrs. Lacrouis said looking up from her needle-point, used to these types of outbursts.
"But, Mother! I am about to die!" Marie gasped, out of breathe from bursting into the living room.
"I highly doubt that," Mrs. Lacrouis said. By then Marie had the attention of all in the sitting room. Even Georgiana looked up from her reading, which was usually very hard to do.
"The Blakelys are hosting a ball!" Marie burst from her excitement.
"That's nothing new," Eliza vocalized.
"Let me finish!" ELiza snapped. "The Blakelys are hosting a ball in honour of Lady Blakelys visiting cousin, Mr. Edmound D'Laney. I've heard that he is devilishly handsome!"
"Marie!" Mrs. Lacrouis said shocked, "do not use the term devilishly, it is highly improper"
"Yes, Mother," she replied sheepishly, "but may we go?"
"Well, of course. We have never turned down an invitation." Mrs. Lacrouis said pointedly. Marie squeeked with delight.
"Georgiana, this could be the man for you!" remarked Mrs. Lacrouis.
"Mother!" Georgiana said exasperatedly.
"No, I'm serious you need to find a nice young man." Mrs. Lacrouis continued on.
"First of all, you say that about any new man you hear of, and second, I'm not interested!" Georgiana said firmly.
"Of course she's not interested, Mother, she is still in love with that beautiful young man, Joe," Eliza said cruelly. Tears began to well up in Georgiana's eyes. She was about to say something when Charles, her twin brother, rose to her defense,
"That's none of your business and I'm sure George never thinks about that filthy scoundrel, so you just hush your mouth!" Charles announced. Georgiana managed to give Charles a thankful smile and almost laughed at the shocked expressions that spread across the room. Charles promptly stood up and left the room before anyone could come back to their senses, soon followed by Georgiana, herself.
Mr Lacrouis, who had remained silent since Marie had first burst into the room, plainly said, "You deserved that, Charles was right." And then when back to his reading of the paper. Which caused Jessica and Kathryn, the two youngest children, to burst out laughing, Marie - Eliza, Jessica, and Kathryns older sister - to smirk, and for Eliza and Mrs. Lacrouis to deepen their shocked looks.
* * *
"Charley, wait!" Georgiana called, running to catch up with Charles, using a nickname she had come up with. He stopped and turned around. Once she caught up with him, she looped her arm through his and said,
"Charley, I really appreciate what you said back there. You and James," James being the oldest child of the Lacrouis family, "have always looked out for me," Georgiana thanked him, although not all he had said was completely true, like the fact that she never thought of "him." She shook her head as to get rid of vile memories.
"But apparently not enough. I find myself thinking of that night, at the Ramsey's Annual Spring Ball, seeing him kiss you in the open for everyone to clearly see, and then thinking of the month that followed. Seeing your excitement everytime a carriage passed by and then the pain and disapointment in your eyes when there was no sign of that...that, Charles gropped for the correct term, but found himself unable to come up with one that aptly described Joseph Wright and his inexplicable behavior.
"Shush, let us speak no more of this," Georgiana urged. Tears smarting in her eyes. "Do you know anything of this Mr. D'Laney?" She said desperately trying to change the subject.
"I have heard he is very rich and that he has only one sibling, a sister, Anne-Mary. Who can only be described as a classic beauty," Charles said drifting into deep thought.
"Oh, please do not tell Mother about him being rich it will only increase her want of matchmaking."
"I have no intention of that," Charles answered.
"But what do you know of his character?" She asked, genuinely interested. It had been so long since something new had come about.
The Lacrouis twins usually spent most of their time together or in the company of their older brother, James. Their conversations usually did not dwell on one subject for an extended period of time and they would skip around numerous subjects, speaking of many different things at the same time. It was very confusing that anyone besides James were unable to listen for more than a few minutes without complaining of a headache and taking their leave.
"I have met them both," Charles said plainly.
"What? When?" A stunned Georgiana asked.
"When I went to vist Aunt Beth and Uncle Cassidy. They were at one of the balls I attended,"
"Why did you not mention this before?"
"There was no need to. It would have taken too long to tell all of whom I met when I went to visit Aunt and Uncle."
"Oh, of course. I beg your pardon."
"There's no need of that, I was not annoyed with you, my dear sister. I was just explaining. I apologize if I came across sounding that way," Charles told Georgiana. By then Kathryn was running down the hall desperately trying to catch up with them.
"George, Charley!" Kathryn shouted. Georgiana and Charles both stopped, which nearly caused Kathryn to collide with them at full speed.
"Oh, sorry!" She exclaimed out of breath. "Must we go to the ball? It's always so stuffy in the ballrooms with so many people." Kathryn said matter-of-factly.
"Of course we must, I'm sure Marie has forced Mother to send a note accepting already. So there is nothing we can do," Georgiana reasoned.
"On the night of the ball we could pretend sick," Kathryn said hopefully.
"That would not be right, Kate, and you know that," Charles said grabbing Kathryn by the waist and swinging her in the air teasingly, forcing Kathryn to let out an involuntary squeel.
"It was only a suggestion," Kathryn said abashed.
* * *
At supper the Lacrouis family all sat together. Marie and Jessica chattered excitedly about the ball, that was to be hosted in a fortnight.
"We must get new dresses!" Marie insisted.
"There is no need for new dresses. You have plenty that you have never worn," Mr. Lacrouis stated.
"But Father. we must look our best," Jessica protested.
"What about that blue dress you begged me for last week, saying 'it was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen' and that you were 'in love with it'?" Mr. Lacrouis pointed out. Jessica gave a little sigh of desperation.
"He has you there, Jessie," Marie laughed.
"And as for you, young lady, remeber that green silk dress you said you would die for?" Marie gaped at her fathers words and then quickly closed her mouth.
"Oh, darling. Don't you think you are being a little harsh?" Mrs. Larouis said coming to the girls defenses.
"No, I don't! Do you believe I am made of money? Poor Georgiana hasn't had a new dress in over a year!"
"That's quite alright, Father, I have no need for any new dresses," Georgiana insisted. Eliza looked about ready to give a smart reply but the words promptly died on her lips when she saw the way James and Charles were staring at her.
"George, I shall take you town tomorrow and buy you the most beautiful dress anyone has ever seen," James cut in.
"I don't want a new dress!"
"Nonesense, it's high time. You will outshine everyone at the Blakely's Ball!"
"But, I don't want to outshine anybody," Georgiana said defientely.
"We will have no more talk of this. It is settled I am buying you a new dress," James declared in a tone there was no use in arguing with. There was silence for a few moments, for nobody had anything to say.
"Well," Georgiana broke the silence, "if I am to have a new dress, should not Eliza and Kate have one also? For they have not had new dresses in quite some time and heaven knows how much they hate wearing our old ones! Why not buy them new dresses in my stead?" Georgiana first glanced at James, and then to her Father.
"I agree, Eliza and Kate have not had new dresses for some time, but that is no reason for you, George, not also to have a new dress. They shall come with us tomorrow and shall each have one new dress," James decreed.
"Oh, thank you, James!" Eliza exclaimed.
"I hate dresses!" Kathryn muttered.
"What sensible young lady hates dresses?" Mrs. Lacrouis replied shocked.
"I would rather wear riding pants all day long!" Kathryn said matter-of-factly, adding to her mothers shock. Mrs. Lacrouis could not find her voice. Georgiana and Charles had to control themselves, for fear of bursting from laughter. James, on the other hand, did not control his, instead he let out a thunderous roar of laughter, which then caused the twins to release theirs.
"Unfortunately, my dear sister, that is not an option," James said once he was able to find his voice.
"You have no more nice dresses, you are always ruining them, wearing them outside on your walks with Georgiana. I do not believ she deserves a new dress," said Marie.
"Kathryn, you will pick out a new dress tomorrow and I will keep it for you until the night of the ball," Mrs. Lacrouis said trying to take the room under control again. She always made it a point of calling them by their christened names, in the stead of the shortened ones they came up with. (to be continued)
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