The Jane Effect

By Angel of Death

Part 6: An equal balance of two worlds.

The carriage was only used on special occasions. Which meant, Patch, the Greenly family's old horse, spent his life in leisure. Now, at the reigns of Mr. Greenly, he looked beyond years with his shaggy brown fur and his glassy black eyes. By the way he stood, on his wobbly four legs, he looked worn out.

Smiles wide on their faces, Mrs. Greenly and Maxine climbed into the carriage, with Daniel and Elizabeth trailing behind. Once everyone was settled into a seat, the carriage began trotting along the dirt road. Patch neighed in the misty air, unwillingly moving through the coming night.

"Daniel, where exactly is this ball?" Maxine asked, softly.

"Only father knows, and I'd like to keep it that way," Daniel replied, smiling.

Elizabeth heard her mother's sudden intake of breath. The suspense was killing her inside and out. Knowing her mother for quite some time, Elizabeth knew she hoped that the family was of acceptable rank and that they were as grand as Daniel painted them to be.

The sun was now sinking into the clouds, giving birth to different cadences of blue. Elizabeth watched as the day met the night, greeting each other with such polite smiles. In her hands, the jewels on her mask glittered, setting the walls of the carriage on fire.

"Elizabeth, darling, I forgot to ask you, but where on Earth did you merit such a beautiful dress?" Mrs. Greenly asked, touching Elizabeth's knee.

Elizabeth smiled primly to herself. It was much like her mother to get so caught up in the moment that she wouldn't be able to pay any attention to her.

"William," she retorted, flatly.

"My, he is going to make an amiable husband for you. If you ask me, I think it is about time you've settled down. Oh, the honor you'll bring to this family," Mrs. Greenly exclaimed, leaning over and kissing Elizabeth on her forehead.

The kiss stung like a bee's stinger piercing your skin. Tears welled up in Elizabeth's eyes. She knew that marrying William was so that she could be well off but the fact that her own mother would disclose her happiness for honor was despicable.

"So my happiness means nothing to you," Elizabeth stated, wiping away the silent tears.

Awe spread across Mrs. Greenly's face. She never thought she could ever do such a thing. Elizabeth could tell that she was a blindfolded member of the game that she faithfully played.

"Lizzie, of course I care that you are happy. Why else would I go through such measures in finding you the perfect husband? Please dear, stop with the nonsensical acquisitions," Mrs. Greenly replied, frowning.

"I have every right to accuse you of being an oppressor to the very things that makes me happy," Elizabeth countered, angrily.

The carriage pulled to a dead halt. Eyes burning with anger, Elizabeth glanced out the window to find that they were in front of the Garrison's manor at the bottom of the hill. It was large, covering almost twenty acres of land. The pillars were white and bordering the house's grounds were plants of countless variety. Butterflies twirled in the fading sun, disappearing as the stars began to consume the clouds. Crickets murmured in the lake, which shimmered in the moon's shadow.

Mr. Greenly hopped off of the front of the carriage, circled around to the side and opened the door. Elizabeth, steaming with fury, pushed her way out first. Mr. Greenly took her hand and helped her land on the cobblestoned path.

Up ahead, the mansion sat, lit by yellow lights that danced inside. Through the curtains that were open, Elizabeth could see that people were already dancing. Masks floated in the music, veiling the faces of so many unfamiliar people. Elizabeth put her own mask on, and waltzed up the path, towards the house. Daniel appeared beside her, mocking her angry pace.

"Beth, you can not go in there as ruffled as you are. Please, for me, smile. I promise you, that mother's ways will not perturb you any longer," Daniel said, stepping in Elizabeth's way.

"How can you assure that? I've been prey to her needs and her ideal ways of living my entire life. She doesn't love me like she loves Maxine. Daniel, I..." Elizabeth snapped, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Daniel took his sister into his arms, and held her until the quiet sobs died. Elizabeth erected her posture, then smiled lightly at her brother. She was happy she had someone like Daniel in her life. Without him, she probably would be in worse shape.

"May I have the honor of having your first dance, milady?" Daniel asked, holding back a grin.

"Yes you may, kind sir," Elizabeth replied, laughing.

Elizabeth took her brother's hand once more and let him lead her up the steps into the manor. It was amazing. The steps were embroidered with magnificent lights and people with the most exquisite dresses and suits danced to the sounds of a quartet of violins. A woman was greeting everyone as they came through the door. Daniel pulled Elizabeth towards her, and then bowed his head.

"Lady Cassandra, you remember me, Daniel Greenly, from town earlier today," Daniel said, removing his mask.

The woman was quite young, she looked to be in her late twenties. Her raven hair was plaited into a unique style which was pinned by emerald berets. Behind her beautiful green mask, two brown eyes sat. When she curtsied, her dress fell around her in a complete circle. Elizabeth had only seen these kind of dresses on the women in London.

"Yes, I could never forget an agreeable man such as yourself," Lady Cassandra replied,"Tell me, who is the young woman you have before me?"

"Oh, this is my little sister, Elizabeth," Daniel retorted, smiling.

Without warning, Lady Cassandra placed her hands on either side of Elizabeth's face. Her fingers were warm, as if they sat by a fireplace for all their life. Elizabeth closed her eyes, as she felt her mask being lifted from her face. When she opened them, Lady Cassandra was staring at her.

"My, you are absolutely beautiful," Lady Cassandra exclaimed, softly.

"Thank you, your ladyship," Elizabeth said, blushing profusely.

"Oh and the color to her cheeks is exquisite. You must, before you leave, have my brother paint you a portrait," she continued.

"Yes, milady." Elizabeth retorted, curtsying.

"Please, call me Cassandra. It was a pleasure meeting you," Elizabeth watched as Lady Cassandra disappeared into the forming crowd. It seemed as if everyone from Pennington was there. The Becketts and the Petersons were there, mingling with a handsome group of people. Hatty Beckett, Judge Timothy's eldest daughter was innocently flirting with a man with short curly black hair and deep brown eyes. He seemed to be polite, but as Hatty continuously batted her eyelashes and laughed coyly, Elizabeth could tell that he wasn't quite enjoying himself. His mask twitched as he nodded, and bowed his head. The mask was identical to Daniel's. If Elizabeth wasn't mistaken, this was one of the mysterious members of the highly agreeable Garrison family.

"That is Andrew Garrison, Lady Cassandra's brother. Shall I introduce you to him?" Before Elizabeth could answer, Daniel took her hand and led her through the flock of characters. There were millions of beautifully designed masks. Some looked like they were hand crafted in places like Paris or Singapore. As her eyes met the unfamiliar faces of all of the exquisitely dressed strangers, Elizabeth found that many were returning her gaze. Couples stopped dancing as she passed by, her hand tightly secured in Daniel's.

Embarrassed by all of the attention, she returned her focus on the path in front of her. They were almost inches away from Hatty and Andrew. When Hatty saw Elizabeth, her eyes became like moons. Wide and bright.

It wasn't often that you could find her and Elizabeth on a good note. Each time they passed each other in town, they'd look the other way. Growing up together, Hatty would sometimes proclaim that she would marry someone rich and handsome because she would be his equivalent. With her corn silk blond hair and plain features, no man would ever speak to her unless they were being polite.

"Elizabeth, you look lovely," Miss Beckett said, flatly.

"Why thank you," Elizabeth replied, smiling.

There was a moment of silence. Andrew was staring at her, his eyes twinkling like stars in the sky. The shade of his irises were both dark and light at the same time. An equal balance of two worlds. As Elizabeth stared back, she wanted so much to run away but she remained a victim to the beauty that stood before her.

"Andrew, this is my sister Elizabeth...Elizabeth this is..." Daniel started, gesturing between the two of them.

Andrew gently took her right hand and pressed it to his lips. It was a soft kiss but then again it was filled with a passion that could sail the seas on love alone. Enticed by the gesture, Elizabeth blinked profusely, trying to regain her train of thought.

"How...do you...do?" she stammered.

"I feel as if I've seen an Angel," he replied, releasing her hand.

Realizing that she didn't have her mask, her cheeks flushed yet again.

"Yes, she is quite a delicate creature. Too bad she's been coveted by Mr. Harvey," Hatty chimed up, smiling sheepishly.

"Oh, I am sorry...I meant that you'd be a great model for a painting. If you don't mind, Mrs. Harvey," Andrew said, stepping back.

Anger surged through Elizabeth's veins. If she could, she'd drop Hatty and her mother into an ocean. Although it was probably known to everyone around Pennington that she was promised to Mr. William Harvey, Elizabeth often felt that the secret they shared would excuse her moment of pleasure when Andrew took her hand into his. She was very much attracted to him, and the thought of having her portrait painted by him was flattering.

"Actually, Lady Cassandra advised that you should paint my portrait," Elizabeth said, softly.

"So is that a yes then?" Andrew asked, his face lighting up.

"Yes, I believe it is." she replied, nodding. And at that moment everything seemed to have been going the way Elizabeth wanted for once in her life.