Old times with old love

"And I am feeling better," Elizabeth added, "one more sleepping spell would set me right."

She smiled to Gregory who returned it. He quickly left the room and Elizabeth fell asleep, the thoughts of the ball in her head and she smiled.

Isabelle

I waited impatiently for Gregory to return and then asked for tea to be served in the parlour.

"Will your brother and miss Abigail be joining us?" Gregory asked.

"No, I don't think they will. They ate some time ago, before you returned," I answered. And then the subject turned to that of the ball. Gregory inquired as to the time and I told him that it was to begin at seven but we were permitted to arrive at any time we wished.

"Will there be many guests?" Gregory asked for he had not attended the past balls and as a result knew little about how they were run. He did not like large crowds.

"There will be a fair few. Don't worry, he will not mind if you don't wish to come."

"No, no, I think I would like to meet him."

When Elizabeth woke the next day she felt infinatly better. Isabelle and Martha came to help her prepare for the ball. They dressed her in a long elegent blue gown and pinned her hair up in an excentric yet beautiful way. Then Elizabeth assisted Isabelle and Martha in that.

"Oh miss Elizabeth you look so beautiful!" Isabelle exclaimed.

"As do you!" Elizabeth exclaimed, feeling a little giddey.

"Well we best be going, Gregory must be growing highly impatient with us."

Elizabeth giggled and together they walked out into the hall and down the stairs to meet Gregory.

Gregory

"How do we look?" My cousin asked as she and Elizabeth descended the stairs. I observed my cousin first, as was proper, and admired the way the dress clung to her delicate figure and how it shimmered in the light. Then I looked to Elizabeth. How fine the blue did look, how it did suit her.

"Enchanting ladies. Shall we be off?" I held my arm out to Isabelle and then, after a moment's hesitation, offered the other to Elizabeth who accepted.

"We are so sorry for keeping you waiting!" Elizabeth declared.

"Not at all. It is Sir Thomas' Dewar's patience you should consider rather than mine," I replied.

"Why, is he an impatient man?" Elizabeth asked and then blushed. "I did not mean..."

"That's quite alright," Isabelle replied. "Do explain yourself, cousin." She did not sound annoyed but to be sure I spoke in an apologetic tone.

"I merely meant that he must count the hours when he is not with my beautiful cousin."

Elizabeth looked around with wide eyes as they entered the ballroom. She had never seen anything so glorious in real life. She reached out and ran her fingers over the banister and grinned.

Somehow she found herself alone watching the dance. She had no clue what was going on the first few times around, but after the third one she figured out how it worked. Now she wanted to join. But had no aquantince other than Gregory here, and he wouldn't dance.

"Excuse me miss?" a voice said. Elizabeth started and looked up, "might I have this dance?" He extended his hand down to her, and she smiled as she took it.

"Of course you may."

As they moved around the steps they chatted, she discovered that his name was Tomas Mooreland, and he owned and ran the local bookstore. It was only after their third dance that they stopped to get something to drink.

"Hello Miss Elizabeth," Gregory greeted curtly, "Mr. Mooreland."

"Oh hello Gregory!" Elizabeth said. "I have just had the pleasure of making a new aquantince in town!"

Gregory

"How pleasant," I replied, attempting not to grimace.

"More so for me than her I think," Mr Mooreland responded. I ground my teeth. I knew him. Well of course I did. He and I had spent some time together as boys but it ended badly. I had not seen him for many years.

"Not at all, not at all," Elizabeth claimed.

"Shall we dance again?" Mr Mooreland asked.

"But what about our drinks?" Tomas smiled at her, took the drink from her hand, handed both to me with a curt nod and then led her away. I watched them go and then walked back to the buffet table, put all three glasses down and went and found myself a seat in a corner of the room. Nearest the piano.

Elizabeth was throughly confused at this point. Gregory had been stowic as long s she had known him but this seemed to a new extreme.

"Do you know Gregory?" she inquired.

"I've known him since childhood."

"Really? He seemed not too fond of you."

"Perhaps it is because I am dancing with you," Tomas smiled and Elizabeth couldn't help but blush, "I have not stolen you away from him have I?"

"Oh no," Elizabeth assured, "I am quite confident that he is just as indifferent to me as I am to him." Which was a lie. She wasn't quite so indifferent to him, and she was sure he was indifferent to her.

"And how indifferent are you to him?"

"As indifferent as circumstances could hope."

Isabelle

I sought Thomas and found him swiftly. Our eyes locked across the room and slowly we were drawn towards each other - two dancers taking perfectly even steps towards each other because the routine can not be broken but so full of anticipation.

"My dear," Thomas greeted me, taking my hand and placing a kiss upon it.

"A fine party, Thomas," I replied.

"Can I get you a drink?" I nodded and while he performed this action, I spared a moment to observe that miss Elizabeth was dancing with... Mr Mooreland. Oh dear. And where was my cousin? Out of sight, naturally.

Soon Elizabeth and Mr. Mooreland tired of dancing and found themselves a place to sit and talk.

"Do you enjoy reading?" He asked her.

"More than I enjoy breathing," she said cleverly.

"You are that fond of reading are you?"

"Oh yes I am. It is like going somewhere you've never been able to go before! To a time and place beyond imagination. And for the others very educational."

"Have you been to my book store?"

"Sadly no, but I should very much like to see it tomorrow, what is it called?"

"Moore books," he said with a grin.

"I shall be sure to visit."

Then all too soon the ball ended and Elizabeth was riding in a carriage waving good bye to Mr. Mooreland before he dissappeared from view.

Gregory

I did not speak all the way home. In fact, the atmosphere of the carriage was abysmal for most of its passengers. Miss Abigail, who had accompanied Julian, was wringing her hands in worry and Julian was scowling at his boots. I had surely never seen by cousin the least bit irritated before so his change in temperament was quite perplexing. Sweet Isabelle was forlorn, already missing her fiancé and myself? Well naturally I was a touch jealous but there was the general bad feeling that one gets when one crosses and enemy's path.

Elizabeth on the other hand seemed cheery. Could she be so easily pleased? Were her affections so fleeting as to be already done with me and longing after another? And one such as him. Well if she could be so fickle, perhaps she was deserving of the man.

Elizabeth spent the entire ride home trying to change the atmosphere of the occupiants. But it seemed impossible. Gregory was staring at her with what seemed like hate. Did her dancing with Thomas truly upset him?

She shook the idea away and stared out the window trying not to think about it. She focused instead on finding a few coins for her trip to the book store.

When she could bare the silence no longer she said, "it was quite a pleasent ball was it not?"

"Yes it was," Isabelle said perking up slightly.

Gregory scoffed.

Gregory

"Did you not enjoy yourself, Gregory?" Elizabeth prompted.

"It was reasonable as far as balls go but the company left much to be desired," I answered sourly. And then before any had a chance to answer, the coach rumbled to a stop and I left. I went straight to the room I had been allocated and sat in the dark, allowing my mind to dwell on the past and partly on Elizabeth. Oh how it burned me to see her with someone else, especially him! But no, why did I want any part of such a temptress, such a fickle, improper girl.

"May I come in?" Someone asked.

"Who is it?" Gregory grumbled.

"Elizabeth."

"DO you think that is proper?"

"Not entirely," gingerly she pushed the door open and stepped inside, leaving it open behind her. "I just came to ask what your distaste for Mr. Mooreland was about."

Gregory seemed to glare at her, and it was enough to get her to take a step back.

"Do you really care to know?"

"Well, you were one of my first aquantances here, I value your opinion best."

Gregory

"If that is so, then you will cease communication with him," I replied.

"Without any further explanation?" she demanded.

"No. I suppose I cannot expect that." She moved further into the room and I retreated to the window, looking out across the moonlit grounds.

"Then you will tell me?"

"What I can but in part it is not my story to tell. I visited here often as a child and Mr. Mooreland and I were companions. That is, until a game of his went dreadfully wrong."

"A game? All of this over a game?" Elizabeth scoffed.

"We killed a boy," I whispered.

Elizabeth's heart seemed to stop inside her chest, cold hearted and stowic Gregory was, but a murder? No! She wouldn't believe it.

"What?" She whispered back.

"We killed a boy." Gregory turned to her, "our games were neither clever nor safe. Not only for ourselves but for others."

Elizabeth felt like she was going to faint, she took a few steps foward and sat in the chair he had been sitting in. "what happened?"