“In spite of the fact that we don’t have a harvest?” Many came to Key West from New England, bringing with them customs that didn’t always fit.
“Do you think that minor irregularity would stop the planning of a grand ball? Why, the ladies can talk of nothing else, and since they are collecting donations for the benefit of the Marine Hospital, they have managed to drag their husbands on board.”
“And their daughters.”
“Naturally.” Caroline smiled coyly. “Lavinia Dawson had a new dress made just for the occasion from imported French silk, and Sophronia Bell’s gown is said to have taken forty yards of satin to construct.”
“Forty yards!” Elizabeth couldn’t imagine such an unwieldy gown. “How will she move about?”
“Carefully.”
“It will trail behind her like a wake.”
Caroline laughed. “That could create quite a spectacle on the dance floor. Can’t you see the dancers tripping and falling over her dress?”
“Especially since Sophronia is a tiny little thing. How will she manage such a gown?”
“I understand she is wearing an enormous dress improver.” She sighed. “The price of vanity.”
Elizabeth had to laugh. If ever there was a woman without a drop of vanity, it was Caroline. “A very big price.”
“I doubt she will be able to reach to the edge of her gown. Why, her dance partners will have to be very tall or have very long arms.”
“Like—” She halted, unable to say Rourke’s name but knowing Caroline understood. “His arms would be long enough.”
“Yes, but his heart is already taken.”
Elizabeth felt a blush heat her cheeks despite last night’s rejection. “I believe you are mistaken.”
“Not at all. When a man waits four years to pay a call on a lady, that lady can be certain his affections are sincere.”
Elizabeth wasn’t nearly as confident as her friend. Since the topic only brought discomfort, she changed course. “What are you wearing?”
“My gown from last year is perfectly serviceable. You, however, need something new and beautiful.”
“I’m in mourning. I won’t be attending.”
“But you must. Everyone with any social standing at all will be there, including many widows. Dancing might be frowned upon, but there is no reason you cannot dine and converse. I shall be glad for your company.”
If only it was that simple. Elizabeth couldn’t abide the thought of seeing Rourke take the hand of another woman, even for a single dance.
By the time Caroline had covered every aspect of the ball and its preparations, Elizabeth was exhausted. She had never particularly cared for these events designed to showcase young ladies with the aim of securing a match. She would rather walk along the shore with a gentleman and engage in intelligent conversation. Even casting a fishing line in the water would be better than sitting around hoping the right man would get up the nerve to ask for a dance.
“I believe I will read a book.”
If Aunt Virginia hadn’t interrupted at that exact moment, Caroline might have rebuked her again. As it was, Mrs. Brown wished to call on another friend, and they bid farewell after Caroline promised to call again to firm up plans for the ball.
A ball! The hope that event might have raised two days ago wilted under the memory of Rourke’s scorn. She had laid her soul bare, and he had stomped on it. No, she would not go to any ball that might include Rourke O’Malley on the guest list.
By the time she could retreat to her bedroom for the night, Elizabeth was exhausted. Once Anabelle had finished preparing her for bed, she settled into the chair and pulled her mother’s diary from her keepsake chest. Even in the candlelight, Mother’s strong hand was clear.
The first entries, written soon after her marriage and arrival in Key West, bubbled with excitement over this “odd, rustic place.” From the colors of the sea to the tidy little houses, Helen Dobbins Benjamin noted every detail with wondering eyes. But soon that changed. A petulant entry just a week later noted the “exceeding ill manners” of the local population and the utter lack of society. The need for a minister and a schoolteacher had the women protesting to their husbands. Complaints about the sparse variety of the diet soon followed. “Fish and turtle every day, but not a fresh vegetable to be found.”