I watched her dance many a dance, most often with just two men. One I recognized as the charming man that had called me beautiful at Gravel Court. In my mind that was his name, The-Man-Who-Called-Me-Beautiful. When they danced, I watched him more than her. Before these men, her face changed, a similar change, one of blooming cheeks and sparkling smiles.
It was as it should have been, a night that belonged to Pearl and her alone, no matter how often her mother pushed herself into the center of the room, she could not achieve the center of attention. That belonged to her daughter. Mrs. Worthington's face showed pleasure and displeasure in equal amounts. I understood; it was an understanding that frightened me.
Yes, Pearl owned the night. It should have been a night of nothing but delights,
