First Impression

Chapter Sixteen

Will couldn’t stop thinking about Aurora. How it felt when they were dancing. How her lips felt on his that warm summer night by the river. How her hair glistened in the sunlight. How her skin smelled like gardenia flowers. How her smile lit up the room when she entered. It was torturing him. He had trouble sleeping. He trouble eating.

Margretta knew that something was bothering him. She talked to him about it. She knew it must have been that young woman he had gone to see and he came home with a ladies clutch hidden in his coat. She knew he kept it in his sock drawer. But she didn’t say anything about that. She suggested that they throw a masquerade ball.

His mother used to do that when she was feeling melancholic. She suggested that they rent a large hall and have catering, ball gowns and even the masks. And music and dancing. They would invite everyone. He brightened immediately. Yes, and have people donate something small of a donation to the Mayfair Art Gallery.

Margretta looked surprised.

Oh, I never took you for a person who enjoyed art, Mr. Collins.” She said. Her Irish brogue was thick. She was middle aged and the grey hair had already started to show through her red curly locks. Her three children were grown. And her husband had died in the war.

She was grateful to Mr. Collins for giving her work to feed herself. It wasn’t easy for a middle age woman and immigrant from Ireland to find work with no work experience other than washing clothes, cooking and cleaning.

Margretta found the Newcastle Mayfair Ballroom was actually for rent. And she told Mr. Collins about it and he asked her to get her purse. She did as she was requested and they both went down to Newcastle Mayfair Ballroom and reserved it for the special evening. They both did a tour of the grounds and the inside of the banquet hall and ballroom.

The grounds were beautiful and extensive. There was a garden and a gazebo out on the grounds. Will put Margretta in charge of everything that they would need from an orchestra, flowers, caterer, chef, a list of wines, hiring people to set up everything the day of the event. Margretta had a pad of paper and a pen and wrote down everything she could think of. She had everything arranged down to the letter.