Chapter III

Salisbury Mansion-England

May 16, 1888

-I'm so glad your sister let you go to the Ariana dance and allowed you to stay at my house.

-I'm very happy too, but I'd like to know Where are you taking me?

-Wait a while and you'll find out soon enough.

-It's all right.

-We're here.

- Are you serious? I didn't expect to accompany you to buy your dress for the dance your parents are organizing.

-We didn't come for that, we're here to buy a dress for you.

- Really? Thank you very much, I didn't expect something like that.

-You're welcome, my parents and I want to make you look beautiful tonight, I doubt they'll let you attend another dance like this one.

-Yes, we know what my mother looks like.

-Ariana, the dress you chose is very beautiful. You will shine tonight.

- Do you really think so? I loved the color blue of this dress, that was the reason I chose it.

-Well, my dear friend, I must say you made a good choice.

-Thank you Naomi.

-Oh! Naomi you look beautiful.

-Thank you mother.

-You're welcome honey, but well ladies it's time to come down, they're waiting for you downstairs.

-Yes mother, we'll be right down.

The room where the dance was taking place had been decorated with pastel ribbons and beautiful roses.

-Thank you Naomi, it's been a long time since I've been to a dance.

-Ariana, don't thank me and enjoy it more than my parents did in our honor and in my cousin's honor.

- Your cousin?

-Yes, my cousin Ethan from France who came to stay with us for a while.

-So your family is French?

-Only my mother, you see, she was the second daughter of a French duke, one day they took a trip to England to visit a friend of the duke and at a dance she met my father.

-It's a nice story.

-Yes, but I'll keep telling you. They say it was love at first sight, soon after my mother returned to France for the dance season, her parents wanted her to marry soon so they were pressuring her to accept a good proposal.

-Oh! And what did she do?

-She managed to convince them to want to marry a nobleman from another country, she and my father wrote to each other often and in one of her letters my mother asked her to go to France to ask for his hand.

-Your parents have a beautiful love story, Naomi.

-I know," she smiled as she remembered the story her mother told her as a child.

- And where is your cousin? -Asked the sweet Ariana.

-She's coming, she said she'd be here before the dance started.

-Well, it's just a few minutes before it starts.

Ariana continued talking to Naomi about her parents' love story and without realizing it, a very handsome young man arrived, everyone murmured asking who that handsome stranger could be. As soon as Ariana walked away, Ethan approached his cousin.

-Hello, dear cousin Naomi.

- Ethan! How have you been?

-Very well, and how have you been?

-Good, cousin, same as always," said Naomi, taking a drink from the cup she was holding, "being polite and trying to get a husband.

-I hope that happens soon, little cousin, or time will go by.

-I know Ethan, you don't have to remind me," she said a bit irritably.

-Well, who was that young woman you were talking to, cousin? -He said with some curiosity, "I must admit she is very pretty.

-She's a friend of mine who lives in the city.

-Oh yeah? And what's her name?

- Why don't you ask her, cousin? She's sitting at that table - pointing to the place where Ariana was talking to another young woman.

-Well, I think I'll ask her for the first dance, see you later, dear cousin. -He gave her a kiss on the cheek and went out in search of the young woman who left him enchanted.

Ariana had gone to the table to get some water and found a friend of her sisters - she was the only one who treated her kindly. Shortly after she left the table and without realizing it, a very handsome young man arrived at her side.

-Hello young lady, would you like to dance this piece? -he said, giving her a warm greeting.

-He said, "Yes, thank you."