Roses and Black Glass: a dark Cinderella tale by Lani Lenore Page B

yourself, but I beg you at least
dance with one !  Go downstairs, close your eyes and pick one out!  It
matters not to me!”
    The young man
sighed and pulled himself from the floor by way of the windowsill.
    “I will come
down on one condition,” he said.
    “And what is
that?” his mother asked, trying to be patient.
    “You must let
me work the floor by myself.  I won’t have you holding my hand through it like
the others – whispering in my ear and such.”
    Samantha
finally nodded in agreement, though she didn’t seem too fond of the idea.
    “Very well,
Christian,” she complied. “I expect you will be down in a short time.”
    The woman
withdrew herself from the room then, leaving her son alone in the dark to
gather himself.  Though he was in deep inner anguish, he knew that once he
stepped foot downstairs, he would be expected to hold it in and put on his
guise again – just like always.  All of this angered him to think about.
    Tonight
will be different.  By God, I will make my own fun.  Flicking the dead
cigarette across the room, he did as he was expected to and came out of the
dark. 
    Christian
stepped off the staircase and into the main hall.  He could feel the eyes on
him as he came down, dressed in a fine black vest and coat with golden buttons
and silk accents to his neck and sleeves.  Though he didn’t smile, the ladies
below him seemed to light up at his sight.
    The faceless
women all greeted him, the sea parting as he stepped through.  It was biblical. 
They all spoke cordially, but his ears were deaf to their words.  Through the
crowd of eager faces, he saw his mother’s eyes watching him, waiting for him to
perform like a pony.  He would give her what she wanted for now, but eventually
he would make this party his. 
    He turned
directly to his right and took up the hand of the first girl who he saw.  He
knew her face, but he’d forgotten her name.  He asked her to dance.  She was
flustered, chatting nervously, but he did not hear a word she said as they
waltzed.  He was looking over her head, staring at his mother.  She was
watching his every move, and he watched her in return, not breaking her gaze
even with the steps of the dance that he had learned so long ago.  He stared
hard and accusingly at her until she was finally forced to turn her face away
from him, and he counted it as a small victory. 
    When the music
paused, he stepped away from the girl without speaking to her, ready to take up
another when a hand fell on his arm.
     “Christian!”
came a voice.
    Turning, his
eyes fell on a woman with long brown hair and eyes that matched, but unlike
many, these eyes were able to see through him.  He knew her.  This was his
brother Joshua’s wife, Beatrice.  She was the beauty who had won over the last
of his brothers before him.  Christian wasn’t sure of how good a prize Joshua
was, but he had done his duty and married a woman as his mother had expected
him to.  Being married, Beatrice was not a threat to Christian tonight. 
Finally, here was someone with a face.
    “My dear
sister-in-law,” he said, kissing her hand, “you have amazing timing!”
    She couldn’t
suppress a little smile as she looked at him.  “I see this is becoming quite
the event.  Seems the whole town has turned out.”
    “Only the
young, unmarried sheep and their parents to gloat on their shepherding skills,”
he mused.
    "Well, you
look as though you need to be rescued," she said.
    "Yes, please ,
distract me a moment."
    He offered her
his arm and they began to wade through the crowd, stepping casually.  He could
feel the whispers rolling over him. 
    “Who is
that young woman on his arm?”
    “Oh, that’s
only his brother’s wife.  There have always been rumors about that one.”
    “Ohh, like
what?”
    Christian was
momentarily amused at the thought.
    “You aren’t
seeing anyone who interests you?” Beatrice asked, pulling his attention back to
her.
    “It would seem
that my