Chapter Three: Dresses

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Crystal sat on the window seat in Dawn’s bedroom. Three days had passed since she had gone to the Place des Negres and the dream that was tormenting her, though she had not forgotten either. She and her sisters, Elizabeth, Rose, and Christy, were helping Dawn choose a dress to wear to the de Mandevilles' ball. An event that was to be Crystal’s secret engagement party, which dulled her enthusiasm for the task.

They had been at it for three hours, and Dawn was down to three dresses: a creamy silk gown with a high necked bodice and three-quarter-length puffed sleeves. The full skirt was gathered at the waist and had four flounces trimmed with lace. A striped dark purple velvet, with a square neckline and long fitted sleeves that had velvet ruffles at the wrists and hem. And a light pink satin one with a slit down the front that revealed a frilly lace underdress. It was gathered in the back creating a short train, and the bodice was embroidered with white flowers and trimmed with lace.

“I like the pink one,” said Christy, the youngest of the five girls, as she nibbled on a left-over cookie she coaxed from Rosie, the cook, earlier in the evening. “It reminds me of spring.”

“I like the purple one,” Elizabeth said as she played with a loose strand of her chocolate brown hair, a habit she couldn’t seem to break in all her seventeen years. “You look older in it, more mature.”

Crystal glanced over at Elizabeth; she had come over for dinner that day because her husband, Dr. de Bore, was working late. She was nine months pregnant and, on doctor’s –her husbands– orders to stay at home until the baby came. She hadn't told them she was coming, but Crystal was glad for her surprise visit. Elizabeth loved picking out outfits for events and since she could take the full brunt of helping the other girls figure out what they were wearing Crystal could relax.

The five de la Chaise girls resembled each other moderately. They all had the similar dark hair and fair complexions, they were tall and slim figured with the same blue eyes and straight white teeth. Beyond that they all had their own personalities. Christy was the sweet baby girl, a princess that could never do anything wrong, but underneath she was a sly little sneak. Her ability to charm her way out of trouble confounded them all.

Rose at fourteen was the middle child and often struggled with the position, throwing tantrums over not being able to accompany the older girls to certain parties and events because of her age. She would shriek and cry wanting to know why she could not go along. Then when told it was because she was not mature enough she would storm off to her room sobbing dramatically, proving their point.

Dawn was a bubbly fifteen year old reveling in this, the prime of her life. She had always been outgoing, energetic, but ever since her coming out the year before Dawn was absolutely giddy about every picnic, every dance, barley was she able to contain her excitement over the upcoming ball.

Elizabeth was the oldest, and perfectly suited to the role as second mother to all of them. The first of the seven de la Chaise children to leave the nest, Elizabeth was a very nurturing person and though she enjoyed parties and such she would much prefer a quiet evening at home with her new husband, making a frilly dress for the coming addition to her family.

“I agree with, Elizabeth. The others are more ‘tea party,’ not a ‘ballroom dance.’” Rose said.

“Nobody likes the yellow one?” asked Dawn looking slightly distressed.

“No. We don't like it. We told you that an hour ago.” Rose snapped, throwing an annoyed glance at Dawn.

“But,” said Elizabeth, “if you like the yellow one, then wear that.”

“But if none of you like it, then no one at the ball will like it.”

“It's still a pretty dress, I just like the purple dress better. Pick your favorite,” said Elizabeth.

“What do you think, Crystal?”

Crystal jumped. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Have you been paying attention?” asked Dawn, hands on her hips.

“Sorry, it’s just we’ve been in here for hours, and I told you when we first came in here which one I liked best.”

“It took Rose a week to decide, but you still helped her.”

“Yes, well . . .” Last week her life was less confusing. Last week she hadn't been dreaming of the death of a stranger she couldn't get out of her head.

Elizabeth sighed. “Let’s just figure this out before morning, please.”

“Fine. Now the yellow one is out, right?” asked Rose.

“I didn’t say that!” Dawn shouted.

Crystal was tired. Leaning her head against the windowpane she felt the cool glass against her forehead. The de Mandevilles’ ball was at the forefront of everyone’s mind. The entire Garden District was excited, but Crystal dreaded it. In a week’s time, at the ball, it would be announced to the public that she and Charles were to be married. She would no longer be able to pretend it wasn’t true. But her parents were so happy; with five girls it was always a secret fear that they wouldn’t be able to marry them all off. This announcement would bring them one step closer to their goal. Crystal just couldn’t find it in herself to tell them she did not wish to wed Charles, she knew her father would shout and her mother would cry until they had her re-convinced of her decision. It was what happened months before when she’d voiced her doubts and she didn’t want to go through it again.

But this was not the only reason she’d been in such a strange mood. Staring out into the dark of night she saw not the blackness, but a pair of glittering dark green eyes. She heard his voice as if he was whispering in her ear; You’re the only one that can help me, but it would hurt you and I can’t bear to hurt you. She couldn’t stand it any longer! She had to do something. But what that something was she had no idea. Everything in her life seemed so hopeless right now, she wanted to go back to when it was just her and her family. When life was simple and there were no mysterious strangers or prospects of marriage on the horizon.

She had been trying to hide her gloom from everyone around her but it seemed she was not doing a thorough job, they had noticed it; her sisters thought it was because she was nervous about the announcement of her engagement at the ball and they were partially right. June could not think of a plausible theory for Crystal’s somber attitude, and she would not stop until she did. She had been badgering Crystal all week about the night they snuck out to the Place des Negras, trying to find a reason for her mood. However, Crystal wasn’t quite on speaking terms with June, no matter that her friend didn’t seem to realize this.

Any other time Crystal had a problem, June would have been the first one to know, but now two things were different. One: ever since the party, she and June hadn't been as close, and she wasn't sure if it was June who was acting different or herself who had changed. Two: there was something private about the dream, and even if she could have told her sisters about it she probably wouldn't have. They would probably think her ridiculous for letting a stranger she met at the Place des Negres affect her, but he did, and she tried forgetting him and the dream, it hadn’t worked.

“Crystal! . . . Crystal, are you listening?”

Crystal swung around and hit her head on the window. “Ouch! What?”

“I'm deciding on the purple dress. Do you agree?” asked Dawn.

“I agreed to the purple one an hour ago.”

“Alright, then we're all agreed. I'm wearing the purple one.”

“Finally!” said Rose, standing up.

Elizabeth slowly got to her feet as well, rubbing her back. “Well, it's time for me to get home. Tell Mother I'll see her Sunday.”

“Good night, Elizabeth.” Crystal said wearily.

“Good night.” She left the room.

“Well, I'm off to bed, too,” said Crystal, feeling more tired picking out a dress than she had riding for miles on her horse.

“See you in the morning,” called Dawn as she left the room.

Crystal made her way down the hall to her room and walked over to the vanity table. She pulled the pins out of her hair, assessing her appearance as she did so. She brushed her hair, then began to twist and turn it about her head, trying to create a style that was good enough for a ball. After about fifteen minutes, she gave up frustrated. She did not care if everyone at the ball thought she was pretty or not– their opinions did not mean anything to her– at least not anymore.

The large oak doors creaked open and Crystal glanced up to see Liza bustling into the room carrying a bucket of hot water and a towel over her thin arm. The maid looked to be too frail for all the work she did, but her willowy body was strong and graceful, able to do any job. She poured the water into the basin on the night stand, and Crystal watched her for a moment. Her long brown fingers gripped the handle of the pail with ease, her work roughened hands were used to the heated temperatures the metal bucket rose to.

She looked down at her own hands, soft and creamy white, never exposed to the sun or hard labor. No wonder they had blistered so badly after her escapade last week, she had eventually gotten Liza to remove the last of the tiny splinters she’d received from the tree she climbed that night. Thankfully her maid accepted the explanation that she’d been trying to get her brother, Harry, down from one of the oak trees out front and scrapped her hands. However, it was harder to stop Liza’s suspicions of the nightmare she’d had three nights before. The maid had been watching her ever since and continued to hint that the best remedy for a recurring dream was to share it with another.

That was certainly not going to happen.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about?”

Crystal’s head popped up and she was surprised to find Liza right behind her. She regarded her maid’s reflection in the mirror, large coffee brown eyes stared back at her. “Oh, um– just the ball. I hope everything goes well.”

Liza nodded, her thin brows rising. “I see.”

Crystal bit her lip, refusing to acknowledge the lie hanging in the air. She didn’t have to tell Liza anything, even if she had been her second mother since she was an infant. She would most likely find out eventually anyway. Crystal could never keep secrets from her nursemaid for long.

After a long silence in which Crystal tried to find something to look at besides Liza’s accusing gaze, Liza picked up the brush from the vanity and ran it through Crystal’s long hair. “You ready for your party?” she asked.

“Not at all.”

Liza’s full lips formed a sympathetic smile. “You’ll be glad when it’s over.”

Crystal nodded, but said nothing. Glad that Liza had finally stopped pursuing the subject of her lack of love for her fiancé. As a slave, Crystal would have supposed that she would understand this sort of arrangement, there was no choice in the matter. Yet Liza thought differently, and had voiced these opinions many times before. It seemed now that even Liza thought it was too late for turning back.

“Yes, but then there will be a wedding to plan.”

“Ain’t nothin’ ever easy,” Liza said as she started braiding Crystal’s hair.

Crystal sighed and, once Liza had finished, went to the basin to wash her face. Liza was digging in the trunk at the end of the bed for a nightgown when Crystal turned around. Patting her face dry with a towel, Crystal wandered over to her wardrobe and pulled out the dress she had chosen to wear. It was an off the shoulder frock made of ice blue silk. It had a form fitting bodice and the skirt was embroidered with seed pearls. To go with the outfit she had a pearl choker necklace and pearl-drop earrings along with a delicate lace shawl to be wrapped around her shoulders.

The entire costume was created by her mother. She had been determined that Crystal should look her best on her special night and went all out on new expensive fabrics and the most stylish French designs, along with matching accessories. Crystal reluctantly looked over every material, gone to every fitting, flipped through every fashion magazine. But in the end it was Elizabeth– knowing Crystal’s lack of interest– who assisted Mother in putting the outfit together, and she had been more than happy to do it, because she wasn’t going to the ball this year on account of being with child.

Crystal envied her sister’s excuse, if only she had one as acceptable.

She put the dress away and let Liza help her into the nightgown she had located. Said good night and climbed into bed, praying for a good night’s sleep as Liza put out the lights– Was that too much to ask? Maybe it was her punishment for sneaking out that night. Whatever it was, she just wanted to sleep.

But she didn't.

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Please read the next chapter, "Chapter Four:The de Mandevilles'"