Timeless Love Ch. 03

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An evening out.
2k words
4.77
21.4k
7

Part 3 of the 10 part series

Updated 10/21/2022
Created 07/12/2007
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Cynara stepped into the ballroom with a gasp. It was beautiful; it looked like she had stepped directly into a movie. Everyone was so regal in their long, flowing dresses or jackets and high collars. She eagerly went ahead of her party, looking anxiously around. She walked around the edge of the dancers to get a closer look at the band.

"You like it?" she heard a voice in her ear. She turned around to see Charles standing at her elbow.

"Oh, it's spectacular!" she responded enthusiastically.

"Would you like to dance?"

"Oh, I don't know how," she said regretfully. She would have loved to try the prim and proper dancing that they were doing: A choreographed picture of perfection.

"How do you know?" Charles asked. Good point, she thought, but before anything else could be said, Finley walked up to them.

"Look who I ran into," he said presenting a young man, about Cynara's age. It must be Sanford, she thought.

"Oh, so this is the elusive Sanford?" she asked Finley.

"Indeed it is," he responded. This was only the third night she had been staying at Margrave Manor, but it already felt like much longer. And in turn it felt odd to not have met Sanford before now.

"And this must be the forgetful Cynara," Sanford smiled.

"That's me."

"If I had known such a beautiful girl would be staying in our house I would have made a point of coming home last night."

"There you are Mr. Stanmore," a middle-aged woman approached Sanford and smiled seductively. Despite the fact that she was older, she had a sophisticated charm about her and a sort of regal beauty.

"Mrs. Hulery, what a pleasant surprise," Stanmore smile back. "Would you care to dance?"

"I would love to," and he lead her out onto the dance floor.

Charles leaned and whispered in Cynara's ear, "Mrs. Hulery's husband died last year, and ever since then she seems to be paying particular attention to Sanford."

"A cougar," Cynara whispered back to him.

He chuckled softly, "You know, I never thought of it like that, but that is the perfect word to describe her. She definitely wants to sink her claws into our poor Sanford."

"Somehow I don't see Sanford as a helpless little rabbit up for the kill."

"Listen you two," Finley interjected, "Cynara, you are a distant cousin staying with us for a few months for a vacation," and his gaze wondered off to across the room, then as an afterthought, "Oh, and your last name is Waldorf."

"Got it," Cynara nodded gravely, but Finley was lost in his own little world.

"Earth to Finley," Cynara poked him. Finley seemed startled to be pulled out of his thoughts.

"Who were you just staring at?" Cynara asked mischievously.

"No one!" Finley scoffed.

Cynara rolled her eyes and scanned the room in the direction Finley had been looking a few moments ago.

"Was it that petite blonde that just walked in?"

Finley nervously cleared his throat, "Why would you think that?"

"Ooh, Finley has a crush," she cooed teasingly.

"A what?"

"You like her," she elbowed him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Finley defended, "Now if you'll excuse me," and with that he walked off.

Cynara looked up at Charles, who was grinning down at her. "So who is she?" Cynara asked.

"That's Jane Withurby, she just came out this season and every eligible bachelor has his eye on her. She has the pick of the crop."

"And does she like Finley back?"

"Honestly, I don't think she even knows he exists. God knows Finley has never even spoken to her."

"Why on earth not?" Cynara asked, not thinking that Finley was the shy type.

"Finley's got a bit of a reputation, and I don't think her mother would allow him to speak to her, really. Plus, she already seems to be interested in Lord Randall Trahern. That's who she's dancing with right now," he said nodding toward the dance floor, "Everyone is speculating on when they will announce an engagement."

"Poor Finley," Cynara said forlornly, staring and the dancing couple.

"Why don't I get you something to drink?" Charles asked, changing the subject.

"Yes."

Charles moved off to get her some punch, and Cynara noticed that the song was ending at just that moment. She followed Jane Withurby and Randall Trahern off the dance floor with her eyes, then just couldn't resist the urge to go talk to them.

"Hello there," she greeted casually after storming her way through the crowd to be in the exact spot they were headed.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met," Randall said to her.

"No. I'm Miss Cynara Waldorf, a cousin of the Stanmores."

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Waldorf, I'm Jane Withurby," the girl said politely. Cynara noticed that the girl was a picture of grace and poise; she also seemed so tiny that a small gust of wind could knock her over. Randall seemed tall only compared to her diminutive height, and Cynara thought about how Finley would look like a giant standing next to her.

"And I'm Lord Randall Trahern." Cynara didn't like the arrogant way he spoke, but then decided to be fair and admit that no matter what she wouldn't like this Randall character, because she was prejudice for Finley.

"Nice to meet you, I just umm...came over here to compliment you on your dress, Miss Withurby."

"Oh, why thank you so much!" Jane smiled shyly.

"Yes, I normally wouldn't just barge up to complete strangers, but I just had to know where you got it," Cynara chatted.

"What a nice thing to say. I got it from this wonderful little dressmaker, Miss Beatrice Dandell. She runs a dress shop on Main Street called Miss Beatrice's designs."

Randall snorted his disinterest in such girly talk, and Jane looked at the floor, "She really is quite a genius."

"I'll have to stop by there sometime, and I'll tell her you recommended her to me."

"Good evening, Mr. Trahern," an older woman came up to them, "And who's your new friend, Jane?"

"Mother, this is Cynara Waldorf, Miss Waldorf, this is my mother, Lady Withurby."

"A pleasure to meet you," Cynara said politely with a little curtsy, thinking that the occasion called for it.

"And you," her mother said back, a little snootily, Cynara thought.

"Mother, Miss Waldorf was just admiring my dress."

"Ah, yes, I always thought green suited you, Jane dear."

"Oh, I see my cousin looking for me," Cynara said, wanting to make a quick exit "It was nice meeting you," and she made her escape.

"There you are," Charles said when she walked up to him, "I was starting to worry, you shouldn't just wonder off like that."

"Oh what could possibly happen to me in a room full of people?" He handed her a glass of red punch. "I was just talking to Jane Withurby," she said in a slyly.

"You were?" Charles looked down at her with surprise, "What happened?"

"Nothing really, I didn't find anything out, I just talked to her for a minute."

"Just like that, you went and talked to her?"

"Well, yeah."

Charles looked down at her almost admiringly, "So you're trying to set Jane up with Finley?"

"That is my master plan, yes."

"Well, just don't let Finley find that out. He'd have conniption."

"Charles Stanmore!" an obviously drunk man approached them, "What are you doing at a party for civilized folks. Didn't you realize that no bastards are allowed?"

Charles grabbed the man by the collar, "Get your pistol," he said in a deadly tone, and if Cynara hadn't innately known what a good person Charles was, she would almost have been scared of him.

"He's drunk," a man called, "It would be murder."

"Tomorrow at daybreak then," he tossed the man over to his friend, "Make sure he gets there," Charles said, turning his back. The little crowd that had suddenly formed just as suddenly dispersed, now that the immediate quarrel was over.

Cynara stared at Charles with an open mouth, "You're really going to duel him?" she asked, "Just for that?"

"The man insulted me."

"Yeah, but you could really hurt each other, and over something so silly."

"A man's honor is not silly," Charles said indignantly. Cynara didn't like the way he was talking to her now, he had always previously spoken to her with such affectionate indulgence, she missed it.

"I just don't get it," she said sulkly.

"Of course you don't," he snapped at her, "Just worry about your little romantic games and I'll worry about my affairs," and he stormed away.

Cynara stared after him slack jawed. She wouldn't have believed that the sweet man she was just talking to moments before could have changed so drastically in a matter of seconds.

"What happened?" Cynara turned around to see Ashton's worried gaze.

"He just snapped, he's going to have a duel tomorrow. I told him it was stupid, and he stalked off."

"What was the argument about?"

"I don't know, some drunk guy said something and Charles immediately called him out."

"Charles doesn't usually get that angry that fast over a little insult. What did the man say?"

"I don't even remember. He said that Charles shouldn't be at the party," she shrugged, "And, oh yeah, he called him a bastard," she shrugged again.

"Well that explains it." Ashton said nodding.

"What?" Cynara was perplexed.

"Something about Charles you should know, though I don't think he'd be too happy with me if he found out I told you."

"What?" Cynara asked, completely intrigued, and a little worried.

"Well, before Charles was born, our mother was having an affair."

"No!" Cynara gasped.

"Yes, and our father, along with several other respected gentlemen, caught them together one day."

"No!" Cynara gasped again, it sounded like a soap opera.

"Word, of course, spread faster than a wild fire. Our whole family was humiliated, father killed the man in a duel, but when Charles was born nine months later, there were questions of paternity."

"So who is his father?"

Ashton shrugged, "I don't think mother even really knew. We all love Charles just the same anyway, but he was teased for it a lot as a child, he's sensitive about it."

Cynara stared pensively at the floor, poor Charles; he must feel horribly about the whole thing. And she had called him silly!

"This doesn't change anything does it?" Ashton asked her.

"Of course not!" Cynara said surprised. What kind of person did he think she was that she would let something so unimportant change anything between her and Charles's friendship?

They left soon after, and Cynara didn't have a chance to speak with Charles alone before they piled into the carriage. She pulled him aside while the rest of the brothers went to bed, however, so she could talk to him.

"Look, I'm sorry for earlier," he said before Cynara could say anything.

"No" she interrupted him, "I'm sorry. Ashton told me everything." Charles face clouded over. "Don't scowl like that," she told him, "I'm glad Ashton told me. Oh, Charlie, I feel horrible. It's just that I don't want you to duel because I don't want to see you get hurt." Cynara blushed at her words; she hadn't realized how much she had come to care for Charles, until just now.

He grinned at her, "I'm not going to get hurt."

"But you could."

He nodded gravely, "This is true, and if tonight's going to be my last night, why don't you make it a good one?"

"Don't even joke," she said, throwing her arms around his neck and standing on tip toe to kiss him.

Charles stumbled back for a second, obviously surprised at her impulsive action, but he soon had his hands wrapped around her back and was kissing her just as fiercely as she was kissing him.

Cynara eventually pulled away, they both just stood there in each other's arms, staring, neither knowing what to say.

"Come on little artichoke," he eventually said, gently wrapping his arm around her back and guiding her up the stairs, "Let's get you to bed."

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5 Comments
AnonymousAnonymousover 12 years ago

Cheesy as hell, but really sweet.

Marines_Lady_15Marines_Lady_15over 16 years ago
Yay!

I've been keeping an eye out for when you'd add onto this story!

AnonymousAnonymousover 16 years ago
awesome!

Glad to see more action as well! Cant wait for the next chapter!

stindustinduover 16 years ago
wuhuu!

i was wondering when you were going to add to this story. :D keep up the great work.

puffin09puffin09over 16 years ago
awesome job

glad to see more action, more character development.

Keep it up!

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