Re: Ball: Clementine, Irene & Declan
[Dancing called to all sorts. There were couples who danced, and couples who traded off their partners with every turn of song like swinging was something that hadn't quite been invented yet, or even if it had, this was close enough without being anything near scandal. Strangers danced too, first meetings caught in in one anothers arms. Declan could tell that it was those that drew the most curious eyes. Anything unknown made for good speculation. Declan didn't think that this was the kind of formal gala that brought on heavy gossip, and that was just fine with him. Not even from this door, but he'd never cared for speculation. His family name brought enough of that, there was enough of it to drown in it, if the lot of them hadn't been too damn stubborn to succumb to the shame of drowning. No, his family sinned often, and well, and all of it shamelessly.
The woman in his arms was an actress, she spoke with the kind of clarity and verbiage that suggested she was accustomed to be listened to. Declan was an obvious newcomer, and his dance partner took it upon herself to explain who this person and that person was. Every now and then, Declan glanced to the last known direction of Clementine and Irene, as if thoughtfully ensuring that they were just where he'd last left. Pretty things placed just so on his memory's shelf.]