The ballroom (Yes, the Baxter Mansion had a ballroom) was filled with people of all shapes and sizes. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and your father’s cousin’s niece once removed. There were suits, ties, dresses, hats, you name it. They were a group of well dressed peoples.

I felt awful. I couldn’t believe I had let Darcy convince me into wearing heals. And a dress, not to mention the fact that said dress had no sleeves. None. And my hair was revealingly done up off my shoulders in a decorative bun.

I was adorable.

I was elegant.

I was so exposed.

All I could do was cower behind my barely Bridie-Modesty-Test passing neckline and hope for the best. The best did not come, but a relative did, and not necessarily the best relative.

It was none other than Angus Flint, the most beastly relative of them all.

“Well if it isn’t Miss Baxter herself.” He swirled a glass of champagne and a sly smile spread across his face. “The lady of the house finally decided to show up. Why aren’t you all dolled up…”

I smiled weakly. “Yes, Darcy and I–”

He cut me off. “How would you like to have your first dance with yours truly.” His eyes rolled heavenward as though that is where he himself was bestowed from, to grace us females upon the earth.

My eyes rolled to the floor beneath us. “I–”

The laugh that he produced was nearly a giggle. “Oh, no need to be shy, I don’t bite. Unless you want me too, of course.” Hooking an arm around mine, he shoved his glass into another relative’s hands and dragged me towards the dance floor. I nearly tripped in my heels.

Help me.

A firm hand dropped on my shoulder. “I believe Ms. Baxter promised her first dance to me.” Hale reached around me,  tugging me gently towards him and away from slimy Angus Flint.

“You have no idea how uncanny your timing is.” I said quietly.

He looked bewildered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I really did want your first dance.” But there was a teasing note in his voice and his surprised mask gave way to a charming smile. “Glad I could help.”

“So,” Hale’s hands wrapped around mine. “What do you think? Of the party I mean.”

I glanced around. “Alright I suppose. There are some sleazy relatives, the rest seem all right, and Mrs. Post seems to have made the most wonderful four tiered cake.”

He took a breath. “It looks delicious, doesn’t it?”

“Beautiful.” I agreed. The towering cake was a pleasant pink from top to bottom, adorned with white icing lace.

Hale looked back to me. “You do as well.” He released me in one hand and twirled me with the other. “Beautiful.”

I entirely greatful I knew how to dance. I knew twenty three different dances in total, with countless varying steps in between. All thanks goes to my parent’s eccentric travels. No matter how many varied steps I knew, nothing had prepared me for this moment. I had never danced in heels.

Putting my foot down wrong sent me flying out of Hale’s arms and onto the polished floor, where I lay for a moment, splayed out ungracefully on the floor. A chuckle ran through the crowd, mixed in with Aunt Bethany and Aunt Bonnies howls.

“Are you alright?” Hale hurried to my aid.

I nodded, flaming red and unable to meet anyone’s gaze. Where’s Darcy? I could really use some support here. I tried to inconspicuously hike up my strapless dress, which, I think had slipped down only slightly during my clumsy fall.

Hale helped me to a chair near the punch table. “Are you sure you’re all right? Can I get you anything? Ice pack?” He glanced at the table nearest us. “Punch?”

I nodded again, still staring at the floor. My ankle throbbed. “I fine, thanks, just need to sit for a moment. Punch would be great, thanks.”

He obediently poured me a cup of punch, asked me if I was alright once more, then seeing all I wanted was to be left alone, gave me a comforting smile and went away.

“Hallo, Bridie.” Said a plump girl I had seen earlier. “I’m sorry about your little spill. Looked painful. And embarrassing.”

I went furiously red. Would this be one of those things I’d never lived down? Hey Bridie, remember that time you tripped in your heels and had a graceless nosedive? That was so funny!

“It was.” I managed to laugh a little. This girl seemed friendly enough and didn’t seem to only be here to mock. “I don’t believe we’ve officially met. You obviously know who I am, but I never caught your name.”

“Julia.” She smiled. “Julia Chant.”

Chant. Chant was the last family to visit Grandfather. This puts them at the top of the suspect list. What could their motives possibly be?

I smiled politely. “Nice to meet you. Are you enjoying the party?”

She lowered her voice and leaned closer. “Well, to be honest, like most parties this one is quite dull, but the punch is good so I don’t mind. However, I do hope something exciting happens before the night is up, don’t you?”

Laughing a little I nodded my agreement. “Yes, I hope so too. Just not to me. I’ve had enough excitement to last me the evening.” She seems all right. I suppose to find out anything of use I will have to speak with her father.

Vivian ventured towards us, punch in hand. “Hallo, Bridie. Julia.” She wore a dress of a fashion popular in the 1930’s, and she looked stunning in it.

“Hallo, Vivian.” We chorused.

She looked about to mention my little episode, then hesitated, a peculiar look on her face. “Is it just me, or does it feel stuffy in here?”

Julia and I sniffed the air. A putrid smell filled our nostrils and she coughed. “Do you smell that too, Bridie?”

“How strange.” I agreed. “The maids had this aired out not long ago and they informed me that everything was in order.”

The smell was growing stronger and Darcy came to me with the same look on her face as almost everyone in the room. “What’s going on?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know! One second everything’s fine and now…”

“Smells like something awful.” She nodded.

“What are we going to do, Darcy?”

Julia butt in, smiling excitedly. “We could move into the garden. It looks lovely.”

Darcy nodded firmly, then turned to a servant. “We need to move everything outside. Open the doors and let this putrid place air out. Notify some men to move the food and drinks outside as well.”

This was all done swiftly. The doors of the ballroom were flung open and people streamed onto the grounds, women fanning themselves and men simply complaining about the odor of the ballroom. I tested my ankle. At first I wobbled, but then I gained proper balance and hurried after the rest of them as quickly as my high heels and sore ankle would allow me.

It was much nicer outside. I took a deep breath and inhaled the fresh smell of blooming flowers.

“Bridie, I think you ought to see what I found.” Darcy pulled me back inside to a far corner of the ballroom. Here the smell was much worse and we both had to pull out handkerchiefs to cover our faces.

Darcy picked up a round object. “Stink bomb. A simple gadget. Anyone could make or buy it.”

I frowned from behind my handkerchief. “I wonder which one of us put it here and why.”

“I don’t know, but we must be careful, Bridie. They could be plotting anything.” Wrapping the object in a napkin, she stuffed it in a drawer of a table.

I nodded my agreement, then remembered something. “Darcy, where were you when I… um… fell?”

“Testing the food.” She looked guilty. “All of the appetizers have some form of tomato in them, Bridie. At least they don’t taste awful.”

I could only laugh at her sheepish grin as we returned to the garden.

Julia greeted me again and removed me from Darcy without so much as noticing her, intent on pulling me towards the cake table.

“Come on! It looks delicious.”

Sadly, our little cake walk was rudely interrupted.

There was a scream and a bright spark shot to the sky. A sharp pop and and the dark sky suddenly lit up with brilliant bright lights. The whole group of guests was thrown into an uproar. Everyone began screaming a whizzing about.  Shooting up into the air with piercing screams and exploding with violent pandemonium, the fireworks showered sparks upon the havoc.

“Look out!”

A shrieking, sizzling rocket had malfunctioned, plummeting back down towards earth. Towards me.

Julia and I did a hasty split, and I was thrown backwards, the firework barely missing my feet. I landed in the cake. Vanilla icing dribbled down my left cheek. A pink hunk of cake fell into my lap. I licked my lips. Ketchup cake. Will the tomatoes never end?

After extracting myself from the cake I became aware of a certain laughter. Of course, by that time nearly everyone was, if not full on howling, at least snickering a little. Even Julia gave a giggle of betrayal. But one laugh I recognized, and it wasn’t supposed be be here.

With raging fury I stalked towards the wrought iron fence surrounding the Baxter Mansion, walking in those heels like I’d been doing it my whole life. I was furious. Not even heels or twisted ankles could stop me now.

“Basil Stubbings!” I was so close to calling him some really bad names. Or at least chucking dangerous footwear at him. Maybe I’d be lucky and hit him heel end forward.

This boy, however, paid no heed to my rage and only laughed harder, holding on to the bars of the fence as though they were the only thing keeping him from falling over.

I was so overwhelmed with feelings of embarrassment, loathing, and vexation that all I could manage was a stuttering: “Why did you do this?” My voice cracked to an awfully high pitch, partly because as I spoke, a big glob of wet cake slipped down the front of my dress.

He wiped tears from his eyes and took a shaky breath. “I only wanted to have a little fun, ruin your big party, but–oh geez–I never thought something as rich as this would happen. This is too good.” He succumbed to another fit of laughter, but only after taking out his phone and snapping a picture.

I didn’t think. Grabbing two humongous fistfuls of ketchup cake, I flung them at his face. One landed squarely on his fore head and the other on his neck, dropping down the front of his shirt and onto his shoes. “Take a picture of that.” I snarled. If only this dog-gone dress had pockets, then I would have my phone with me.

As I turned to leave, Basil leaned through the bars of the fence, licked his lips and chuckled.

I swung around at punched an icing covered face, right where I thought his eye might be. I though better of this later, realizing I could have missed a hit a nasty wrought iron fence instead, but at the time, my only other option was flinging a high heel, and I didn’t want to be charged for attempted murder. Still, it brought back memories of the day he had toyed with my dog and I gave him what he deserved. I suppose nothing had changed.

“Agh!” He yelled, and fell back from the gate, holding his eye. Or if I had missed, his head.

Darcy was suddenly behind me, pulling me away. I’m not sure think she whispered one of the many bad words running through my mind. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

I cast one more angry look at the boy next door and walked away.

~*~

June 11th 2005

My Dear Bridie,

I’m going to have to keep you and that Stubbings boy apart. I fear that if I don’t, you and Basil may kill each other before the summer is up. It’s a pity though–he seems a decent fellow. I really do with you would make friends. But then, I suppose that is simply not your way.