by Mark J Rose
Grace turned around. “Are you ready to dance, Mr. Miller?”
“I won’t embarrass you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he replied. It felt strangely awkward now that his attraction to Grace was out in the open.
“You’re a capable dancer,” Grace said, smiling.
“The only one I’m not comfortable with is the minuet,” Matt replied.
“We can put ourselves far down on the list,” Grace said with disappointment in her voice, “as long as we dance sometime.”
“There’s a list?”
“Everyone signs,” Grace said. “The hosts select couples for the honors.”
“Honors?”
“It’s usually the first five. After that, couples dance in order of the list.”
“How does the host select the top five?”
“The first dance is always the hosts,” Thomas said. “After that, it’s whoever has cause. Ofttimes, honors go to prominent couples making some statement; other times to the best dancers. Honors can be a knee-knocker with everyone looking on.”
“It’s brilliant watching the first five,” Grace proclaimed. “We already know one who claims honors.”
“Who?” Matt said.
“My brother,” Grace answered, irritated. “He’s asked Graine if they could dance second.”
“Daughter, you’ll have many opportunities to dance honors,” her mother replied.
**********
You could have asked Matt about church right after it ended, and he’d not have remembered anything. He spent the entire service dancing the minuet in his head. One time he had to recover from putting his hand on his belly and bowing in the church pew. Grace caught him, so he pretended that he was leaning forward to fix his coat, and then shuffled around to emphasize the ruse.
When they pulled up to the Martins’ house, servants came to take the wagon and Matt heard them commenting on the beautiful horses. Graine and Elizabeth Martin greeted the guests as they arrived. The Reverend Michael had given the Martin women special dispensation to miss worship on this Sabbath to prepare the “celebration of God” at their house. It seemed easy to get a dispensation from the Reverend Michael as long as you threw a good party and he was invited.
Matt saw Robert Martin arrive from church and park his wagon at the side of the house before hurrying over to step to the welcome line in front of their house. Matt waited with the Taylors, standing beside Will to enter the party after Grace, her parents, and the younger boys. He looked down the line and realized that there were more than a few women doing the greetings.
“Who are all these women?” he whispered to Will.
“The Martin daughters,” Will replied. “Graine has six sisters.”
“Guess he’s given up on a son,” Matt said.
“Most likely,” Will replied. “He’s anxious for the first to be married so the others can follow.” Graine was the last sister in the line. She stood there with a brilliant smile on her face. The girls were lined up according to their age and got progressively taller down the line. Graine was almost as tall as her father.
“Too bad the eldest sister is so homely,” Matt said. “The others may never marry.”
“Homely?” Will asked. He looked down the line for a moment until realizing that Matt was joking. “Oh, she does look beautiful.” As they reached the receiving line, Matt made sure to let his friend lead so he could see how Will treated each family member. Matt talked to Robert more than he had expected. He asked the man how he was doing and it became a lively discussion about preparing for today’s event and dealing with the Martin women. Robert Martin and his wife Elizabeth were a friendly and dynamic couple and their influence on Graine was evident.
Matt watched Will carefully when he came to the daughters. Most blushed as he gently kissed their hands and said hello. Will was a charming man and the young girls put giant smiles on their faces as he greeted each of them in turn. Matt delayed with most, asking them their names and ages and doing a lot of hand kissing. He spent extra time with the younger sisters, who were giggly and fun. He was able to forget the minuet briefly, but as he neared the end of the line he became impatient to talk to Graine, who was being held up by Will. When Matt finally reached her, he offered a quick hello, pulled her aside, and whispered into her ear, “Can I ask you for a favor?”
“Certainly, Mr. Miller,” she said, surprised.
“I don’t want Grace to hear. Can we have one of the honor positions for the minuet?”
“You and Grace? Those are usually for married or courting couples.”
“I’m her escort today.”
“Congratulations!”
“Can you get us the position?”
“There are others who belong there.”
“Grace assumes I’m going to sign up later and she’s fine with it,” Matt said. “I want to surprise her.”
“Oh!” Graine exclaimed. “That does sound romantic.”
“I return to Philadelphia soon,” Matt said. “I need to leave a lasting impression.” He could see that the family behind him was getting impatient.
“Mr. Miller, I can’t make this pledge. I must speak to my parents.”
“Thanks, Graine,” Matt said. “I’ll be a happy man if I can have that dance.” He reached down and grabbed her hand, then looked into her eyes. “Even if you can’t, let me say that you look ravishingly beautiful today.” He kissed her hand.
“You’ve been spending too much time with Will,” Graine said. “You’re becoming hopelessly charming.”
Matt turned and stepped away towards Grace, who had been waiting for him off to the side.
“What did you say to Graine?” she asked.
“She was mentioning how beautiful you look in that dress,” Matt replied. Grace had her hair arranged in braids that wrapped around her head. It was a big change from her usual no-nonsense, pulled-back hairstyle. Like most naturally attractive women, Grace would’ve looked good wearing a sack, but when dressed up, she was a breathtaking beauty.
“Are you already flirting with other ladies?”
“With Athena herself on my arm,” Matt said, “I hardly think that would be wise.”
By her expression, Matt knew he had said the right thing. He held out his elbow, Grace put her arm through it, and they walked into the crowd of people.
“All joking aside,” Matt said, “I don’t know what it means to escort someone to a Richmond party, besides walking around and smiling.”
“You’ve never taken a lady to a party?”
“If I wanted to make you look exquisite at this party,” Matt said, “what would you have me do?”
“I’ll introduce you,” Grace said. “You ask questions and make your acquaintance. You’re allowed to flirt, but the ladies should know you’re my escort.”
“So now I’m allowed to flirt?”
“It shouldn’t be hard. You’re a handsome man with a strange accent.”
“And what will you be doing?”
“Standing beside you, also chatting, and acting unimpressed by your adoring stares.”
“Shouldn’t be hard for you, either,” Matt replied. She pulled her arm from his and reached down to grab his hand with warm fingers, and they walked together into the crowd that was steadily growing in the yard around the Martins’ home.
Grace introduced him to many people and he found that he had no problem engaging them in conversation. He had no idea how people lived in the colonial South and was enthralled with even trivial details, and it was easy to get people talking about their lives. One man gave Matt a crash course on the tobacco business, and after twenty minutes, shook his hand and said, “Thank you, Mr. Miller, you’re one of the most interesting men I have ever met.” Matt smiled at the irony. He had said maybe ten words, and all were questions about the man’s expertise.
Matt met Grace’s friends and tried his best to flirt, but it wasn’t hard to return his attentions to Grace when appropriate. With this beautiful woman at
his side, he felt more handsome and charming than ever. He stepped back on more than one occasion and reminded himself to take stock of what was going on. He wanted to remember this experience. They mingled until a bell rang. Matt felt a splash of adrenaline surge through his body as he thought that it might be time already for the minuet.
“The victuals are out,” Grace said. She hooked her arm through his and led him toward the line of people moving towards the serving table. She pulled him in between what looked like a guesthouse and some servants’ quarters. “I thought I’d never get you to myself,” she said before she kissed him hard. When she finished, she lingered at his mouth, brushing her lips against his. Matt looked around briefly to make sure no one was watching, suspecting that this type of activity was frowned upon. She leaned in and kissed him again. It was less forceful this time and had a silky finesse that tickled his mouth and remained on his lips. She stepped back, smoothed her dress, and said, “Are you ready to eat?”
It took him a moment to find his words. “I think so.” He looked around, again. “You’re not going to get me into trouble, are you?”
“I’ll no longer devise ways to for us to be alone if it causes you such trepidation,” Grace said.
He smiled. “I wouldn’t say trepidation.”
“Good.” She leaned up again for another long kiss and then pulled him back towards the crowd.
The feast centered on a roast pig colorfully decorated with cherries, apples, and pineapple. Matt wondered how far they’d had to go from Virginia to get a pineapple. Servants in livery ladled food onto their plates as they walked down the banquet line. When their plates were filled, Grace led them to her parents who sat at one of the long wooden tables that had been set up under the great oak trees scattered about the estate. Thomas had a big smile on his face. “Have a seat, young people,” he said.
“Enjoying yourselves?” Matt asked as he and Grace took their seats.
“I am,” Thomas said, looking at Mary. “My wife looks exquisite this day.”
“You enchanting man,” she said. She laughed like a young girl.
“You do look very pretty, Mrs. Taylor,” Matt said. “It’s easy to see where your children get their fine looks.”
“You’ve been spending too much time with my son, Mr. Miller,” she said, “with all these compliments.” She smiled and then looked at Grace. “Are you having fun, dear?”
“Aside from the fact that Mr. Miller has proven himself to be very shy,” Grace replied.
“Why, Mr. Miller,” Mary said, “I’d not have predicted this of you.”
“She’s joking,” Matt said. “Grace had to drag me away.”
“I do jest,” Grace said. “Mr. Miller talked to Mr. Connell about tobacco forever.” She rolled her eyes.
“You know the tobacco trade, Mr. Miller?” Thomas asked.
“No,” Matt replied, “but Mr. Connell was polite enough to tell me.”
Grace interrupted, looking at Matt. “The dancing will begin soon,” she said. “We should sign.”
“I already asked Graine to put us on the list,” Matt replied. “It’s lower so we can watch plenty of other couples first.”
“This is why you spoke to her?”
“I didn’t want to end up in an honor position accidentally,” Matt said. He could see the disappointment in her face.
“As long as we dance,” Grace said, “I’ll be pleased.”
“I’ll make a point of practicing for our next party.”
Grace smiled back at him and then scanned the crowd. “Where are Jeb and Jonathan?”
“Jonathan has found boys his own age and they have removed most of their clothes,” Mary replied. “Jeb is nearby.”
“Jeb looked handsome in his new clothes,” Grace proclaimed.
“Sara and her friends came by to ask him to join in their party games,” Mary said.
Their conversation was interrupted by another bell. “The minuet is starting!” Grace exclaimed. “We should find our place.”
“I’m not done eating yet,” Matt said. They hadn’t had breakfast and he was hungry.
“Please hurry,” Grace said. “I’m anxious to see who the Martins have selected.”
“How long before it starts?”
“Fifteen minutes from the bell.”
“I get five minutes to finish my food,” Matt declared. If by chance he did have to dance in front of the entire population of Richmond, he thought he should be able to eat first.
“Fine,” Grace said. “Five minutes.”
39
Minuet
Matt wolfed down as much of his food as he could before Grace pulled him to his feet, saying, “Let’s go.”
Her mother gave her a disapproving look. “Grace, dear, where are your manners?”
Grace rolled her eyes and pulled Matt to the dancing pavilion. It was a large open-roofed building with a polished metal-grey cobblestone floor, about the same size as the pavilion Matt had stacked full of hay. It allowed plenty of light, but protected the dancers from the sun. It seemed that every young woman in attendance already had the idea of staking out a place to watch the dancing. Many of the young men stood tentatively behind their dates, looking like they would rather be somewhere else. Violins, flutes, and fiddles already played, and Matt recognized the three-quarter time signature that was the hallmark of the minuet.
Matt began to feel nervous again, but pushed it to the corner of his mind after reassuring himself that he had spent almost six hours practicing the dance. He felt like a prizefighter getting ready for a fight. An announcer from the band stepped out, bowed to the audience, and spoke loudly. “Welcome, friends, to the home of Robert and Elizabeth Martin.” He motioned to Robert and Elizabeth, who waved from their position next to the band.
Robert exclaimed loudly, “Welcome, everyone!” The crowd applauded and broke out into a cheer.
The announcer spoke again. “I’ll be announcing the honor portion of the dance. Selections for the top five positions were made only moments ago from those who signed this day. The couples’ names will remain secret until they are called.”
Grace smiled cheerfully and turned to Matt. “It’s so much more suspenseful that way,” she said.
“Yes,” Matt replied. “That does seem suspenseful.” He didn’t want to ruin her fun, so he tried to sound enthusiastic. Grace wasn’t paying attention to him anyway, so he thought it might not matter one way or another. The announcer stepped off the floor and the musicians started playing again. This went on for what seemed like an eternity. Matt imagined it had something to do with building the suspense. After a while, the announcer stepped out onto the stone floor and motioned to the musicians to lower the music.
“The first honors will be our hosts, Elizabeth and Robert Martin,” he said. The crowd cheered as they walked out onto the floor. As the music continued to play low, the couple moved in unison to face all sides of the pavilion to recognize their audience. Once this was complete, they came together, stepped back, and bowed to one another.
Matt leaned down to Grace and said in her ear, “Does everyone do the dance the same way?”
“Yes,” she said. “Everyone does the same forms.” This was good news. Matt would be able to watch the couples and get an idea of spacing and patterns on the stone dance floor. When the music started again, the dance began. The Martins seemed like competent dancers, so Matt focused like a laser on the couple as they moved, watching their feet and spacing. Henry’s diagram and instruction had been dead-on, and Matt was able to superimpose their dance on top of the diagram in his head. They bowed to each other when they’d finished and then stood side by side, holding hands.
The announcer walked out beside the hosts and waved his hand toward them. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Elizabeth and Robert Martin.” The crowd cheered, and the couple waved and stepped off the floor.
“A very competent demonstration,” Grace said. “Both have come far under Henry.”
&nb
sp; “Henry Duncan?” Matt asked.
“Henry is a magnificent dancer and does lessons.”
“You don’t say?”
She looked at him suspiciously. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing,” Matt said, trying to look as innocent as possible. “I thought the only thing Henry knew was sword fighting.”
She didn’t reply and still looked at him suspiciously, trying to read his face. Her scrutiny was interrupted as the announcer again stepped out onto the floor. “My friends, the next dancers are…Miss Graine Martin and her escort, Mr. William Taylor.”
“I told you he’d get honors,” Grace said. “He’ll be impossible after this.”
“Not if he messes up,” Matt said.
“He won’t, and even if he does, he still manages to make them laugh.”
“When we’re out there,” Matt said, “I plan to do funny things, too.”
“Thankfully most of the crowd will be gone,” Grace said. “If you don’t take this seriously, I will be angry with you for the remainder of the evening.”
“I’ll take it seriously,” Matt said, “even if no one is watching.”
She turned away as Graine and Will walked out onto the floor. They bowed to the audience and to each other. Matt focused again, visualizing the steps. He put himself in Will’s place and danced with Graine in his mind. There were only two times where he moved incorrectly in his imagination. The dancers ended and held hands, bowing to the audience.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer said beside them, “Miss Graine Martin and Mr. William Taylor.” The crowd applauded.
He caught Grace staring at him when the dance was done. “What?”
“I have never seen a man so focused on the minuet.”
“You must admit, they are a very attractive couple,” Matt said.
“We would be as attractive.”
“You’ll not get any disagreement from me. Next time.”