The Black Rose

by Diana Sweeney

  “Mina!” Milly’s voice sounded from behind the door. Wilhelmina knew she would get in trouble soon and opened the door.

  “You look gorgeous!” Milly exclaimed, “Now let’s go, everyone has been waiting for you!” Milly grabbed Wilhelmina’s hand, and the two hurried outside toward the carriages.

  Wilhelmina wished Milly wouldn’t put her in such outrageous dresses, especially when all Milly was wearing was a simple green ball gown. Her gown had long sleeves that had white ruffles at the end. Her mask was green with a couple of white feathers.

  Once they arrived at the carriages, Wilhelmina felt better about her dress. Her sister was wearing a light blue sleeveless dress. Around her waist was a silver belt covered in crystals. There were gems scattered all over the bottom half the dress. Edolie also had a white shawl that was covered in crystals. Her mask was silver with gems on the top corners and had blue and white feathers. On top of her head sat a silver tiara, covered in diamonds. Around her neck was a beautiful diamond necklace. Wilhelmina felt Edolie had over done it and was a lot more comfortable in her starry dress.

  “We are going to be late,” Delaney complained as Wilhelmina and Milly climbed into the white carriage located behind Edolie’s carriage. Thankfully Wilhelmina and Milly had their own carriage so they didn’t have to worry about all the gossip in Edolie’s.

  Once Wilhelmina and Milly were seated, the carriages took off and were followed by the palace guards. The palace guards wore red and gold, which were the colors of the kingdom of Aridale, and rode on black stallions in order to differentiate from the white horses that pulled the carriages. The guards came along as a safety precaution.

  In Vanica, Jerome was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Edolie, but at the same time was dreading her arrival because Wilhelmina would be with her. He had decided not to mention anything to Wilhelmina, but to be on the safe side, he was determined to avoid her tonight. Jerome was not sure if that would be possible and hoped that Edolie would want him by her side all night. He took a deep breath in order to relax. If he was going to be a king, he needed to be stronger and not worry about such things. Everyone else seemed to be able to keep it a secret from Wilhelmina, and so he would have to as well.

  Jerome was determined to make tonight all about Edolie and put aside any feelings he had for Wilhelmina. She was cursed and he could not allow himself to fall for her. That was all there was to it.

  “But there’s more to the curse than that,” A man’s voice echoed in Jerome’s ear, “Anyone who gets close to her falls under her charm.”

  “Who’s there?” Jerome asked but when he turned around, there was no one.

  “I can see that it’s already affecting you,” The man chuckled as Jerome continued to look around to find the source of the voice. Jerome shook his head, he must have been hearing things, but what the voice said echoed in his mind. Could his attraction to Wilhelmina be because of the curse?

  Jerome didn’t have much time to dwell on the possibility because the trumpets sounded letting the palace of Vanica know that the guests of Aridale had arrived. He made his way out towards the carriages to escort his lovely bride to be. He offered her his hand and smiled when he saw how lovely she looked. Even with a mask on, Edolie was as radiant as the sun.

  Once out of the carriage, Edolie smiled at Jerome. He was wearing the same dark blue and gold uniform he had worn to the Spring Ball. The only thing he added was a dark blue mask that was outlined in gold and had a gold feather sticking out on the right side. He was handsome as ever and she could not wait to spend more time with him.

  “This way my lady,” Jerome bowed and offered Edolie his arm. She entwined her arm with his and he escorted her into the palace. The other girls were escorted by Vanica’s palace guards. Since it was a Masquerade Ball, no formal introductions were held. After all, the point of a masquerade is to keep one’s identity a secret.

  Wilhelmina and Milly headed to the back of the ball room to watch, while the other girls quickly looked for dance partners. Wilhelmina, who had originally thought she would have more fun at this ball than the Spring Ball, quickly discovered that she was wrong. She felt very nervous since she had never danced before and didn’t want to embarrass herself despite the fact that no one would know who she was with the mask on.

  “No one will know it’s you,” Milly said trying to encourage Wilhelmina to go out and find a dance partner, “What better way to practice?”

  “I can’t,” Wilhelmina said, “I would just be too nervous, but you can dance if you want.” She didn’t want her inability to dance to affect Milly. Wilhelmina wanted Milly to be happy and to have fun. Maybe she would meet her prince charming here.

  “And leave you alone?” Milly look at her in shock, “I wouldn’t feel right.”

  While Wilhelmina and Milly had been talking, a man wearing a black suit and a black mask with white feathers had walked up to them.

  “Excuse me ladies,” The man bowed causing Wilhelmina and Milly to face him. He had black hair like Wilhelmina, but his eyes were the color of chocolate. Wilhelmina felt her heart skip a beat as he returned to his normal posture. He must be a gentleman from the way he dressed and spoke. “Would you mind honoring me with a dance?” He offered his hand to Wilhelmina.

  “Me?” Wilhelmina asked startled.

  “Who else?” The gentleman smiled.

  “But I…” Wilhelmina started but Milly gave her a little nudge and she reluctantly took the man’s hand. His hand was warm and Wilhelmina felt a strange sensation throughout her body. She looked at him startled. “Could he be the one?” Wilhelmina looked back at Milly, only to discover that her friend had vanished. Milly probably had gone off to find her own dance partner now that Wilhelmina was taken.

  “Put your hand on my shoulder,” the gentleman said sweetly as he took Wilhelmina’s hand and rested it on his shoulder.

  “How did you…” Wilhelmina began as her face turned pink.

  “Usually when a girl is reluctant to dance, it’s because she can’t,” he grinned.

  “Oh,” Wilhelmina said looking down at her feet. She was very nervous and had wished that she agreed to practice dancing with Milly the other day when she had asked her.

  “It’s alright,” he smiled, lifting her chin, “You can practice as much as you want with me.” He put his hand on her waist, “Ladies have it easy. You just have to follow the gentleman’s lead.” With that said, he began to teach Wilhelmina to waltz. She was very nervous and stepped on his toes a couple of times, but after a few waltzes, she had the steps down and was feeling more confident.

  Wilhelmina had noticed Milly dancing with a mysterious man dressed in white. Milly winked at her causing her to blush. She was glad Milly was having fun and was glad that she wasn’t as bad of a dancer as she had thought. Maybe being a princess made dancing come naturally or maybe it was just because she had a great teacher. She boldly glanced up into the gentleman’s face before quickly looking away embarrassed. She didn’t even know who he was and she was already infatuated with him.

  Milly wasn’t the only one to notice Wilhelmina was dancing with a gentleman. Her parents were keeping a close eye on her from distance. Both felt soon it would be time to tell her the truth, but would allow her to have this night of fun. Jerome also noticed that Wilhelmina was dancing with someone and it strangely upset him. He was enjoying his time with Edolie until he noticed that Wilhelmina was also having a good time with another man. Jerome forced himself to let go of his anger. After all he was not allowed to be with Wilhelmina and Wilhelmina would not be allowed to be with anyone else.

  He turned his attention back to Edolie. She was beautiful and her face lit up whenever he looked at her. She was infatuated with him as he was with her. Jerome wondered why it was that whenever he caught a glimpse of Wilhelmina that his love for Edolie seemed to dissolve. Could it be the curse? He recalled the voice he had heard earlier. It was hard to dismiss it and began to wonder if he had heard the voice in his head. Maybe
it was his subconscious warning him to stay away from Wilhelmina. Jerome wasn’t sure, but he knew it was best for him to stay away from Wilhelmina for the time being.

  “Not so bad is it?” the gentleman in black commented. Wilhelmina was positively glowing and he felt strongly attracted to her. She didn’t really know who he was and yet he acted as if they had always known each other. “If you don’t mind me asking, what is your name?”

  “My name,” he smiled, “It’s said to be bad luck to share identities at a masquerade.”

  “Yes, I suppose,” Wilhelmina agreed, but she couldn’t help but be curious. After all, he was the first man to ever catch her attention. She wondered if maybe the mystery was what attracted her to him, rather than the man himself.

  “However, I do know who you are.”

  “What?” Wilhelmina said startled.

  “Princess Wilhelmina Diamante of Aridale,” he said confidently, “Everyone knows who you are. Not even a mask can disguise a princess. The blue one other there is Princess Edolie Marcelle, so the man she is with, must be Prince Jerome Alexander of Vanica.”

  “Please just call me Mina,” Wilhelmina blushed.

  “Mina it is then,” he smiled. Wilhelmina and the mysterious gentleman danced together for the rest of the night. They made small talk, but avoided the general taboos associated with a Masquerade Ball, such as names and where they are from. However, since he had guessed Wilhelmina’s name, he allowed her to try to guess his. They spent the majority of the dance with her listing off names, none of which were his, although he had every intention to lie if she did manage to guess correctly. It eventually got to the point where she began to repeat names.

  “David?”

  “No”

  “Charles?”

  “You said that one three times,” The man laughed as the song ended and they stopped dancing.

  “Well you look like a Charles,” Wilhelmina retorted causing him to laugh more. He eventually calmed down as another song began. The night would be ending soon and he wanted to spend some time alone with her.

  “Care for some fresh air?”

  “Yes, a break would be nice,” Wilhelmina said and the man escorted her outside of the palace. The palace grounds were empty, leaving the place to themselves. They moved to the side of the palace door so no one could see them.

  “I assume you’re done guessing for now?” The man asked since Wilhelmina hadn’t said another name since they came outside.

  “I gave up,” Wilhelmina sighed, “Could you give me a fake name so I can at least call you something?”

  “A fake name,” the gentleman smiled, “But then what you’ll remember of me will only be a lie.”

  “I never thought of it like that,” Wilhelmina said pondering, “But it’s not fair that you know mine.”

  “You’ll know who I am one day,” he smiled at her and she blushed.

  “Does that mean I’ll see you again?”

  “Yes,” He said taking hold of her hand, “I promise.” Wilhelmina smiled and gripped his hand tightly. She didn’t want the warm feeling in her heart to go away. Was this love? She had no idea, but she knew that no other man had ever made her feel this way.

  “I know we just met,” the gentleman broke the silence and Wilhelmina turned to face him. “But there is one thing I would like to do before I have to go.” He moved closer to her and placed a hand on her cheek. Wilhelmina felt her heart race, but didn’t resist as his lips met hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist. Her heart pounded against her chest and she desperately didn’t want to let go, so when their lips parted, she felt mixed feelings of sorrow and desire.

  “I must go now,” he whispered. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest and his whole body felt warm. Wilhelmina’s heart was also racing and she looked at him longingly.

  “I won’t forget you,” She said in a barely audible voice and the gentleman gave her one last kiss. It was a shorter kiss, but even so, Wilhelmina once again felt disappointment when their lips parted.

  “Goodbye,” the gentlemen whispered before he walked off into the night.

  Wilhelmina watched him walk away for awhile before hurrying inside. She didn’t want anyone to know about her mysterious man. Edolie wasn’t married yet, so it would be a scandal if she was to meet someone before the wedding. However, Wilhelmina desperately wanted to find Milly and tell her everything.

  When she entered the castle, people were still dancing and it appeared that no one noticed she had gone out. She sighed in relief. However, she had not gone unnoticed. King Wilhelm, Queen Henrietta, and Prince Jerome had been watching her throughout the night without her knowledge. All three of them had seen her leave the palace with the gentleman.

  King Wilhelm and Queen Henrietta feared the worse; their daughter had fallen in love. It was hard enough to keep her locked away. Now they would end up breaking their daughter’s heart. Queen Henrietta had left the ball in order to weep alone. It pained Wilhelm to see his wife so upset, but they had no choice. They had to protect their kingdom. To him Wilhelmina was more of burden and he did not understand his wife’s love for the child. She was born from an unnatural birth, but Wilhelm would never do anything to hurt his wife. Unlike Henrietta, his love for Wilhelmina had long gone when Edolie was born. She was his pride and joy now.

  Prince Jerome felt a strange bitterness toward the gentleman whom Wilhelmina had gone out with. Was it jealousy? He wondered and after that it was hard for him to focus on Edolie as he had before.

  The night was ending and he couldn’t stop thinking about Wilhelmina. Jerome desperately wanted to free his mind from Wilhelmina and focus on Edolie, his future wife. At that moment he did the only thing he could think of and kissed Edolie. His heart pounded fast as he felt her sweet lips against his and he blushed as he pulled away. It was their first kiss and everyone saw. The clapping and cheering from the guests made his face turn red and Edolie was also blushing. Edolie looked cute when she was embarrassed and Jerome decided to listen to the crowd’s encore and kissed her again. It was at that moment he knew that he loved Edolie and it was Wilhelmina’s curse that was getting to him. His only trouble now would be staying away from Wilhelmina. They would all be living together and he had no idea how he was going to restrain himself, but he would have to try.

  “Two kisses in one night,” Wilhelmina mumbled to herself as she watched Jerome and Edolie lock lips.

  “Two kisses?” Milly emphasized the two as she nudged Wilhelmina.

  “Milly you startled me,” Wilhelmina said as she turned around to face her red headed friend.

  “Spill!” Milly exclaimed, but before Wilhelmina could tell her, Shirley came over to let them know that they were heading back to Aridale.

  “I’ll tell you on the way home,” Wilhelmina said as they followed Shirley outside. This time there was an extra white carriage and it was just for Jerome and Edolie. Milly sighed in relief. She and Wilhelmina would have their own carriage so they could talk all the way home without anyone hearing them.

  “Alright, dish the dirt,” Milly said once the carriages were moving, “You said two kisses, who did you kiss?”

  “You should know that,” Wilhelmina blushed.

  “Oh my gosh! You love him!” Milly exclaimed, covering her own mouth to prevent herself from screaming. She was Wilhelmina’s best friend and didn’t want to blab her secrets, let alone get Wilhelmina in trouble for finding a man before Edolie was married.

  “I think so,” Wilhelmina said playing with her hands, “I mean we just met, but no one has ever made my heart race so fast. Just thinking about him now is making my heart race.”

  “Oh, Mina!” Milly said grabbing her best friend’s hands, “Do you know where he’s from? His name? You have to see him again!”

  Wilhelmina shook her head, “No, I don’t. It’s bad luck to swap names at a masquerade, but he did promise we’d meet again.”

  “Oh, how romantic,” Milly said
leaning back against her seat and then she jumped up, “I know, I’ll look through the palace records of people and see if I can find him!”

  “He might not even be from our kingdom,” Wilhelmina said startled by Milly’s enthusiasm. Vanica had invited other kingdoms to come to the Masquerade Ball, not just Aridale. It was a great way to introduce everyone to the future queen and king of Aridale.

  “Plus, we don’t even know his name” Wilhelmina added.

  “True,” Milly said, “But it’s worth a try. Right?”

  “But he promised we’d meet again, so I’m sure we will,” Wilhelmina said as she remembered the feel of his hand, “He was really nice.”

  “Oh Mina,” Milly smiled, but secretly she hoped that this guy was not just fooling around with Wilhelmina. Wilhelmina was her dear friend and if anyone hurt her she’d make sure they would regret ever doing so. However, Milly was determined to discover who this gentleman was and would spend the next few days looking up records in the palace library.

  For the rest of the ride home, Milly told Wilhelmina about all the men she danced with.

  “So did you like any of them?” Wilhelmina

  “Meh,” Milly shrugged, “They weren’t bad, but I can’t really be too picky now. Unlike you, love isn’t that important to me.”

  “Milly,” Wilhelmina sighed. She worried about Milly. It seemed as if Milly felt like she didn’t have the right to fall in love and was more concerned with just finding a possible suitor. She was a maid, but Wilhelmina didn’t think that was fair. She believed that love was worth finding and that everyone deserved it, whether one was a maid or of royalty. Milly was her best friend and Wilhelmina just wanted her to be happy.

  Chapter 6

  The night hadn’t exactly gone as Edmund planned. He had gone to the Masquerade Ball in order to meet Princess Wilhelmina, but his intention was never to become infatuated with her. He was doing well in pretending up until he kissed her. Edmund had never kissed a girl before. How could he have let his feelings control his actions?