Leading the bold girl

Bg music recommendation - Once upon a December by Emile Pandolfi

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Prudence shifted her eyes from the crowd to the man she was dancing with. His question had her confused. If anything, people rather not talk about girls like her in the town, "Pardon me, I do not understand the question."

She saw the man smile at her. Prudence failed to understand if she had said something funny. They moved back and forth on the dance floor when he moved swiftly and they switched positions. Her pink dress beautifully flared before settling again. They were dancing not in the centre but from where the stairs were near, and she saw the number of people visible to her was less on this side. Her gaze turned back to him, red eyes questioning if he had switched on purpose.

The man had broken the silence between them, and now her attention had nowhere to distract. She asked him carefully, "May I know who I am sharing this dance with?"

Prudence saw him smile as his red eyes reduced in size. "A night creature, of course."

It was like the fear that Abiona had set into her was twisted by him. Prudence was not exactly scared, but cautious of the red eyes. She gulped, not so evidently. "I presume you go by a nice name"

There were some things she did not like doing yet found it very useful when talking with people of the higher class. Like giving them indirect praises. The music in the room picked pace and so did the man, perfectly leading Prudence.

Her words received a chuckle from the man, "People don't address me by name. Unless they want to be found buried in some deep forest grounds." His red eyes were enjoying hearing her heart change pace. He was sure to have smelled fear wafting from her a while back, but this close, it wasn't there and he was taking pleasure in inducing it.

Prudence's neck craned to meet his red eyes that grew darker, her eyes shifted between his, an intimidating look he carried in them. It did not scare her when she had heard about the Night Creatures from Abiona. The rumour was already around and it had come out less surprising.

She felt his hand leave her waist so he could spin her around, holding her hand above her head. Prudence's body came back to him after her hand. "You must be someone of great importance for the high court to not reprimand you"

Prudence was being cautious with her words. She found it very wrong how this man freely spoke about killing people. Life was not something so inexpensive as people like him thought it to be.

The charming smile was back on the man's face. He could tell this girl was meeting a night creature for the first time and yet she went ahead to point out how lowly he held the surrounding lives of the humans. "You are quite bold for a Lady," there was no offence he took to her words. He had expected something like this to happen. But he said it so she could feel the pressure of having said it openly.

Prudence was quick to pick on his words, "Apologise if my words found offence." She did a gentle bow and His hand pulled her bowed frame back straight against him by her waist. Prudence then answered, "From where I come, courage is considered an essential survival quality"

The man loved the way she talked. Standing at the edge of a cliff and being daring yet cautious of her footing. But it was only foolish when she had nothing to support her.

"Are you stating, what you said was out of courage which people should rather show against me?" He asked her, twisting her words against her.

Prudence was quick to shake her head, "No, your grace." She was hearing girls around, referring to him as his grace and not Lord, as Uncle Harris had. It was like stepping on eggshells and she was feeling some eggs forming cracks under her feet. The last thing she wanted was to offend a person with such high standing.

The man saw the girl retract, not arguing further. Her eyes lowered so as to not meet his. "May I know who I am sharing this beautiful dance with?" He asked using her same words.

Prudence's eyes snapped at him, worry laced lips. In the corner of her heart, she felt the question was asked so the man could later come searching for her head. Maybe she could answer with some lies, but then she remembered him calling her by her name previously in the conversation. "Prudence Warrier" Her head did a slight tilt as a gesture of bowing.

"Prudence," he repeated, her name leaving a whisper on his wicked lips. It was now she noticed how he was calling her by her first name. It had been a habit of hearing her name without the honorific and so she had missed it.

She dared not to ask his name. He had already mentioned what happened to the persons' who called him by his name. The man snuggled her slightly before letting her head dip back and her neck was open for him. Even though her dress had netted lace covering her skin that peeked through it, her scent was strong. Not perfumes or powders, her own scent. Strange, like a bunch of roses thrown in the fireplace.

Prudence saw the high ceiling of the hall and the chandeliers lit with numerous candles before the man's face came into sight again. The music changed, and he let go of her. Taking two steps back, Prudence did a deep bow and, knowing the man would not bow back, left the place as soon as she could.

The man watched the girl turn. Holding the hem of her dress, that dragged lightly on the ground. Her wavy red hair flowing from the side because of the speed she ran away from his daunting presence. One side of his lips rose with amusement.

Prudence was quick to step away and find herself a drink. Her heart weighed heavily, thinking she had offended the man whose presence was intimidating for her even after she left his side, and she wanted to get out of here. Her eyes checked outside the window and the darkness had settled on the land of Dewrest. The carriage she had come here in, along with Abiona must be still at the back gate, thought Prudence.

Her eyes went around the room to spot Abiona, but her friend was nowhere to be seen. She walked with prying eyes, searching everywhere, not realising she was headed where the daunting man she had danced with was standing.

At some distance, there were other eyes on her. Sam saw the girl dancing with his grace, Lord Dominick. He wanted to have a dance with this girl who his grace had considered worth dancing with. From what Sam was hearing, she was only a petty girl who worked at the stables. But given Lord Dominick had let go of her side, Sam walked towards her, to hold in his hand what Lord Dominick himself held a few minutes ago.

Prudence was walking when a man approached. He looked in his late thirties with a belly protruding and a thick moustache.

Sam stood proudly in front of her, not bowing to her as he introduced himself. "The dress looks good on you. I am Don Sam Murray." Prudence was in no mood to stay here. She was stressed about something else right now and Sam's red eyes had already repelled her where he added Don to his name. Clearly stating he was in a good position in the Mafia. Sam's chin lifted pridefully as he opened his palm, "Would you like to have a dance."

Prudence pulled a smile to her lips. She understood this man's pride, and it fanned the irk she had felt when she was dancing with Lord Dominick a while back. "It is very kind of you to ask me, but I am sorry, Mr Murray, I would rather retire for the day"

She did not bow, just turned her head and walked away to stop in her tracks when her eyes met with the man she had danced with a while back.

Her body was in a tug, standing between the two Night Creatures she had subtly offended tonight. Prudence made a sane choice, and instead of going back from where Sam stood now fuming at her for the deliberate insult; she rather walked ahead, avoiding her gaze from Lord Dominick.

She had decided to go to Abiona's room and rest, but her fate and that uncontrolled tongue had her in a predicament.

When Prudence just passed the man with whom she had shared a dance, she felt Sam's hand on her shoulder and jerk her.

They did not stand far from where Lord Dominick was and he took his leisure time to see what pit the girl had dug for herself. Sam, on the other hand, had not noticed Lord Dominick's presence in his rage-filled mind.

"How dare you not pay your respects, you low-class human." Sam's eyes flared and Prudence clenched her fists, cursing herself on the inside.

They stood at one of the corners away from the chatter-filled room, so Sam's voice was not heard by others. Prudence wanted Abiona to be here right now. If this was someone around ink road, where her house was, she would have gladly given this man a piece of her mind. But not here. Especially when the man was a Night Creature and a Don. The worry for these people coming after her only family, her mother, because of Prudence's such behaviour always pulled her back.