A Christmas Cotillion

the gardens, Jonathan was surprised to hear himself hailed by a familiar voice. He turned to see Freddy striding towards him, hands in coat pockets, looking glum and without a crowd of young people trailing in his wake.
“Hello Freddy,” Jonathan said, trying to keep the surprise from his voice as his cousin fell into step beside him. “On your own today?”
“Hmph,” Freddy replied, evidently out of sorts. “The girls have planned some amateur theatricals tonight and so everyone is arriving to join in.” He added to this somewhat grumpily, “They’re all buzzing around Corinna in the drawing-room.
“Ah,” Jonathan said with a raised eyebrow, assuming ‘they’ referred to Corinna’s myriad other swains. “Then you were very clever to leave them to it,” he affirmed, knowing full well Freddy would have left the room out of pique rather than a wise withdrawal.
“Really?” Freddy replied, looking startled by this alternative reading of his actions.
Having got his notice, Jonathan continued, “Absolutely. There’s no point in fighting for someone’s particular regard when they are basking in such a great deal of general attention. A tactical retreat was a very sensible move. Now, Miss Corinna will wonder where you are.”
Freddy’s normally mobile features were completely still, as he took that in. “Oh right,” he said, a little uncertainly, turning to face Jonathan. “So you think I should stay clear of her for a bit?”
Jonathan smiled inwardly, thinking that Freddy hadn’t asked for anyone’s advice, let alone his older cousin’s, for more years than he could remember.
“We wouldn’t want the young lady to think you were sulking,” he said, even though that was exactly what Freddy was doing. “By all means join in when you are ready, but just don’t show a particular preference for her company.”
Freddy trudged alongside him, absorbing this undertaking. “I rather enjoy play-acting and was looking forward to playing the role of the hero alongside Corinna’s heroine,” he mused. “But all the others will be fighting for that part too.”
“Let them,” Jonathan said. “After all, that way, you may get the chance of a better and bigger role.”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” said Freddy, ingenuously, the idea of temporary theatrical stardom evidently appealing to him. They walked along a little further in silence, Jonathan leaving Freddy to ponder his way through this new strategy.
When they had completed a turn around the house and had reached the front door again, Freddy cleared his throat and said, “Well, I’d better be heading in before all the best parts are taken, then.”
“Yes, indeed,” Jonathan agreed mildly. “Thank you for your company, Freddy.”
His cousin gave him a slightly preoccupied smile and Jonathan watched as he walked through the entrance door with the spring returning to his step.

Chapter 9
After a day spent outdoors with the gentlemen, mainly avoiding the chaos of the upcoming production, Jonathan was quite looking forward to the drama that evening, which apparently would take place before the usual round of dancing. In all honesty, he felt he would get at least as much entertainment from the rivalries between the players, given all the emotional undercurrents, rather than the performance itself.
He sat amongst the audience in the morning room, now an improvised theatre, as the performance commenced, and noticed with amusement that Corinna was indeed accompanied onstage by one of her most fervent admirers. However, despite being the female love-interest, that young lady did not look as pleased as she might be, as the roles of the lovers were quite small and her hero was rather wooden in his actions and spoke quite haltingly.
Freddy, on the other hand, had garnered the part of the villain which he portrayed with evident relish. This scene-stealing evoked a thoughtful pout from Miss Corinna. Belinda and Mr. Hammond, as suited their less flamboyant personalities, were helping with the properties table and seemed to be in admirable accord as they handed hats, shawls, and implements to the actors about to go on the makeshift stage.
He glanced over to Belinda’s cousin, who was smiling at this show of togetherness. Jonathan was pleased she was not adverse the idea of the replacement for Freddy as a suitor for her young charge.
However, at least for Jonathan, the real star of the show came as a complete surprise. It hadn’t occurred to him that his Cupid (or Nicholas, as was proper) would be involved in the play. He had evidently been roped in at the last minute, to act out several minor characters that were left remaining in the piece.
He was clearly an old hand at this, as he slipped from the role of a quavering and bent old man to a prim servant, then an out-of-breath messenger and so on, with practised poise. In the darkened room, with only the stage area lit, Jonathan could admire him without any secrecy or self-consciousness. His swift carriage, lean limbs, and elegance of movement made Jonathan’s pulse quicken every time he appeared.
When the play was over and the cast took their onstage bow together, Nick looked straight into Jonathan’s eyes and smiled as if he had performed for him alone. Later that night, after he went to bed following the dancing, Jonathan’s final waking thoughts were no longer of lost love but of that smile which seemed so full of promise.


Chapter 10
A number of the guests were due to depart the next day and the household was in a state of bustle. Indeed, Jonathan had planned to leave before New Year to spend that occasion with his aunt and family, but as events on the romantic front were changing rapidly, he waited on Freddy’s plans.
After the play, Corinna had been quite subdued and had not paid much attention to her bevy of suitors. Her eyes flickered often to Freddy, as he laughingly lapped up praise for his enthusiastic performance and did not bother to glance her way. If these were tactics, rather than heedless vanity, then he was obviously biding his time as Jonathan had advised.
Freddy had also been quite attentive to Belinda during the evening,