the countess finds pleasure in the amazement clear upon amalie’s face. quite unfortunate, she once again finds it, that she should be so shut away, an enchanting thing stuck in a place even more remote than the rostov estate! of course, to the typical eye, the rostovs would seem not at all as approximate to country - folk as hélène found them, but she had a particular taste for the bustle of petersburg. the majority of moscow seemed distasteful to her the idea of bald hills was simply horrifying. having met the charming mademoiselle, she now felt a sincere desire to save her from such terrible remoteness. she is not afraid to indicate as much, in her own way.
❝ I MUST TELL YOU, I ADMIRE YOUR STRENGTH, MY DARLING TO LIVE SO FAR OUT IN THE COUNTRY! I COULD NOT DO IT. ❞ she slides another disdainful glance at her husband, the expression passing before she speaks again. ❝ MY DEAR PIERRE ASKED ME TO COME WITH HIM ONCE, TO VISIT HIS ESTATES, BUT … ❞ she feigns bashfulness, cheeks effortlessly displaying a most delightful pink. ❝ I FOUND IT JUST IMPOSSIBLE TO LEAVE THE CITY. I SIMPLY CANNOT FEEL COMFORTABLE ANYWHERE ELSE. AND HOW DO YOU FIND IT, MADEMOISELLE? MOSCOW? ❞
amalie seemed to charm her even more than she had anticipated, having assumed that any companion residing with those stuffy, boring bolkonskys would certainly pose no interest to her. she still could not understand why the little princess lise, with all her charisma, decided on prince andrei. yet this endearing girl was nothing like them at all! how could that dull princess marya appreciate the mademoiselle as she deserved? as only countess bezukhova could? yes, elena vassilievna was quite determined to have amalie all for herself. as any good hostess, she wished to entertain.
❝ OH! ❞ her gloved hand slides down to grasp amalie’s hand within both of hers. ❝ I MUST SEND YOU AWAY FOR JUST ONE DANCE. I HAVE THE PERFECT PARTNER FOR YOU. AH ❞ in all her perfectly crafted glory, she had ordered one of her friends, as she called them, to be on standby. he was notably handsome … and, of course, of nobility. ❝ PRINCE KHILKOV! ❞ she called, smiling good - naturedly, her hands never loosening their grip on amalie’s. as he approached, her smile only grew. ❝ YOU MUST ACCOMPANY MY DEAR MADEMOISELLE AMALIA EVGENIEVNA FOR A DANCE. ❞ as instructed, the prince agreed.
it simply would not do for the young mademoiselle to appear thankless for the charity so graciously bestowed upon her by the bolkonskys, and so she tries to hide her utter agreement with what the countess says, with little success. ‘‘ it is not entirely unfamiliar to me, the countryside ... ’’ that darling smile of her flickers only barely as she trails off, eyes avoiding the side of the ballroom that princess marya (and count bezukhov, by association) occupies. lyon may have been more remote than paris, but nowhere could be more isolated than bald hills, and amalie has struggled to come to terms with that fact for as long as she’s been there.
‘‘ oh, it is so wonderful! ’’ she gives a happy little cry, eyes glittering with a girlish sort of glee, as though the simple prospect of being among all these people has so uplifted her spirits. and indeed, it is her sincerest hope that the colour in her cheeks does not embarrass her too much. not in front of yelena vassilievna, a woman whom she so wants to earn the respect of, and certainly not here, one of her only opportunities to grasp at a reprieve from the ordinary suffocation of her life. ‘‘ do you prefer moscow or saint petersburg, countess? i am afraid i can scarcely remember saint petersburg; it was so long ago that i was last there. ’’
A PRINCE! why, if only her dear old aunt, qu'elle repose en pauvre paix, could see her now. arm-in-arm with a society beauty, about to be introduced to the kind of people she ought to have known all along –– handsome, and noble, and wealthy, and inclined to a romantic disposition if she’s at all fortunate, though perhaps that’s a greedy requirement. she ought be sufficiently happy with the first three, and she is. (sufficiently happy, that is. more than, even, if such is possible.) knees bend ever-so-slightly as she gives an acknowledging curtsy, poised as it is polite, and amalie finds herself immensely grateful that hélène is gripping her hand so tightly, for she finds it grounds her immensely.