As the evening wore itself on, Ariane started to grow a bit weary, having assumed that Kerenza had found her way out and had left the party. This was obviously concerning for her, and now she wondered if she had perhaps come on a little bit too strong. Of course, people knew of her romantic interest in women, she did not go out of her way to hide it or announce it. Being naturally charming also helped very much. And this was the governor, so she had to make a good impression and now she wondered if her casual charmâand maybe a slight bit of flirtingâscared her off.
When she found a free moment, she excused herself from the festivities and made a beeline for her veranda. During her parties, it perhaps was her one escape to get some fresh air and forget about the world for a minute. She opened the doors to the veranda and stepped out, the cool evening breeze a relief to her skin. She closed her fan and walked towards the edge, but soon enough, the reflection of light from the inside caught the sparkle of a red dress. Arianeâs breath hitched, but she managed to swallow the lump in her throat before speaking. âWell, fancy seeing you out here.â
âHmm?â Kerenza had expected to be found sooner or later, but she had passed a likely indecent amount of time admiring the view rather than returning inside to do what she had come to do. She couldnât say what about the night had put her in a melancholy mood, but even her usual pep-talks had been unable to convince her to return inside. She blamed the night for the feeling, assuming it would pass the next day, or the next party.Â
It was the hostess who had discovered her, and Kerenza felt the flush of embarrassment. âYouâll have to excuse me. Admiring the grounds, I didnât mean to ignore your party, itâs been a lovely affair.â She hoped that would be enough to make amends for the unintended snub of the affair. Usually, she was much better at presenting a more proper version of herself.Â