The Commander’s Yule Ball of 1942
The young man’s hand moved ever so slightly down off the young woman’s waist and, within an instant, Victor Cradon was cutting in and guiding Louisa Prior off the dance floor and back to the table at the head of the room.
“Lu, I do wish you’d stop dancing with such inappropriate men,” Becca scolded as the waiter brought Louisa a drink. Louisa opened her mouth to protest, but Beatrice Cradon beat her to it.
“Oh go on, she’s young and pretty-- let her have a bit of fun.”
“That is not the sort of fun a reputable young lady should be having,” Rebecca shot back, her brow furrowing at Beatrice.
“Ladies..” Xavier Vardon spoke suddenly from his seat at the head of the table, his tone not unpleasant but with an air that seemed to say enough is enough. He glanced towards Victor as the tempo changed. “This is slow enough for me even,” Victor held out his hand to his wife, who gladly took it and the pair headed towards the dance floor.
“Becca, I would’ve stopped him myself if Victor hadn’t showed up,” Louisa assured her sister. Rebecca patted her hand affectionately.
“Of course, I know you’d never promote such an action. It’s that dreadful Hargrove boy-- someone needs to teach him some manners!” Rebecca turned to Howard, who clearly hadn’t been listening to a single thing. “Howard?”
“Yes, alright, it's fine… outings are encouraged,” he answered confidently enough to send Louisa into a fit of giggles.
Rebecca instantly launched into telling their brother what he’d missed while lost in thought and all the reasons she thought Graham Hargrove was the most inappropriate of young men to be around their sister. Louisa somewhat glumly reached towards her glass of water (Rebecca had put a stop to her champagne consumption over an hour ago) when she heard a light cough. Her eyes darted to her right where she saw Xavier sliding a flute of champagne across the table towards her before bringing his index finger to his lips, grinning as he glanced at Rebecca and then back to Louisa. Louisa mimicked the motion, bringing her own finger up to her lips in response. Xavier winked before turning his attentions back to his wife, Gwen, who was hanging onto the man as if he were a life raft.
“Xavier, I’m so terribly sorry but I cannot seem to shake this headache. I hope you won’t think too poorly of me if I turn in early this evening?” Howard announced suddenly, rising to his feet across the table from Louisa.
“Alert the presses-- someone has decided to retire for the night before Victor!” Louisa announced teasingly, which was immediately met with a tut of disapproval from her sister. Xavier laughed, however, standing to shake Howard’s hand.
“No need for apologies my friend... Though perhaps you might escort Gwendolyn back home for the evening if you’re going?”
“I’m not ready to go yet,” Gwen protested.
“I think it might be best if you checked on the girls and nanny one last time for the night,” Xavier said in a tone that conveyed protests would no longer be tolerated. A tense moment hung in the air around the table before Gwendolyn rose to her feet and began marching towards the exit without another word to any of them.
“Goodnight, Howard,” Louisa and Rebecca chorused brightly as their older brother followed after the Commander’s second wife. Both sisters would come to regret not standing up to embrace their brother before he left that night, as his form retreating out the door would be the last time either would see him for quite some time.
Gwendolyn would tell everyone the next evening that Howard brought her to the nursery to check on the girls, leaving her with their night nanny while he returned to his own room, What happened to Howard after that moment would only come to light after a letter bearing the seal of Virginia Beauford was delivered to the border patrols of Vardon’s army. The letter would inform Xavier Vardon and the Prior sisters of Howard’s abduction by northern forces, that he would be pressed for information. Information, the letter informed Commander Vardon, the north meant to acquire by any means necessary.
No one knew this, however, as the party continued that evening. Victor and Beatrice returned from the dance floor, the former blissfully unaware that the woman he looked at so adoringly would soon be exposed as a spy. Rebecca soon found Louisa was drinking champagne, not water. The younger sister immediately outed Xavier as her supplier and Rebecca chastised the commander of the entire country to the delight of the table. The party would go on into the early hours of the morning all while the thread that might cause the entirety of Uprya to unravel was being pulled for the very first time.