the grand ball

I took courage and went on there was music then they got married in the ballroom. so I went to where I could hear the music the lively residence was much bigger than ours full of arches columns and stucco and mirrors gilded with gold on the walls and the roofs were all painted when I entered the ballroom I was breathless on the wall in front of me there were huge windows with velvet curtains bordered with gold trimmings an immense chandelier came down from the roof all made of transparent crystal drops and on the roof on the roof there was a painting of nymphs dancing barefoot on the water. The room was so big that 100 people could dance without ever touching each other I went in and a little later a boy I had never seen appeared beside me and kissing my hand he asked me to dance with him I was about to say no but I saw two familiar figures in the distance so I accepted as we danced I asked him "may I know your name"

"Of course, I am Count Lorenzo d'Aqui from Toulouse in France.

"But you speak Italian very well, you don't even have a French accent, how come? "We talked a lot about France and Italy, but at a certain point I realised that he had asked me what my name was. Well, I had told him, so I said, "Excuse me, don't take this the wrong way, but I forgot to introduce myself.

"There's no need, I already know your name!" he exclaimed, leaving me speechless.

"What?" I said, surprised. "Who said that?" he laughed, he had perfect teeth, a dazzling smile and a special charm, but nothing like Fabrizio.

"aren't you Angelica di montò Fabian's sister daughter of Baron Armando and his wife letizia?" I was shocked how did this stranger know all this?

"how could he know all this?" i asked. "vel I said I had heard a lot about you now you know I wasn't lying" while all this was going on Fabrizio and Fabian arrived and they were both surprised to see me dancing with a stranger "who is the one dancing with my sister?

"After a few minutes Fabrizio said "it seems to me that she has taken a liking to dancing with strangers and she didn't even notice that the music had finished".

"I didn't think you were so jealous".

"indeed I'm not." Fabian looked at him furtively "yeah right ...... and then you can always go get her"

"no I'll wait" said Fabrizio but when he saw me looking into the eyes of the stranger as he calls him he laughed I couldn't stand it any longer and a little later I saw him next to me "can I fool around with your lady?"of course" he answered very gallantly, kissed my hand and said "see you at the next dance, my goddess" and he left. I felt Fabrizio's arms wrap around me and hold me a little roughly so I looked at him, his face was calm but his eyes were on fire "and now what's wrong? Why are you angry?" I said calmly "I leave you for ten minutes and you find another suitor?

"I didn't think you were so jealous". "and in fact I'm not".

"sure ....io I say yes". "ok ..... come on .....forse a little ......." he lowered himself a little more towards me and added "and it's also your fault you're too beautiful....." he blushed hearing this but I still said in a whisper "you know I love only you there's no need to be jealous" hearing this he squeezed me even harder. I saw Count Lorenzo d'Aqui coming towards us twice during the evening, I thought he was going to send me off to dance again, but as soon as Fabrizio saw him near, he dragged me off to dance the second time, and I couldn't help saying to him: "Thank goodness you're not jealous!

"why would you want to dance with him?"

"No," I said simply, "good, because it bothers me that someone else touches you besides me," he said seriously, and I said just as seriously, "so does that mean that these days you'll also be my personal maid?" I joked, not thinking that he would take my word for it, but instead his eyes shone when he heard my words and understood the meaning, and I said, "maid is something else, not what you think," "we'll see. in the middle of the evening we toasted Merry Christmas and shortly afterwards someone started to leave it was late at night when our parents said goodbye to us to go home we continued to play cards and dance for a while longer but when I saw the dawn a sudden sleep invaded me "I'm going to bed "I said to my brother and Fabrizio he called a servant and said "accompany the young lady to the orchid room" he followed him and we took a strange tour of the house but at a certain point I looked around was there anything familiar in the corridor or not? I don't know why, but there was something familiar. Had I been there before? I didn't remember at one point we stopped in front of a white and gold door the servant opened it and the most beautiful room I'd ever seen appeared on the peach-pink walls were painted with white orchids the furniture was all decorated, including the bed the canopy was made of white and gold lace and the carpets of white fur white the servant was leaving when I called him "could you kindly help me open the bodice he helped me and left the maid had already put a nightgown on the bed I put it on and went to bed the sun was already high and I fell asleep wondering what the day would hold for me today