January 25th, 1895 — Hogsmeade Memorial Assembly Rooms
Public Ball
Public Ball
"Perhaps you wish to retire momentarily," he offered kindly, apologetic even though it was not his fault, "that we might remedy the situation?"
The we hung heavy in the air, a tennis ball lobbed gently into her court. Miss Farris might see to the matter herself, and Gideon would not fault her in the slightest if she wished to do so. It left, however, a door open—a chance for time to speak with more privacy than the crowded dance floor and its peripheries allowed.
Gideon Browne, at nearly thirty, had no shortage of lovely ladies in his acquaintance: Miss Urquart, Miss Chevalier, any number of witches he had taken to the dancefloor with at previous balls. Fortunately, most women of marrying age were not as ferocious as his youngest sister, Prudence. But while he had crushes, even wondered if he was all but in love with Miss Chevalier, he had always shrugged off marrying as something to be done eventually, had not given any concrete thought to what he would like to see in a wife.
And to be clear, this was still largely the case; he expected the coming Season would be the one in which he began to look in earnest, and this was still some months away. He hadn't expected his eye to have been caught at, of all places, a potions competition.
Catch it she had.
Miss Matilda Farris—names were provided to the judges; the two had not been socially introduced—had handily found herself at the top of her round of the day's challenge, and had done so with grace, charm, and intellect. A formidable trio, in the healer's estimation. He had learned later that she had not been so successful in the final round of the competition, which he had not been able to assess himself, but nonetheless, making it as far as Miss Farris had was a sign that one was rather more capable than the run-of-the-mill debutante.
It had been Odira, oddly, who had reminded Gideon of that evening's ball, having asked if he would be accompanying their sister Loretta (he was not, at least not tonight). He had thought little enough of it until the wizard realized that perhaps, just perhaps, Miss Farris might be in attendance—gaining him that all-important social introduction and allowing Gideon to determine if she was someone he wished to become better acquainted with.
The stars had aligned, a small tip had been given to the evening's master of ceremonies to facilitate an introduction, and Gideon had been upon the cusp of asking to be added to Miss Farris' dance card when a dark girl had strolled by and, if Gideon was not mistaken, quite deliberately spilled her punch upon the back of Miss Farris' dress.
The healer looked at the young lady, horrifed on her behalf, then rushed to mollify her.
"What a dreadful accident!" he exclaimed. "Perhaps you wish to retire momentarily, that we might remedy the situation?"
