Were it at all her choice, Rosie would have elected to forego the season completely this year. Her attendance was already plotted to be minimal, what with her healing training exhausting her to tears. There were some events that were not optional in her mother's eyes though (those that would advance their family or give Rosie the best prospect of finding another partner or whatever other ridiculous reason the Lenore could feasibly claim) and, unfortunately, the coming out ball was one of them.
Ordinarily, the coming out ball wouldn't be a part of the required festivities. It wasn't as though any woman aside from those debuting would be remarked upon and those that were wouldn't be noted favorably. However, the Reinharts were a family friend of the Hunnifords dating back generations, and so the Hunnifords were in attendance that night in support of the youngest daughter's debut.
She spotted Ezra early in the evening and had thus far done all she could to avoid crossing paths with him. He seemed to be determined to dance with every child in a white dress ('I hope Mr. Delaney is a good dancer' echoed in her ears.) and so Rosie had determined to steer clear of the dance floor. They could do this, somehow, someway. They could both learn to function in one another's orbits without interacting, planets did it all the time.
Fate, however, seemed to be determined otherwise because it wasn't long after Rosie had indulged in her third glass of champagne (she'd had at least five before stepping out onto the terrace on Valentine's Day) that Mrs. Reinhart was begging Rosie's help in fetching Priscilla. She knew better than to refuse and so, despite knowing she ought to beg off, Rosie set off in the young girl's — and Ezra's — direction.
"Priscilla," Rosie called from behind the debutante. "Your mother has asked me to fetch you, she has someone she'd like to introduce you to." She refused to look at Ezra, not when jealousy flared hot in her veins at the thought of him dancing with these inexperienced children.
Ordinarily, the coming out ball wouldn't be a part of the required festivities. It wasn't as though any woman aside from those debuting would be remarked upon and those that were wouldn't be noted favorably. However, the Reinharts were a family friend of the Hunnifords dating back generations, and so the Hunnifords were in attendance that night in support of the youngest daughter's debut.
She spotted Ezra early in the evening and had thus far done all she could to avoid crossing paths with him. He seemed to be determined to dance with every child in a white dress ('I hope Mr. Delaney is a good dancer' echoed in her ears.) and so Rosie had determined to steer clear of the dance floor. They could do this, somehow, someway. They could both learn to function in one another's orbits without interacting, planets did it all the time.
Fate, however, seemed to be determined otherwise because it wasn't long after Rosie had indulged in her third glass of champagne (she'd had at least five before stepping out onto the terrace on Valentine's Day) that Mrs. Reinhart was begging Rosie's help in fetching Priscilla. She knew better than to refuse and so, despite knowing she ought to beg off, Rosie set off in the young girl's — and Ezra's — direction.
"Priscilla," Rosie called from behind the debutante. "Your mother has asked me to fetch you, she has someone she'd like to introduce you to." She refused to look at Ezra, not when jealousy flared hot in her veins at the thought of him dancing with these inexperienced children.
![[Image: o7xGVB5.png]](https://i.imgur.com/o7xGVB5.png)