Poor In Heaven

CHAPTER 9

"Eyes full of anger"

Lydia was left alone next to Felix since the girls had gone dancing and the Smiths and Taylors were talking to the others at the table. Then she noticed Felix looking at Mary-Jane, in a way only a young man in love looks at a girl. She wanted to know what she really meant to him, and to find out if she was going to compete with Mary-Jane for Felix's heart. So, she took the opportunity to strike up a conversation with him.

"Do you like this girl?" she asked him with a smile.

"No, I'm just observing her. She is very beautiful tonight." Felix said hesitantly.

"Yes, indeed, Mary-Jane has become a very beautiful lady. The last time I saw her she was a little girl. Now she has become a whole woman."

"Yes she is. I had misunderstood her. She is not at all like I thought. She's mad at me and it's my fault."

"A woman keeps everything inside her. We are very mysterious creatures."

"I'll agree with you on that."

"I heard you were in London too. Too bad I haven't met you earlier."

"Yes I was, but then I went to the country and worked on my grandfather's fields."

"Why bother with the fields when you have so much money?"

"I like to earn my own money."

"Well, Mr. Felix, you're a lot more interesting than I expected."

Lydia had taken a liking to Felix, she had managed to talk to him, and she would do everything in her power to bring the two of them closer together. This would not be a difficult thing for her, since she had always had her way with men, and almost no one had rejected her. She realized that Mary-Jane might be standing in her way as Felix seemed to like her, but she had other plans in mind.

"Mr. Felix, I think you should ask me to dance. No noble gentleman has asked me to dance since I came."

Felix could not refuse a young lady, so he agreed to dance with her. When they got up to dance, all eyes were on them. They were both newcomers to the town, and the residents hadn't seen them for many years. Everyone started whispering to each other. Some of them actually thought that Felix and Lydia could be a very suitable couple.

Mary-Jane was dancing with John. She hadn't noticed Felix and Lydia, so when they approached she was surprised and pretended not to see him. Felix's gaze sought for her face, her eyes, but she had sunk into her partner's arms. A huge fire of jealousy and anger was burning inside him. Mainly, he was angry with himself, because it was because of him that he had not been Mary-Jane's partner that night.

The couples danced to the beat of the music, and all of them were happy. Mr. Smith had already had a lot to drink, which worried his wife about what was to come at home. She was afraid she would lash out at Mary-Jane again because she was dancing with John tonight. She still preferred not to say anything and let her husband drink as much as he wanted. The rest of the girls, Grace, Madeline and Ruth were discussing with their friends which of the young men present tonight would ask them to the dance. The only lucky one was Grace, when a young man from the neighboring village asked her to dance. Of course, Grace accepted by force, just so as not to offend him. She thought it was out of her class to dance with such a partner.