Page 119 of The Shadows Between Us
“Whatever is he doing over there?” I ask.
Rhoda sighs. “He’s waiting to, well, wait on me.”
“But didn’t you tell him he was to be your escort?”
“I did, but I think he misunderstood me. He only accepted the clothing I had made for him because he knew he couldn’tserveme tonight if he wasn’t dressed for the occasion.”
“Oh, Rhoda, you must set things straight for him.”
“That’s what I told her,” Hestia says.
“I tried,” Rhoda says. “I told him to walk with me and be at my side,but he insisted he could see if I needed anything from the corners of the room.”
I shake my head. “Stop being so timid with him. Sometimes men need a little help. Do something that he can’t mistake as being a servant’s task.”
“Like what?”
“Invite him to dance with you.”
Her eyes turn down, and she fiddles with her own fingers.
“What’s the matter?” Hestia asks.
“What if he tells me no?” Rhoda says. “What if he’s trying to tell me he’s not interested by purposely misunderstanding my intentions? What if I’m harassing him? Or worse, what if he feelsobligatedto abide my wishes when I do make myself clear because I am his employer?”
“Oh, Rhoda,” Hestia says. “All that uncertainty and fear? It comes with being in love. But once you’re past it, everything is wonderful! Of course Galen cares for you. He’s been at your side foryears. No servant is obligated to become your friend and confidant, yet Galen has always been both for you. He loves you. It’s obvious to everyone. Now, go and get your man.”
Rhoda steels herself before marching in Galen’s direction.
I turn to Hestia. “Very sage advice.”
“I only learned it myself a short time ago.”
I pause a moment. “How—how do you get past that fear? How is it worth what might come later? The heartbreak?”
She considers my questions before answering, “I think that when you care enough for someone, you reach a point where it’s far more painful not to have him at all than to have him and risk losing him. You realize the risk is worth it. Because happiness, however short-lived, is always worth it.”
We both watch as Rhoda reaches Galen. She says something to him,and he nods. She says something more, and he looks at her, his head quirking in curiosity. Then she throws her head back, grabs his arm, and drags him to the dance floor.
It’s awkward to watch at first. Rhoda leads, because Galen has not been taught the dances. Not as a commoner. But after a moment, his arms hold her more firmly, his feet find the steps, and he has eyes for nothing but the dazzling woman in front of him. He has the look of a man who has just been handed the world.
“Now, isn’t that worth it?” Hestia says.
“Where is your Lord Paulos this evening?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Oh, he said he’d be a little late. Some business he had to attend to.”
“Men are always attending to business.”
“But the king isn’t. Is he not just sitting on the dais? Why haven’t you gone to him?”
“He hasn’t come to me.”
“He knows you’re in charge of this party. Perhaps he fears getting in the way.”
“The party is already all planned out. I am simply enjoying it now. He should be enjoying it with me. But he won’t even look at me now.”
Hestia purses her lips. “Sometimes I wish we could know exactly what ridiculous thoughts were going through their heads.”
