part 8
When the shadows lengthened, a simple black crew rolled up to the Opera House, lost among the brightly colored carriages lined up in a row. Without waiting for the crew to take their proper place, a very attractive man of thirty years of age promptly jumped out of the carriage in front of the main entrance; his shoes hit a paving stone with an inappropriate loud knocking. When he turned around to help the young lady out, his companion, his red hair sparkled red in the last rays of the setting sun. Many of the young ladies present, shocked by the impatience of his arrival, turned and looked at him in amazement; their judgmental views from under their frowned eyebrows were quickly replaced by judgmental ones.
Although the newcomer was dressed as a gentleman, he was folded as a simple laborer. He was tall and wide in the shoulders, and his back and chest seemed to be unbridled - the cover of the evening coat couldn't hide any of the perfectly developed muscles rolling under the cloth. His chin line was square and powerful, and his nose with a small hump, which gave his face a certain stiffness - if it wasn't for the constant smile bending the corners of his lips and dancing in the bright green eyes. But most of all, his manners attracted his attention. In every movement there was liveliness and energy, which made him immeasurably different from the saturated, low and puffy aristocrats, who surrounded him, entering the theater.
The young woman, whom he had helped politely to get out of the crew, was also noticeable enough that many turned their heads in her direction. Snow-white hair framed her cold, beautiful face, and her perfect proportions reminded her of classical Greek statues. She had a straight nose and rounded cheeks and chin, which gave her a softness that could not be concealed even by a serious expression of her face. Her full, curved lips, like Cupid's onions, were smiling and squeezed. As much as her companion was agile and changeable, she was the embodiment of calm and serenity: each of her movements was graceful, like the snow that drowned in the winter night.
She slowed down to see the crowd gathered in the large, shining eyes of the stormy sea. She turned away from the crowd and took a deep breath, shaking off her dusty gray silk skirts and accepting the hand she had proposed. The man smiled in response to her touch, the green of his eye laughed, but the young lady's face remained indifferent - with the exception of a small wrinkle between her eyebrows when she looked again at the crowd that had gathered. The man reached out to her in a flash and took her unusually large black bag.
The beautiful couple moved away from the crew and slowly headed straight for the entrance to the Opera House. Raising her hand, the white-haired woman distractedly corrected the unpretentious silver pendant on her neck, with warmth considering the architecture of the theater. Several women giggled quietly at the absence of the girl's jewelry and the fact that she stared at the Opera House, as some hillbilly. They also found the girl's charming attempt to put on a powdered wig with an old-style: what a nerve to wear white hair nowadays. Nouveau riches are always entertaining. And they were all interested in what this incredibly attractive man had found in her.
- Brill, relax," the man said warmly, bowing down so no one could hear them. - In the end, it was your idea. - She looked fiercely at him; the wrinkle on her nose bridge became deeper. Smiling at her, the man continued: - I must admit, I was a little shocked by your request. You always hated these frivolous demonstrations of status. Although I must say, I was extremely happy to use some services to get these tickets. There's nothing more fun than corrupting my sister's unusually boring social life with a little bit of my own - bright and intense.
- Honestly, Conner! This is serious. You know very well why I came here tonight," said Brill, grabbing her brother by the hand as they passed a group of chirping ladies. With her head down, she tried not to notice the tickling sensation of the many evaluating glances drilling her back as they went up the stairs.
Despite her serene appearance, Brill always felt uncomfortable in a large crowd. Growing up in rural Ireland, where superstition was part of everyday life, she always attracted unwanted attention with her unusual appearance. There were even rumors that she was not a human child, but a substitute left by the Little People to bring trouble to the villages. And as if that wasn't enough, she also said some strange things to her neighbors - which later became true. Farm accidents, crop failures, and sudden deaths haunted her dreams and sometimes seeped into her waking hours, convincing everyone that she had indeed been sent by the devil.
to be continued...