Chapter 21

Waltzing Juliet

Hoss Cartwright took another sip from his glass of punch. Not for the first time tonight he was happy that the giant bowl of vividly coloured punch, donated by Miss Abigail Jones and her mother, and secretly spiced up by Mitch Reinhardt and his father, was in easy reach.

While Joe Cartwright was having the time of his life, dancing and laughing with Caroline Granger, the most beautiful girl Virginia City had brought out in a long time, Hoss had been trapped into escorting Susan, Caroline’s older sister.

This arrangement had been the required condition for Joe to be allowed to take Caroline to the barn dance. Joe had called it a package deal, and, of course, had shaken on it with Mr. Granger, loving father of Caroline and Susan, before consulting Hoss on this matter—well aware that Hoss would have never agreed to it. It wasn’t that Susan was not every way as pretty as her little sister—on the contrary, some folk said she could be considered even prettier, if not for her spectacles. It wasn’t that Susan was not as good a dancer as Caroline—well, at least the rumour said she had been very good the last time she had actually danced at a barn dance…about three years ago. The main problem was that Susan was the city’s librarian, and a textbook specimen of a bookworm. She loved to discuss Shakespeare, and the use of the word “gentleman” in early English sonnets, and why one rather said “capot” than “sludge” (Hoss had no idea how that subject came up,) and whenever Hoss had said, “iffn ya say so,” she had glared at him through her glasses. Susan was in every way better suited for Adam, and Hoss wondered why his older brother, who had turned up alone at the dance, wasn’t hovering over Susan already, talking literature. But Adam just lingered somewhere on the other side of the punch bowl, talking even less than usual, keeping a careful eye on the entrance.

After further futile attempts of conversing about cattle drives and a litter of kittens at the Granger’s ranch, Hoss had given up talking to Susan, who seemed tremendously relieved about that. They sat next to each other, silently watching the other, much happier, couples: beaming girls in bright, low necked dresses, proud fellows in their Sunday best, black bows and all; and amidst everything, Joe and Caroline, a spectacular pair.

And then the door opened, and Miss Juliet made her entrance. Hoss was amazed at how easily she drew all attention to herself as she appeared in the room on the arm of a tall, dark-haired stranger, whose fancy clothes gave him away as the Easterner Adam had talked about: Jarvis Raymond. Raymond seemed to enjoy himself immensely, a feeling Hoss understood only too well since he had experienced the joy of acting as Miss Juliet’s escort a few weeks ago. While, without question, his little brother Joe held the prettiest girl in the room in his arms, Jarvis Raymond had the most distinctive woman at his side. In the midst of all the pink, yellow, light blue, lavender and chartreuse dresses, Miss Juliet’s gown of heavy dark green silk stood out like a swan in a duck pond, and with her unfamiliar elaborately made, pinned-up hairstyle she seemed even taller than usual. She moved in that graceful way Hoss had come to admire when he had shown her how to use a gun, and for a brief moment he wondered how it would be to watch her dance.

“Her shoes,” he heard Susan whisper.

“What?”

“Her shoes. Do you see her shoes?” Susan’s voice was nearly dreamy. “They are the same colour as her dress.”

“Yeah, I guess they are.” Hoss had no idea what Susan was talking about—or why.

“She can wear them only with this gown,” Susan said as if this had any significance. “She must have dozens of shoe pairs…one for every dress. Like the Queen.”

Hoss screwed up his face. “Iffn ya say so….”

Susan glared at him. Well, back to normal, Hoss thought. He gave her a small smile that didn’t seem to impress Susan in the slightest; and they both returned their attention to the smugly smiling Easterner and to Miss Juliet, whose eyes seemed to scan the room.

Hoss never deceived himself with the illusion that Miss Juliet had been searching for him, when her eyes stopped their wandering at his direction and suddenly a bright smile adorned her face. He knew at whom she was looking even before Adam moved past him and made his way across the room. It was clear as day where Adam was heading, and it was equally clear how happily his arrival was anticipated, if the sparkle in Miss Juliet’s eyes was any indication.

Like anyone who had ever seen Adam dismounting a horse, Hoss was aware that Adam had a special way of moving, smooth and sinuous like a panther. It made him an excellent rider, a marvelous horse breaker and a very popular dancing partner among the girls of Virginia City. Adam never needed to make formal arrangements for a barn dance—he just came and the girls stood in line to dance with him. Not, perhaps, so much tonight, Hoss had noticed, but in the light of the recent gossip that was to be expected. (Interestingly enough, after the dances most girls didn’t spend much time talking to Adam, and so he most commonly ended up on the front porch ‘talking literature’ with Susan Granger.) Miss Juliet’s elegance was in no way inferior to Adam’s; and suddenly Hoss tried to imagine how it would look if two people bestowed with so much natural grace danced together.

However, apparently the time for that hadn’t come yet. When Adam had reached the middle of the dance floor, a wispy hand sneaked out of the crowd and clasped his left arm.

“Mr. Cartwright, you are here after all. Where have you been hiding all this time?” Abigail Jones’ high-pitched voice was easily heard even above the music.

When Miss Abigail yanked at Adam’s arm and executed the final step that blocked his way, Hoss didn’t need to see more than Adam’s tightening back to know how his face looked. Like a petrified deer in the hunter’s sights. But of course, Miss Abigail wouldn’t notice his wide eyes or the drawn-down corners of his mouth. And sure enough, Miss Abigail smiled her sweetest smile and maneuvered herself into dancing position.

“Oh, Mr. Cartwright, do you hear that? A waltz! Oh, how I love to waltz, Mr. Cartwright!” Miss Abigail had her left hand on Adam’s shoulder and her right hand in his before he had the chance to excuse himself; though Hoss didn’t think he would have done that anyway: older brother was far too polite. And while Adam shoved a beaming Miss Abigail across the dance floor, Hoss watched how Miss Juliet’s face went from mild amusement to disappointment and back to exhilaration. Eventually her companion, Mr. Raymond, tapped lightly on her arm to get her attention, forcing her to tear her eyes away from Miss Abigail’s performance as queen of the ball.

Jarvis Raymond and Juliet Heatherstone made a handsome dancing couple. Miss Juliet danced with exactly the same confidence and elegant posture she seemed to display at everything she did and chatted amiably with her partner while they easily followed the rhythm of the music. She apparently enjoyed herself very much, laughed and, along with the other dancers, applauded the band enthusiastically after every song; and so, when she and Raymond parted, Hoss decided to give it a try with her at a polka or whatever dance would come next. He excused himself to Susan and stood up to cross the room before Miss Juliet had a chance to sit down. He was beaten by his brother Adam, who finally had disentangled himself from Miss Abigail’s clutches and made a beeline to Miss Juliet. Obviously the lady wasn’t willing to take a chance, either: she strode to meet Adam halfway, and it looked as if they were both pulled together by an invisible string. They came together in the middle of the room, smiling triumphantly like conquerors, and, without exchanging a single word, started to dance when the fiddlers struck up a slow waltz.

Hoss sat back down on his chair and watched how two people became one. Miss Juliet practically melted into Adam. They looked as if they had done this a thousand times before, as if Miss Juliet belonged there in Adam’s arms. They became one unit, moving in perfect synchrony, lissom and fluid, their eyes locked, their bodies clinging to each other in a nearly scandalous way. Their closeness and the tenderness of their movements would have been completely indecent had it not been so stunningly aesthetic and graceful.

Hoss had seen something like that before. Not with human beings, though, but with birds. Swans to be exact. Adam and Miss Juliet looked like two swans performing their wedding dance; but this was a secret Hoss intended to keep entirely to himself. He was sure Adam would be incredibly embarrassed, and Hoss could only begin to imagine how humiliated Miss Juliet would feel by that comparison. Yet there was no other way to describe what he saw, and Hoss wondered if the other people in the barn felt just the same. He looked to his left, where Susan Granger was staring at the dance floor, her sky blue eyes virtually piercing through her glasses, her mouth agape, her hands limp on her lap. Well, that sure answered his question. Lordy, Adam would have to deal with some more gossip during the next few weeks; and Hoss wasn’t sure which would grate more on his brother’s nerves: the gossip about his gun fighting skills or the gossip about his dancing habits.

Adam and Miss Juliet, apparently oblivious to the world, continued their improper dancing until the musicians took a break. When the music died down and Adam swirled her into a final twist, Miss Juliet parted from him with a hinted curtsy and a gracious smile. She went back to the table and to Mr. Raymond, who didn’t seem too pleased about her prolonged absence but took up conversation as soon as she arrived at his side. It went on like this for the rest of the evening. Whenever the fiddlers played a waltz, Adam and Miss Juliet found each other at the dance floor, performed their swan dance, and after that Miss Juliet went back to talking to her escort, Mr. Raymond. The pattern never changed until late after midnight, when the fiddlers strummed their last chord and the assembly slowly broke up.

Hoss and Joe had delivered Caroline and Susan to the girls’ father earlier, and while Joe had received a quick, hearty kiss in the dark of the front garden from Caroline, Susan had bid Hoss a curt goodbye. Hoss was still explaining to Joe that he owed him now, and that it wouldn’t be very good for little brother’s health if he included Hoss in any package deal ever again when they caught up with Adam, who was waiting with their horses at the livery stable.

In the light of the waning moon the Cartwright brothers cautiously rode home. As usual Adam rode ahead with Joe and Hoss side by side following him. After any social Adam preferred not to talk, and Hoss had learned to respect his brother’s need for silence just as he understood his other brother’s urge to speak.

“Whatcha think, Hoss,” Joe started the conversation the way he always started their talk after a barn dance. “Did I have the prettiest girl at the dance or not?”

“That’s fer sure, Joe. Caroline is likely the prettiest gal in town,” Hoss answered as he was expected.

“Boy, and she dances! That girl never gets tired, Hoss. She sure wore me out tonight!” Joe didn’t sound like he was about to complain about that. He started to whistle and managed to grin at the same time, a trick that would have been even more impressive had he been in tune. After he had piped his way through what probably was supposed to be “Yellow Rose of Texas” he stopped and leaned over to Hoss, stage whispering, “And ole Adam here sure had some fun, too; at least after Miss Abigail let him go. Boy, did you see his face when she cornered him?”

Hoss grinned back. “Naw, but I saw his shoulders goin’ all tense.” Hoss shot a glance at Adam’s back. He couldn’t see much in the dim moonlight, only that Adam rode steadfastly straight on, apparently unaware of his brother’s topic of conversation. “He was doing all right with Miss Juliet, though. Did ya see them dance, Joe?”

“How could I not see them?” Joe snorted. “The Queen was the only girl he danced with besides Miss Abigail. Come to think of it, I never saw him do anything else but dance with Miss Juliet. Did he even talk to Susan?”

Hoss shook is head. “Nope. He ain’t done any talkin’ at all.” And then it struck him. “Not even ta Miss Juliet,” he said in wonder. No, not a single word had been exchanged between the two of them the whole evening long.

________________________________________________________________________

Dancing: the vertical expression of a horizontal
desire legalized by music. ~ George Bernard Shaw