The insult don't go unnoticed by the two morons, and it seems to be more than they can handle. They crack up, flooding the room with their obnoxious laughter, and I feel the angry heat rushing to my cheeks.
"Shut up!" I snarl at 'em, my emotions getting the better of me. "Don't know what you two find so funny. You probably ain't got any idea what an elephant even is."
"No, yer right, Mistress, we ain't. But we reckon it can prolly walk better than you in dem shoes," Talbert drawls, causing Beanie's laughter to turn to outright snorting. He snorts so hard he chokes on his own spit. Ignoring the choking man and the other one now furiously pounding his back, I focus instead on Tater. As much as I hate these damn shoes, there ain't no way I’m giving up now—just to prove a point.
"I can do this," I hiss at him through gritted teeth, and taking a few more test steps, I start to make my way back across the room.
"This is useless, Tater. I have never seen any girl take so long to learn—"
I dismiss the comment, as well as the murmuring and sniggering still coming from the other side of the room, and focus on staying upright. My ankles twist again, but I catch myself from falling.
"Really? Any fool should have been able to master this by now," Duchess snips as I pass by her. "Slow your steps. Don't walk so quickly. And straighten your back."
Okay. Enough is enough.
"Lean slightly or straighten my back. Which one is it? Make up your mind. What the hell you tryin' to say to me?" I’m in her face, and she steps back, startled.
"Tara, dear, maybe we should take a little break," Tater interjects smoothly as he steps between me and my torturer, attempting to placate me. "A little breather, shall we say? As my dear mother would say, 'Elegance is found in the mind; the rest can be learned.' You need to step away for a bit, but you will learn."
"Aye, she'll learn, but it will prolly be easier if ya trained the eleefent," Talbert says outta the corner of his mouth, his words meant for Beanie's ears alone, but I hear him. I also hear Beanie's maniacal laughter in response, and my control finally snaps. Bending over, I yank a shoe from my foot and throw it across the room with the force of my red-hot fury. The laughter cuts short as Beanie ducks, barely avoiding the shoe from smacking him in the head. Instead, it smashes into the wall, breaking off the heel, and I hear Duchess yell in horror, "My shoe!" I feel a certain vengeful smugness as I stare at the mutilated footwear.
"You little brat," Duchess yells at me in disbelief. "Those were a pair of my best. Do you know how much they cost me?"
"Tara! What the—oh, I am so sorry, Duchess," Tater blusters, his hands flapping in the air.
I don't pay no mind to his antics. I'm too busy reaching for the other shoe, intending to throw that as well at the still-laughing Beanie, who’s now howling at Talbert, "She tried to kill me with a shoe!"
"Tara, don't you dare," Tater yells as he catches my arm. "What are you doing?"
"She's ruining my best shoes is what she's doing!" Duchess screeches as she tries to yank the other shoe outta my hand, but I hang on to it for dear life.
"Give me that," she grunts as she tries to ply it outta my hands, and I swat at her with the shoe like she’s some pesky maskeeto.
"No. Get offa me."
"She threw a shoe at me,” Beanie moans.
"Tara, stop it," Tater orders.
The little man dances around the both of us, trying to separate us, and I can still hear Beanie and Talbert laughing, fueling my wrath. Duchess is yelling cuss words at me I ain't even heard before, and I swear Tater even threatens to put me over his knee at one point. The clamor is almost deafening.
"What the hell is going on here?" Jax's face staring at us through the now open doorway reflects a mixture of shock and disbelief. Finn's head pokes through underneath his arm; his wide eyes filled with curiosity.
"We could hear you from all the way down the hall," Jax says.
"The girl has gone mad is what's happening here," Duchess squeals as she tries yanking the shoe from my grasp again, but I let it go, and she stumbles, falling back on her arse with a sharp cry.
Tater clucks his tongue in worry as he swiftly pulls her back on her feet. Glaring daggers at my smirking face, she pulls the liberated shoe close to her chest with one hand while trying to smooth her dress with the other.
"I am done here," she says to no one in particular as she tries to fix her disheveled hair that has fallen from its perfectly coiffed bun.
"Duchess, wait," Tater begs as he tries to stop her dramatic exit.
"Let her go," I say, shrugging my shoulders. "Ain't no big loss. She ain't much of a teacher anyways."
She whirls on her pointy shoes and comes to stare down her nose at me. "I am a perfectly capable teacher. You, on the other hand, are an idiot."
Did she just call me an idiot? Oh, hell no. Without thinking, I pounce on her and knock her offa those damn heels as we both go crashing to the floor. I can hear Tater shouting in dismay and the two in the corner laughing outta control as they yell, "Cat fight!" I ignore 'em all, my only thought to pull that insulting tongue outta her head. I try to get my hands around her neck as I feel her jerk painfully on my hair.
"Ow," I yell as she tugs so hard I expect to see a handful of my hair come away. "You bitch." I raise my fist, intent on giving her the shiner of a lifetime, but I barely graze her chin as I am pulled away and lifted into the air.
"Let me go," I scream, my legs kicking at empty air.
"Calm down, you little spitfire," Jax hisses in my ear as he holds me tight to his chest and pulls me outta reach of the Duchess.
I watch, simmering mad, as Tater helps her to her feet, but Jax still don't let me go no matter how much I struggle. She no longer resembles the perfect image she was when we first started out. Her hair hangs in clumps about her shoulders, the sleeve of her dress is ripped a little, and she has lost one of her own shoes so that she is leaning to one side. She looks befuddled, like she ain't quite sure what just happened. To be quite honest, I kinda feel the same way. Did I really just attack her?
"If I let you go, will you behave?" Jax murmurs in my ear, and I struggle a bit more, but finally I give in and nod in agreement. He slowly loosens his grip, still not trusting me, but once he sees I’m as good as my word, he puts me down. I move quickly to the side, embarrassed at my overreaction.
"Duchess, are you okay?" Tater is hovering about the woman like a worried hen as she stares at me with wide eyes.
"She attacked me," she says in wonder, and Tater gives a sympathetic nod. "She is truly mad."
I bare my teeth and growl like some devil cat, and she backs away, expecting another attack most likely.
"I am not getting paid enough for this," she sputters, and turning on her good heel, she starts limping from the room. Tater follows behind her, trying to appease her with his words.
"I am so sorry. I cannot possibly understand what the girl was thinking. You must stay; I'm sure Mack will compensate you for the shoes—"
"Boys," she snaps at Beanie and Talbert as she walks by, ignoring Tater's pleading. "Come carry my bags. I am leaving here today."
Even though they come to attention at her command, they both shoot me lopsided grins like I’d somehow made their day. Talbert even sends a sneaky salute my way before he disappears out the door, and it makes me snigger.
"Glad you find it so funny," Jax says. He stands with his arms crossed, legs spread, and looks at me with such stern disapproval that I have to turn my head so he don't see my sudden smile. "Mack is going to be furious."
My grin disappears, and my stomach drops. He’s right. Mack is gonna be pissed.
"She started it," I whine in my own defense. "She kept insultin' me. She called me an idiot."
"And that gave you the right to attack her? I'm starting to think she is right; quite possibly, you are mad. What the hell was that? We don't have time for this foolishness, Tara. The party is only two weeks away. We have to be ready, and you have just driven away y
our trainer."
"Trainer for what?" I snap. "I don't need to learn how to walk in stupid shoes for this plan to work. This whole idea, this whole trainin’ is stupid if you ask me. We get in, we rescue Lily and Ben, we get out. Why are we even wastin' our time on this?"
"Mack don't think it's a stupid idea, Tara. And ain't you willin' to try anythin’ to help get Ben and Lily back?" Finn asks.
I had forgotten Finn was even there. His words, well, they make me feel real stupid for what I’d just done and more than a little guilty for him having seen me do it.
"You're right, Finn. I will do anythin’ to get 'em back. I'm sorry I lost my temper. You shouldna had to see that," I say.
He shrugs. "She shouldna called you an idiot. That wasn't nice either."
Ah, to see things always through the eyes of a child.
"Be that as it may, what are we going to do about your training? If we’re going to pull off being Mack's kin at this party, we have to know what we’re doing, how to act. This may be our only chance at getting them out. We can't risk getting found out before we even have had a chance to find them," Jax says.
"I know, I know. It just seems like … like we’re takin' so long. Who knows what they may be goin' through? What he may be doin' to 'em. I hate waitin'."
"Really? I hadn't noticed," Jax drawls, and I narrow my eyes at his sarcasm. "Well, the first thing you’re going to have to do is apologize to Duchess. Mack paid good coin to bring her here, and for you to drive her away … he ain't gonna be happy."
I shake my head. "I ain't sayin' nuthin' at all to her. She brought it on herself. I ain't apologizin' for anythin’ I done." I fold my arms stubbornly.
Jax nods at my words and strokes his chin as he studies me. "Okay, then you need to go tell Mack what you did and why she’s leaving. He's in the training room by the way, practicing with his white sword. You know the one that looks like a meat cleaver? Looks like it could chop a man in two with one stroke? Let me know how that goes."
I stare back in defiance but finally drop my shoulders in resignation. "Fine," I say, choosing the lesser of the two evils. "I'll go apologize … but it ain’t 'cause I mean it."
Don't know if it was the apology or Mack doubling her payment, but Duchess agrees to stay, much to my chagrin. I think she really does believe me to be mad, though, 'cause she don't insult me anymore and keeps eyeballing me like I might jump her at any moment. She has even given up on the idea of the heels, though I think that may have been more of Tater's doing. The torture devices are replaced by a pair of white, flat shoes, so soft to the touch it’s almost like wearing nuthin'. I love the feel of 'em. “Silk slippers” Tater had called 'em. I call 'em relief. They hug my feet perfectly and slide 'cross the floors like I’m floating on clouds. Like my word learnin', though, I reckon they would be just as useless out in the sand lands, so I didn't wanna put too much stock in 'em. Just another silly thing the city folk had come up with far as I’m concerned.
As impractical as they are, I cain't help but run my hands in admiration over the soft material as I wait for Duchess to join me to start our training today. Dancing, she’d said. Like I need to learn how to dance? You just had to move your body to music. It wasn't that hard, really. But I’d promised Mack I would behave and do whatever she asked of me no matter how stupid I thought it to be. Lily and Ben deserve that much of me at least.
She soon arrives with her typical party in tow: Tater, Beanie, and Talbert, but I'm surprised to see Jax with 'em as well. Is he supposed to be Mack's spy now, making sure I behave and do as I'm told? I'm about to protest his presence when I notice the two idiots are carrying something very strange looking indeed. It’s a fair-sized, boxy object with a rounded top and what appears to be a golden horn growing out of it. Very odd.
"Do I even wanna know?" I say as they place it with care on a table top, Tater hovering anxiously and watching their every move. Impatient, he shoos them away as soon as they finish and starts running his hands lovingly over the box.
"Is this not magnificent? I have not seen one in over twenty years. Not since my dear mother passed on. She owned one of course back in the day. Her clientele loved the music she had playing all the time. I think some of them came for that purpose alone. She—"
"No way! That thing plays music?" I ask, cutting short Tater's ramblings. Don't need to hear any more stories about his ma that much I do know.
"Oh, yes, and quite beautifully, I might add. It's called a gramophone. Quite the invention, I must say."
"You're pullin' my leg," I say, very much the skeptic. There ain't no way this thing made music. Where are the flutes or pickstrings or squeeze boxes? This don't look anything like a musical instrument.
"Oh, I assure you, this is quite genuine; no leg pulling on my part," Tater says, and I study their faces to see if anyone is laughing at my expense. Tater's face just spouts excitement while Jax and the two others look as puzzled as I am. Duchess, well, she's just looking impatient as always.
"Come," she says, clapping her hands. "Enough already; let's begin."
From the smaller box that she carries, she pulls out a round, flat object and places it on the gramophone. She then cranks a handle on the side of the box with such fervor that it causes her chest to bounce up and down. So much so that maybe, I'm thinking, she's gonna give herself that shiner after all. Talbert and Beanie nearly fall over each other in their attempt to move closer, so as they can get a better view, and I roll my eyes in disgust. Done cranking, she moves a smaller stick thingy over the now spinning round object and places it carefully. You probably coulda knocked me over with a feather as the sounds coming from the horn reach my ears. By the gods, it is music. Tater ain't lying.
The beautiful melody washes over me with sounds like I ain't ever heard before. What kinda instrument made such a tinkling noise? It reminds me somewhat of a summer rain sprinkling on a tin roof. The music is so soothing, and I soon find myself lost in its peacefulness. But then Duchess starts talking again, breaking the beauty of the moment with her cat screechin’ tone.
"So today, we will be learning the basic waltz called the box step. Very easy, very simple, and should suffice to get you through the evening without making you look like complete and utter idiots."
I narrow my eyes at her. Is she insulting me again?
"Jax, if you will be kind enough to join me."
Ah, so that's why Jax is here, to be her dancing partner. She glides to the center of the room, and Jax joins her, standing in fronta her, arms hanging like two dead tree branches at his side, and I snicker at how uncomfortable he looks.
"The waltz is a very smooth dance that travels around the room in a counter-clockwise direction." She points in the direction like we’re morons again, making me wish that she was indeed sporting that shiner I’d so desperately wanted to give her.
"It basically consists of three steps. Left foot going forward, step to the side with your right, step back with your left." She demonstrates as she speaks, arms out to an invisible partner.
"There is a rise and fall with this waltz, so when stepping forward, you go down a little, the next two steps, up, up. Like so … one-two-three, one-two-three. Left-right-left, left-right-left. Down-up-up. Down-up-up." She makes it look so easy, but I feel my gut clenching. Why does city dancing have to be so technical?
She stops in fronta Jax, and he looks up from studying her feet.
"Arm position as so. Palm to palm," she takes Jax's hand. "Ladies, left hand just below the shoulder, gentlemen, right hand on the shoulder blade. Jax, move slightly to my right, so we can move in harmony. Now, left foot forward … step to the side … back with your left. One, two, three … excellent."
She’s right. He is doing amazingly well. How did he learn that so quickly? Guess Sky wasn't wrong when she had called him the best dancer. I start to panic. I cain't dance like that. I could barely dance now without tripping over my own two feet let alone something like that.
"Tara."
&n
bsp; "Huh?" I look up at my name being bellowed.
"I said it's your turn. Come here." Duchess moves aside from Jax's grasp and motions me in with a wave of her hand.
I don't want to. I don't want a repeat of yesterday with everybody laughing at me again. But Finn's words echo in my brain. Ain't I willing to do anything to help Lily and Ben, he’d said. So swallowing my pride, I step into Jax's arms like Duchess had done. Palm to palm, she had said. Left hand on the shoulder. Stand a little to the side so we could move together. So far, so good. Jax smiles down at me.
"You ready?" he asks, and I nod as the music starts playing again.
Left foot forward, well, I try at least, but Jax does the same, and we smack into each other, my forehead banging into his chin.
"Ow," I cry at the same time as he yells, "Hell, Tara."
I drop my hand from his and rub my forehead. What had I done wrong?
"No, no, no, you both can't lead," Duchess puts her hands on her ample hips and heaves a dramatic sigh.
"You must let Jax lead, girl. If he is stepping left foot forward, then you must start with right foot back."
"Well, why didn't you tell me that?" I snap as I hear the familiar sniggering coming from the two idiots. Why are they even in here? I wonder for the umpteenth time as I send a threatening glare their way.
"Because I thought you would know…. never mind. Begin again," she says impatiently. "Jax starts with left foot forward, and you counter with right foot back. Remember, one-two-three, one-two-three."
"She didn't tell me that," I whisper at Jax as he takes my hand again. "How was I supposed to know if she didn't say so?"
"I know," he agrees, but I think it’s more just to shut me up. "Ready?" he asks once we are in position, and I nod.
The music begins again, and I make sure to step back, counting in my head, One-two-three, one-two-three.
"Tara, don't look down at your feet. Chin up; look at your partner. Stop counting and moving your lips. And for the gods' sake, smile. Dancing is supposed to be a pleasure, not a punishment." Duchess's voice scrapes over me like a dull blade, but I do as she says, smiling at Jax through a mouthful of gritted teeth.
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