Kate stood waiting for the taxi that was due at any time now, to whisk them off to the arts council charity ball. The dark green gown she wore fitted her perfectly, stylishly showing off her every curve and she had been to the hairdresser this afternoon to get her normally unruly hair tamed into a suitable style. This was not how she liked to dress, but if you are invited to a ball, then you have to dress accordingly. She told herself that she would act the princess for the evening, even though Sam told her that he thought she looked one every day. He could be very romantic when the mood took him! All of this meant that she couldn't just stomp around the farmyard and drive the 4x4 into town, but had to wait for this flippin' taxi!
This ball was not to her taste either, but to be invited was considered an honour and both she and Sam would benefit from being seen at such a prestigious event. All she had to do was keep her views on hunting and politics to herself! Oh boy, it was going to be a long evening... The taxi arrived almost on time and Sam helped her into the rear passenger seat, taking his place on the other side. He looked great in his DJ, bow tie and shiny shoes! She knew that all this fuss wasn't his scene either, but needs must! The journey to the hotel could be used to brush up on the topics to avoid and the politics not to mention and a thousand other things that they shouldn't say or do.
"You look stunning!" Sam told her and she did!
They were on the guest list as 'local leaders of the arts' and had donated a large painting of the moor and an intricately carved wooden box to the auction. There was always a price to pay as a 'guest' it seemed!
The taxi dropped them off at the bottom of a grand flight of steps leading up to a grander entrance. The house had been designed to impress the neighbours two hundred years ago and it still succeeded in this today, albeit looking better in the dark than in daylight! Checking that the taxi driver knew what time to come back and pick them up, they made their way into the huge entrance hall and were given a glass of something fizzy to keep them occupied until dinner. There would be dancing later, according to the itinerary and a lot of handshaking and small talk too. Kate could small talk with the best of them, if only she could keep her cool with some of the more annoying guests that she had already met. Some of the men seemed to think that a woman in a smart frock was fair game, despite having a man in tow! She wondered how they would fare in one of the local pubs with that attitude.
Sam was being introduced to a lot of people, having recently made some shelving for the local church and some beautiful chairs for the owner of this very house! Kate wasn't forgotten and one of her landscapes graced a wall in the dining room. 'Well, it's a great advert!' She thought.
Dinner was served and Kate's seat placed her between a farmer she vaguely knew and a much older man who couldn't take his eyes off of her. He made sure that her glass was kept full at all times and didn't notice when she swapped it for a much smaller one from the table as he talked. One rule she did intend to stick to was 'Don't get drunk'! The farmer was mostly indulging in 'animal talk' with the people sitting on his other side, so she was obliged to chat with the older man, who turned out to be a local celebrity and the singer of some band from the 1960's that she had never heard of! He was obviously still living on his fame and her attention wavered.
Time passed slowly. Between smiling sweetly at yet another tale of the man's exploits and avoiding the continual wine top ups, Kate managed to catch Sam's eye and mimed, 'HELP!'. He was sitting a few places down ton he other side of the table and was attracting a lot of attention from a pair of young ladies who were placed either side of him.
"So you live right out on the moor!" one of them exclaimed. "How inconvenient when you've had a few drinks and want to get home! I couldn't imagine being that far away from town!"
"Oh, it's a great place," Sam countered, "Lots of fresh air and sky."
"Fresh air is over-rated, I think!" the other girl burst out and the two of them dissolved into fits of over loud laughter.
Sam rolled his eyes at Kate, but was stuck between them for the remainder of the meal.
The food was exceptional, which more than made up for the company. After the meal had ended, it was time for the charity auction. Kate's painting raised a lot of money and Sam added the promise of some of his time to the carved box and raised even more! The arts would be funded for another year with no problem! A live band started to play for dancing. As advertised, it was a formal ceilidh and Kate was right at home with the dances and drew a lot of attention as she moved gracefully through the steps. Sam wasn't quite so clever on his feet, but avoided too many accidents and took the ribbing he got from the assembled men with a grin on his face. They both chatted to friends who had also been invited and then wandered outside to take some air. It was almost midnight and the frost had turned everything in the gardens to crystal, the outdoor heaters along the terrace keeping the chill of the night at bay.
Several other couples and a group of older ladies had also come out to chat and smoke and catch up on the gossip. Everyone knew that this was the best place to get the REAL gossip going around the moor, so there was quite a crowd out there. Sam slipped his arm around Kate's waist.
"You really are beautiful! The belle of the ball tonight," he said, smiling his big, honest smile. "I really don't know why I've taken so long to do this!"
Kate raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are you talking about? Have you forgotten tonight's 'no drunk behaviour' rule?"
"Not a bit of it." said Sam and went down on one knee.
He looked up at her and in that moment she was too surprised to say or do anything. Other people around them had cottoned on to what was happening though, and were forming a circle around them. Sam seemed oblivious, having obviously worked himself up for this moment.
"Kate ........, I've loved you since the first moment I saw you and can't imagine spending a moment of my life without you in it." Sam had a bit of a tear in his eye and Kate had finally worked out what was coming next, "Will you do me the immense honour of marrying me, please?".
There was a hush. Then Kate grabbed him,
"Get up you idiot! You'll mark the knee of that suit if you're not careful and anyway, this is really embarrassing!" she was crying. Tears of happiness, Sam hoped! "Of course I'll marry you, I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever get around to asking me!".
There was a huge cheer and suddenly Kate and Sam were being hugged and kissed by all and sundry. Sam didn't even have time to kiss his new fiance properly before they were caught in the crowd and swept apart as the news spread. They were a popular couple and their announcement seemed to be the highlight of this year's ball. At the moment though, they would have preferred to be alone to be able to celebrate the occasion in their own way.
