The Red Masque ©By Angela Goldsmith Author @Waterstones (PART TWO)
(The Red Chamber Trilogy)
Masquerade
"Enchanté" said Count Mascalzoni as he bowed and kissed Lyra's hand, pushing back his long dark hair from his strikingly handsome face as he did so. His silky, ebony-black hair, was draped around his strikingly handsome face like a dark curtain which hung thick, glossy, and lustrous almost down to his waist.
"No. It is me. I am the one who is under your spell." Said Lyra her voice sounding almost playful, as the Count straightened up. Ethan watched him give Lyra a small enigmatic half-smile. His coal black eyes flashed with a mysterious bright glow from under his ornate black and gold mask. Ethan noticed that the wealthy Count was impeccably dressed in the utmost height of fashion. His costume was both ornate and stylish robed as he was in a black velvet suit with gold silk waistcoat, embroidered with the finest most intricate stitching. Ethan noticed that the Count's eyes had a fascinating quality to them, an intensity that ensnared you in their fervour. He had such a charm about him that when he spoke to you he had a way of making you feel very special indeed. Ethan could see why it was easy to get entangled in his allure, to fall under his thrall. He noticed Lyra was captivated and Ethan could not avoid feeling a little uneasy by this enchantment created by the Count's presence. And he began to think this vehemence displayed by the Count not dissimilar to a snake fixating on its prey.
At present his ardour seemed to be resolved on studying the Lyra's delicate hand. The Count had fixated on it with his magnetic gaze and turned it over to exam its intricacies, running a long fingernail over the ridges of the veins of her wrist.
"Ouch," Lyra pulled her hand away quickly as if she had been scratched. Ethan looked over at her wrist and saw a small bauble of blood bubble up to the surface.
"Forgive me," said Count Mascalzoni looking grave. "Sometimes I do not know my own strength." He quickly handed Lyra his white silk handkerchief saying in his heavily accented voice,. "Accept this as an offering, a gift and a symbol of my devotion to you." Ethan saw that the look on Lyra's face was one of thrilled exhilaration and he thought he saw her visibly tremble with excitement. Ethan also noticed that the Count's voice although mellifluous and mellow had an odd cadence to it and he had often heard him speak to the Contessa in a parlance and language that he did not recognise.
Ethan saw that Lyra now had an expression on her face of both perplexity and enchanted delight. The Count who clearly enjoyed projecting the aura of mystery, and purposefully accentuated his cryptic behaviour, merely added to this by bowing down to examine the wound on Lyra's wrist, putting his face very close as if in some kind of reverie. Then as quickly as he did this he appeared to snap his head away quickly as if in some kind of anguish. Lyra recognising the Count's pained expression showed nothing but her usual empathy.
"Count Mascalzoni you look distressed." Said Lyra in a concerned tone.
"I am afraid that I have caused you an injury." Said the Count pulling some strands of his glossy hair coyly across his already masked face and appearing to look bashful. Ethan suspected that this was façade and began to be intensely irritated by the extent of the flirtations the Count was affixing to his wife. He was about to suggest to Lyra that they move on to greet other acquaintances, but he was well aware of Lyra's stubborn nature and she did not appear to be in any hurry to be moved along.
"Do not worry, it is not grave.." She continued, ignoring Ethan completely and engaging solely with Count Mascalzoni. "It is merely a scratch." She said dismissively tying the handkerchief around her wrist. "See it is all better." she said, as beads of bold-red blood soaked into the pure white fabric.
The Count merely bowed to her again and gave her another inscrutable half-smile smile.
Suddenly our hostess The Duchess Ginevra Urbino. The Duke's second wife appeared at the Duke's side. She was a very attractive woman, who had previously been the lady-in-waiting of the Duke's first wife. She was about forty years old and considerably younger than her husband the Duke, who was in his late sixties. The Duchess wore a richly elaborate dark blue and gold Rococo ball gown, which was adorned with an ostentatiously wide skirt. She rustled in layers of extensive, expensive fabric with large, ruched sleeves of the finest lace and a flamboyantly wide brimmed hat worn at an angle on the side of her head. She refused to be masked, her vanity preventing her from covering her face, and she began by directing all of her attention onto Count Mascalzoni.
Ethan noticed that her sister-in-law the Duchess Olimpia Urbino strode over to their little party then and quickly began inquiring after the whereabouts of the Contessa Galatea Mascalzoni. The Duke's sister Olimpia was in her early fifties and had never married. She was renowned for her individuality and her unconventionality. She was a provocative character that enjoyed stoking controversy, much to her brother's chagrin and distain. And the Duchess Olimpia often became the focus for much of the gossip and discussion in the days following an elite event such as this masked ball. And on that night her manner and dress did not disappoint the primechelons of noble and elite society.
The Duchess Olimpia comported herself in her usual eccentric and nonconformist manner. Purposefully flouting the rules of high society. Liking the shocked reaction that it elicited. And this night in particular she had lived up to her reputation by defying these 'rules' of polite society and had assumed a male costume for the night. She was also a very tall woman, which was odd in itself because in comparison her brother was so very short. And Duchess Olimpia Urbino had chosen to wear an embroidered velvet trouser suit, not unlike the one worn by the Count, with a red silk waistcoat. Over this she had on a gothic jacquard long coat, and she was carrying a decorative walking cane. She also had on a black leather mask that covered most of her face, unlike her sister-in-law who refused to wear one, Duchess Olimpia was happy to wear the leather covering over her aristocratic, and angular looking visage. She concealed her high cheekbones under this protective pelt which had a short-pointed beak-like nose. Her hair which was cropped very short was gelled back against her head. Ethan had confused her with a male guest at first until he heard her speak to her older brother saying in an authoritative tone, in a voice usually deep for a woman. "My good man. Do search out the Contessa and bring her to me," And Ethan thought that he heard a note of disappointment in her expression as she said.. "This evening fate is playing the role of a cruel mistress who wishes to keep the Contessa from me."
The Duke Urbino took his cue willingly and strutted off. He looked as though he was pleased to make his excuses to be free to go and mingle with guests on the other side of the room. Firstly, though he strode over to a large barrel that was overflowing to the brim with red wine and helped himself to a large silver goblet full. The table in front of him was lavished with fruit, meat, and sweet treats plentiful with delights. And more bountiful with varieties of sustenance than Ethan had ever seen. The Duke picked up a red apple and took a large bite. Ethan observed how oddly bizarre he looked as he did this as Duke Urbino was wearing a black full-face mask with pink, painted round and ruddy cheeks. The mask had lustrous red bushy eyebrows and obscured the Duke's own greying brows. It also had a ridiculously long pointed nose. The Duke was a very short man, but he had a very large and round figure. He wore an extravagantly layered, purple-pure-silk frilled shirt, which only served in adding to his vast size and shape and he matched this with extraordinarily vibrant red tights, and a purple cape. He had an oversized white ruff around his neck, gold earrings in his ears and had on a large Musketeers style hat with a huge purple plumed feather, sticking out of the top, which Ethan wondered whether he wore to try to make himself appear taller?. Ethan thought he looked pompous and ridiculous strutting around the room, but the other guests complimented him on his stylish robes and the success of the festivities. The duke was well known for his showy displays, and he was infamous for hosting these lavish carnivalesque masques to demonstrate his opulent wealth to his equally affluent friends. Ethan thought about the levels of riches that had been heaped on the provisions for the ball, while he had seen the increased levels of poverty around the city.
There had been an outbreak of a cholera recently from the contaminated water supply of the local river and it was rumoured that the source of the outbreak had steamed from effluence from the Duke's Palace being poured into the local river. Whether the root could, or could not be traced back to the Duke's soiree's it was not clear, but he certainly had the power to order the justice of the peace to put an end to the horrendous condition. The Duke chose to ignore it. He would not cease in his common ritual of allowing his household to pour slop and human waste into the river. This action meant that there was growing dissatisfaction with his ostentatiousness among the poor. And this number of poor citizens was augmenting rapidly.
The Duke prided himself on being a libertine and during his often wild and sometimes licentious festivities, that had became a symbol of his abundant overindulgence, he would provide copious amounts of food and wine for his guests. This often proved to too excessive even for his numerous guests to consume, with this perishable produce often going to waste and rotting, and thus, ending up decaying and either being thrown out in large piles of putrefying matter, only to be consumed by the starving poor, who had little other choice than to devour the scraps. Or the surplus, the excess of rotten fruit, rancid meat, acrid alcohol was thrown in the river, where it contaminated the citizens water supply. This act of pompous arrogance had also brought flies, vermin, and especially high levels of rats into the town, who in turn brought the threat of plague. Many poor villagers and especially many children from the town had recently died, Ethan had heard the Duke joke to another guest that "The disease will not infect us, the rich, for we do not drink the water here. We drink only wine"" He proclaimed laughing and then added, "It may of course smite down the wretched poor " Ethan thought about the idiocy of this remark and how many of those who would be blighted by disease laboured in the fields to provide for his abundant table.
Ethan watched as the Duke preened himself in front of a large ornate mirror, admiring his full figure, and rapturously rubbing his rotund belly. He placed a leather belt around his considerable girth which had a small pouch full of sugared almonds tied to it, which he was offering as an occasional, gift to a selected number of privileged guests. Ethan could not see the Duke's face or his expression under his outlandish mask as he made this remark about letting the poor townsfolk die. At first Ethan wondered at how sincere he was actually being? Whether or not Duke Urbino was just exaggerating to amuse his captive audience? He decided he could not be sure, but the callousness of this Duke's condition incensed him. In fact Ethan he come to the conclusion that he actively loathed and despised this cruel and rapacious glutton. and this made him even more disgusted at the Duke's lascivious carnality.
Ethan watched as the Duke offered gifts of sugared almonds to his already affluent and prosperous guests. Sugar was a commodity that, at this time was expensive and scarce, but these monied landowners and aristocratic heirs had no need of these subsidies. Ethan wondered if the Duke could be persuaded to be so generous to his poor subjects? He pondered upon whether the Duke might have any feelings to spare for the disenfranchised, and whether he felt any hint compassion at all for his fellow man. He certainly seemed to be accommodating to the pretty young servant girl he was currently offering some sweetmeats to. Ethan observed with distaste the camouflage offered by the mask, which allowed the Duke to pursue his flirtatious fascination with the young woman who happened to be his wife's new Lady-in-waiting. The Duke showed no enigma in his openly coquettish behaviour making it plainly obvious, at least until he was spotted by his wife the Duchess, when at least he showed some embarrassment at being exposed.
Ethan's eyes wondered over to the Duchess. Her face was frozen in a deep scowl, a profound glower with her mouth was turned down at the corners, and he noted that her eyes were fixed intently on her husband and his increasing intimacy with the young woman. Ethan watched with increased fascination as the Duchess then turned her back on her husbands' ardently smitten behaviour and he overheard her say to another female guest "Frankly, let the the old fool make a ludicrous spectacle of himself." She said frantically fanning herself with a large feather fan. The Duchess herself then began to intensify her enamoured devotions towards the Count. Ethan began to wonder if anyone at this Masque would display any type of feeling that denoted genuine devotion.
Suddenly Ethan's observation of the Duchesses' woes was interrupted by the announcement that the players had arrived and the first of the evenings entertainments were about to begin.