A Ghostly Rose

Her long gown swayed back and forth as she walked through the plantation house, she wasn't expecting anything exciting to happen to her this evening except perhaps a few waltz's with a young man, the barbecue was actually quite good but a lady doesn't eat anything too heavy. This was just another year for her and her family to recreate the history of over a hundred years ago, why she let them talk her into this one more time was beyond her, but she was willing to satisfy her father who had been ill for a while now. As she entered the large ball room in the old plantation house it was the sights and smells she remembers, everyone dressed in period clothing from the civil war era, some men in Confederate uniforms others in suits fitting to the time. The smells of lilacs filled the air, and the fires from outside smoldering away, the crowds have dispersed and now it was only the re creators having fun of their own, with a season ending ball that was left this evening. She looked around at the faces and it was the usual crowd of a hundred or more except for one face that was standing in a corner of his own, he was a handsome man with long side burns and mustache, she usually doesn't like facial hair on a man but he pulled it off nicely she said to herself. She sat down in a chair for she was out of breath, the sight of the man and the corset she was wearing took her breath away, when suddenly she heard a unfamiliar voice. "May I offer you some punch Miss." She turned around and saw that the perfect Virginia accent came from the man she had just seen, "Thank you, I would like some." She sat there talking to the man warming up to him, he was a gentle man and spoke very elegantly, when the music began he stood up extended his hand and asked, "Miss Parlow may I have the honor of this dance?" She was kinda tired of all the reenactments going on but somehow this man made it feel genuine so she looked up at the man and in her kindest and gentlest way that a southern bell would answer, "Yes kind sir I would like to dance with you." They entered the dance floor and he took a commanding lead in a waltz around the room she had never danced like this with any man before for he seemed to be a master, dancing with this man was more a pleasure than just trying to keep up with all the other people. They danced the entire evening away, and at twelve o'clock the man turned to the woman, kissed her hand and said, "Forgive me Miss but I must retire I have an awfully early morning, here something to remember me by I hope." He handed her a rose red the color of passion, she was moved by the gesture because no man has ever given a rose to her after this dance before. The woman realizing she had forgotten to ask him his name quickly answered, "What is your name I would like to see you again." The man smiled, "Nicholas Sharp, at your service Miss Parlow." Then he turned and she watched him as he disappeared into the crowd, as she was leaving the house she was walking past the main hall to the exit past a lot of old paintings, and saw a portrait of a man that looked strangely like Nicholas Sharp, but she was sure this was a coincidence. When she woke the next morning the curiosity got the best of her so she went back to the old plantation to ask questions of the register, upon entering the house the smells from the dance the night before was all through the air, she looked and found an older woman cleaning in the hall. She looked at the woman and asked her, "Do you keep a registry of who dressed as who last night in the recreational records?" The older woman looked up to the young woman and smiled, "This happens every year, a young beautiful woman comes back here every year the day after the ball, going on for a hundred years now, asking who the man was they danced with. So let me just answer that question for you, no you didn't imagine it and it was the original owner of the plantation who after a night of dancing with his fiancee was killed the next morning in a duel, believe me or not it's true." The woman laughed out loud, "You cannot be serious the man I danced with.." But she was cut off by the older woman, "Had the perfect Virgina accent and had the most cordial ways about him, with absolute excellent manners." Miss Parlow was stunned and as she left the plantation house her body covered in goose bumps she stopped by the portrait and looked at the man's face again, she was half hoping that would never happen again, half hoping it would, "Why me?" She posted the question to the painting and then went home, anticipation was coursing through her for the next years gala. When she arrived at home she stared at the rose and a tear drop fell onto her face, romance such as she felt the night before she knew she would never feel again.