The Friendly Rivalry

"Well, I do read quite a bit, I'm rather fond of poetry and novels. I also happen to do a bit of writing as well, nothing special just small poems and paragraphs. I also happen to enjoy a bit of gardening." She said as she answered Richards question.

The smeel of dinner was filling the room and Esther was starting to notice her hunger more and more. She glanced at the menu as the table had bowls of soup placed in front of every guest. She was rather happy to finally be able to eat something, Elizabeth had kept her from eating to much so that she would want to eat at the party.

"I am rather impressed that you to happen to be doctors though, not to seem rude but neither of you act like many of the doctors in London. All of the doctors I have know have all been snobbish and rather nerve wracking." She said with a small smile.
 
"That sounds lovely, you'll have to let me read some of your work," Jonathan said. He enjoyed spending a quiet evening at home in his study, nose deep in a book. "I myself could never quite get the hang of writing anything more than a sonnet."

When he finished his soup, Jonathan took a look at the menu. It was written in French. He hadn't known much French, but he knew enough to order his meal, which included venison and vegetables.

Jonathan chuckled when Esther said he didn't act like any of the doctors she had met. "I suspect that to be a good thing. Richard here likes to put on a clever facade for all the pretty girls, otherwise he acts just as snobbish," he poked fun at his friend. "As for myself, my mother raised me to be as humble and compassionate as possible. My colleagues say it is a flaw, but I am more afraid of my mother beating me with a switch than I am of my colleagues."
 
"Then I shall let you read some the next time you visit the mansion, I had brought my journal for writing luckily since I wasn't completely sure how long I would be staying." She said as she paused for a moment in eating her soup. "And writing is rather easy when you are inspired, the words just flow."

She turned back to her food and finished it slowly as Jonathan teased Richard, making her smile a bit as he mentioned that his mother would beat him if he acted anything but humble and polite. Her mother was almost the same, however she was suppose to flirt and catch a man eye instead.

"You mother reminds me of mine, if I do not act the way she likes then she will bring forth a punishment most undesireable!" She laughed a bit as she finished her food and looked over the menu once more quietly.
 
"They do indeed sound similar," Jonathan laughed. He looked at the people sitting around their table; with the exception of Esther, they all knew his history. He decided to tell her. "That is part of the reason I am not like most of the other doctors. Truth be told, I do not come from a wealthy family like most doctors. I grew up in a small village in the countryside. Both of my parents toiled in a factory to provide for my younger brother and I, and through some miracle, they were able to get me in to medicine. It was difficult for me, being surrounded by other men who came from wealthy families; they flaunted their wealth while I kept to myself for the most part."

Jonathan had decided to leave out the part where he frequently got in to fights with the other doctors. They had found out that he wasn't like them, and had taken to taunting him and his family for being poor. He wasn't typically a fighter, but it was his family's honour at stake and he would not allow some arrogant doctors take that away from him. He stared absentmindedly at his plate of food, lost in the past, wondering what might have been if his parents hadn't sacrificed their lives for him and his younger brother.
 
"You should be proud of yourself then." Esther said as she looked over her own plate of food quietly. "Not many people would ever have the chance to do what you have done and even then most do not make it though the intense courses of medicine anyway. In fact, my father is very similar to your case. Father was not born into wealth but worked his way up while working for a grocer in London so I see no shame in your situation." She said lightly as hse glanced at him out of the coner of her eye before eating some of her food.

Esther spoke everyword truthfully to Jonathan, showing that she truely did not care about his background at all. What does a background have to do with any person's character or attitude? She believe as long as a person did their best and worked hard for what they wanted then they deserved as much respect as the wealthy born business man.
 
Esther's words broke Jonathan out of his trance. He smiled at her, thankful for her kind words. "Are you enjoying your meal? And would you like any wine?"

It was nice to hear that Esther wasn't going to judge him based on his family, as so many others had. And it was also nice to know that they had some common ground, where her father had also been in a similar situation. He felt as if he was getting to know her better already.
 
"Wine would be lovely, thank you." She said with a small smile as she nodded her head to his first question.

She was enjoying herself rather well at the moment, the evening turning out to be more enjoyable than she thought it would have been. She was also glad that the two of them now shared some common ground and now actually had more to talk about.
 
Jonathan took Esther's wine glass, and carefully poured her some win, making sure not to pour too much. He also poured himself a little bit of wine, taking a small sip. The wine was exquisite, and it would help numb some of the more painful memories the conversation had drudged up.

It wasn't long before dessert was served, and people had started dancing shortly afterwards. Jonathan was starting to get nervous; Esther had come in to the evening with the expectation that she would have a good time, and it was up to him to provide that good time. He was a capable dancer, but it had been a long time since he had danced with an attractive woman that he was actually interested in. He sipped his tea; it calmed his nerves, and when he was particularly nervous he drank a lot more tea. This was his third cup of the night. "Esther, would you like to dance?"
 
Esther accepted the wine with a small smile and took a sip of it before finishing her meal and relaxing a bit. As dessert was served she sipped upon a cup of tea and ate a piece of cake that had been served to her. The evening was turning out rather nicely, the dinner conversation had not been forced or awkward and the food and been delicious and sweet.

She leaned back in her chair a bit as Jonathan and her sat quietly for a moment, the dance floor slowly filling up with couples and the tables were cleared of plates. She turned to him as he asked her to dance and she smiled as she nodded her head, pulling off her shall and setting it on the back of her chair.

"I would like that, Jonathan. My sister did say you were a wonderful dancer so I am curious to see if she was telling me the truth or not." She said a bit teasingly as she looked over him for a moment.
 
Jonathan stood up from his chair and adjusted his coat. He had quite liked to dance, but one thing that he had not gotten the hang of was the etiquette involved at a ball. There were all sorts of rules, most of which he was unfamiliar with. Normally he wouldn't bother with the rules, only this ball would be different, he told himself. Esther was a charming lady, and he decided he would make the effort to try and follow the correct etiquette, hoping that it would show her the respect that she deserved. "Will you honour me with your hand for the next waltz?"
 
Esther smile a bit more as Jonathan started to act proper, making her want to laugh a bit since most of the evening Jonathan had been a bit more relaxed in his speech. She didn't mind it to much though, the man himself had become rather interesting and she had to admit that spending time with him was better than being attack constantly by her mother to get married. She accepted his hand by gently placing her's in it and stood as well, grabbing onto her skirt lightly with her other hand.

"I would be honored to." She said politely to him in return, letting him lead her to the dance floor where the waltz was soon beginning.
 
It felt incredibly silly to Jonathan to suddenly start acting proper in front of Esther, she had, after all, seen him when he was incredibly inebriated, and he almost never spoke like a proper gentleman outside of his work. Esther looked like she had been about to laugh. That was either a good thing, or a bad thing. "Esther, I must explain my sudden transformation in to a right proper gentleman. I normally do not trifle myself with appearing proper at these sorts of events, but I am quite fond of you and I feel as though it is necessary to put forth the effort in being proper, at least tonight."

Jonathan led her to the dance floor, holding her right hand in his left, his own right hand resting in the middle of her back. And then the dance began. At first, Jonathan was nervous; he hadn't danced a waltz in some time, and was focused on counting the rhythm of the music in his head. One, two, three, one, two, three. The beat started to feel more natural to him, the music coming in to harmony with his feet, and while he started the dance rather clumsily, it hadn't taken long for him to gain confidence. He smiled at Esther, gaining more confidence as he saw the joyous gleam in her eyes.
 
Esther smiled a little more as he explained why he had started to act like a gentleman, the fact that he had said he was fond of her making her face heat up a tiny bit. She shook her head lightly as she turned to him so they could dance, placing her hand in his as he places his hand on her waist softly and began to lead the dance to the beat of the waltz.

"Jonathan, though I honored that you feel the need to act gentelmanly around me I would rather you be less formal and more friendly. I happen to enjoy speaking to someone when they are being themselves, not when they are trying to impress or act noble for me." She said smoothly as she followed his moves, not minding that he was starting out a bit clumsy since she herself hadn't danced in ages.

As the music continued to play their dancing inproved and Esther became rather impressed by Jonathan, her sister had been right about him being a wonderful dancer. She couldn't help but smile a bit more as they continued to dance around the floor with other couples. This evening was turning out to be more and more fun than she thought it would have been, it certainly was better than the balls she had been forced to go to with her mother.
 
When Esther insisted that he act more like himself, he was elated. Acting prim and proper did not come naturally to Jonathan, and to him, it always felt incredibly forced and fake. He hoped that his momentary lapse in to propriety would not change her opinion of him. He continued to twist and twirl her around the dance floor, his smile widening. It was relieving to let loose like this, especially from the stresses of his job.

"Esther, what sort of activities do you enjoy? Tennis? Perhaps golf?" Jonathan inquired, staring deep in to Esther's eyes. They were magnificent. He saw a kind person behind them, one who was confident in herself, and one who was not easily impressed. He grinned at her as he watched her lose herself in the dance, a soft smile forming on her lips, the enjoyment flowing through her expressive face. The music was coming to an end, other couples had already stopped dancing, growing weary, pausing to catch a breath before the next dance began. After several moments of silence, the music started again, drawing more and more couples on to the dance floor.
 
"Well, I must admit that I am not one fore sports. I am more likely to fall onto my face than to hit a ball in tennis or golf. I prefer to garden in truth, it is far more relaxing. The only problem I have with that hobby is that it is terribly hard to garden in the city, the best I can go is small house plants but most of those don't last very long, London isn't built for growing plants really. That is why I like the country much better, it is perfect for gardening and it's so stuffy like London." She said simply before looking up at him for a moment in thought. "What of you Jonathan? Do you have any hobbies? The only think I know about you is that you are a doctor and a rather fine dancer."

As they continued to dance she found herself getting rather tired, of course they hadn't stopped dancing since they started earlier that evening after dinner. She honestly didn't want it to stop though, she couldn't remember the last time that she had this much fun at a ball...In fact, she couldn't remember ever having this much fun at a ball. She only hoped that nothing would ruin the lovely evening.
 
Jonathan listened intently as she explained her hobbies to him. Gardening seemed fascinating, something that Jonathan did not have a knack for, but he was still interested in seeing well cultivated gardens. "I personally enjoy playing tennis. Richard and myself attempt to go once a week, and we are rather evenly matched. Otherwise I enjoy playing cards, as do my partners, since I seem to lose all my money to them," he laughed, "although I mostly go for the company and not the actual game itself."

The music was continuous, and they danced dance after dance, Jonathan's feet growing ever more weary. But he did not want to stop, he was having a blast, and enjoyed every step, every twist and turn, that they made together. The evening wore on, and although Jonathan had wanted to continue dancing, his feet groaned in protest. "Esther, is it ok if we stop for the next dance? My feet are becoming sore, and I would very much like to have a cup of tea."
 
"I was hoping you would say that before I had too. I hate to admit it but my feet hurt as well." She said with a small smile, walking with him slowly off the dance floor and back to the table to have tea.She sat slowly and let out a small sigh of relief, her feet feeling much better now that she was no longer standing on them. She reached for teh nearby tea pot, pouring herself a cup before turning to Jonathan politely and smiling a little more.

"Would you like me to pour you a cup?" She offered sweetly to him.

She was rather happy that the evening was so nice, so far having no problems. The dancing and been lovely and the food wonderful, there was nothing she could complain about. She almost wanted it to never end, but she would need to get home before it was too late, or else she might fall asleep right where she was!
 
"Yes, of course, thank you!" Jonathan smiled at her gratefully. He sipped his tea, the warm liquid rejuvenating him briefly. The hour was late, and he was growing increasingly weary. Thankfully he did not need to go in to work for several more days, otherwise he would have needed to return home some time ago. The ball was starting to die down around him, signalling the end of the evening. He did not want it to end just yet - he had something in mind.

"Esther, if it is not too much trouble, and if you are not too tired, I would like you to come with me somewhere. It's a bit of a surprise, so I'm afraid I can't tell you where we are going."
 
Esther sipped her tea quietly, enjoying the peace as the evening started to come to an end. She was sad that the evening couldn't last longer, it had turned out to be so lovely and it was a shame that they could not stay for forever. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as he asked her to go somewhere that would be a surprise. For a moment she was uncertain about it, it was in truth starting to get late and if she did not return soon she was certain her sister would burst from not knowing that happened.

However, it was tempting and it would be rude of them to stay much longer since the ball was coming to a quiet end. She set her tea down and smiled a little more at him, her eyes gleaming a bit with curiosity. She was never the type to resist a surprise, though she may have acted quite the opposite around most people.

"Alright, but this better not be a trick or I shall tell my sister how mean you were to trick me." She said with a small laugh. "She'll have your head then."
 
Jonathan laughed, "No, it's not a trick."

He reached out and took her hand, leading her outside, back to the carriage. He told the driver where to go. Moments later, they were on their way. The spot that he had in mind was one of his favourite spots that was out in the country, a place that he often went to in order to relax from the stresses of work. "I apologize for the secrecy, but I would be unable to describe this place adequately."

The countryside was rolling by outside, covered in darkness. Several minutes later they made it to their destination. It was a small clearing surrounded by trees, away from the roads and lights of the city. The night sky shone down on them, thousands of tiny stars visible to the naked eye. Jonathan led Esther in to the clearing, laying down, staring up at the stars. "This is my favourite place to come after a particularly stressful day at work."