Daughter of Capulet (On Hold)

Act I, Scene II: A Midnight Dance

   It was late in the evening when Juliet and Tybalt arrived at Montague Manor. The sun rapidly descended behind the buildings in the distance, casting an orange glow over the bleached white walls of the manor. The carriage they had hired creaked under them as it rolled through the cobblestone streets. Juliet had ventured into the city on multiple occasions, but Lorenzo had always forbid her from entering the noble’s quarter.

   Juliet ventured a look out of the window of the carriage. Montague Manor stood proudly against the setting sun when they came to a stop at the gates. The chauffer hopped from his seat and opened the door.

   “We have arrived, m’lady,” the man said, gesturing to the gates. Juliet took a final moment to brush her hair across her forehead to cover the scar that traced from her temple up past her hairline before standing. The dress was a dark red, with lace tracing the ends of the long sleeves. The shoes felt odd to Juliet, the high heels a far cry from the boots she usually wore. Her hair was pulled back into a thick braid that hung to the center of her back.

   She descended from the cab and onto the sidewalk in front of the gates. Tybalt followed her closely. Tybalt dug into his pockets and handed the man the fare for the ride. The driver tipped his hat and thanked him. Tybalt simply grunted in reply. Several seconds later, the carriage pulled away, leaving them alone at the gates. A single guard watched them closely, his eyes narrowed beneath his bowl-like helmet when he saw Juliet.

   “Invitations, please,” the guard said curtly, holding his hand out. Juliet handed him hers. He snapped it open and skimmed the contents. “Everything looks to be in order.” He pushed the gate open to admit her onto the grounds. His hand shot up to bar her entry for a moment. “Miss, you do know this is a masquerade ball, yes?” Juliet nodded, too worried and surprised to properly respond. “Where’s your mask?” the guard asked with a small smile.

   “Oh! I- um, I have one with me, I know,” Juliet fumbled, trying to think of where it was.

   “She’s with me,” Tybalt cut in, presenting his own invitation, “and this is her mask.” He handed Juliet a small plaster mask. It was painted in brilliant orange and red with tendrils snaking off of the sides. The sun. The guard looked taken aback and flustered briefly before recovering.

   “Ah, of course. I should have known-”

   “Yes, you should have. Now, if that is all, we’ll be on our way.” Tybalt roughly grabbed Juliet’s hand and led her through the gate. Once she was past, the gate swung shut with a reverberating clang. Tybalt pulled out his own mask and put it on. It was a simple black mask that covered his forehead and nose, leaving only his dark brown eyes visible. “Okay, our host is due to appear in the next two hours. I’ll head on inside and see what I can find. You stay out here and mingle. If you want a break, come find me and we’ll swap places.” Without waiting for a response, Tybalt took off into the manor, carried by his long strides.

   Juliet pulled her mask on and looked around. There were several guests chattering around a small fountain at the edge of the grounds. They seemed to be all women drawn around some type of spectacle. She made her way over to them and stood just far enough away to hear what they said without drawing too much attention. As she came to a stop the group was sent into an uproar of riotous laughter. One of them, a young man in a fox mask spoke up.

   “Ah, Misère Romeo is quite a catch, I assure you ladies,” he said with a chuckle. Juliet’s head snapped towards the conversation at the mention of her target. The man was speaking again, now with one of the young women’s hands in his. “Of course, he may be the wealthy one, but you can trust that his dear cousin is just as grand a prospect.” He planted a kiss upon the back of the woman’s hand and laughed. “After all, he may have inherited the coin, but I have the key to true joy. And a large key it is.” Several of the women tittered and others flushed, but Juliet was more interested in Romeo. Unfortunately, that topic seemed to have vanished as quickly as it had appeared.