When Lee opened the iron gate so I could pass through, I felt like a character in a movie based on the old south. We were all dressed up, climbing the stairs of a beautiful antebellum mansion, and through the glass of the front doors, I could see the outline of someone hovering, waiting to open them.
Sure enough, a lady greeted us at the entrance, while another gentleman took our coats. The house was breathtaking, and completely overwhelming. Each room was impeccably dressed in period antiques. Candles burned on many table tops, and the light bounced off gilded mirrors and golden frames around oil paintings. The host approached, and as a good southern host, led us to the open bar where a barmaid poured us drinks.
The food table was adorned with a spectacular array of flowers that was so large the greenery brushed against the chandeleir hanging from the high ceiling. The arrangement was set in an antique urn of crystal and silver. The food was delicious.
We were invited to the house for a wedding reception. The glamorous couple wore vintage clothing that matched the sparkle of the crystal. The house belongs to the bride’s uncle. It has a name, even has a brochure.
Lee and I spent most of the evening wandering around the 1830s mansion and it’s several rooms devoted solely to Napoleon. The host and owner was a wonderfully eccentric sort who is charming and mystifying at the same time. He seemed quite at home among all the finery, with his diamond rings and genteel air.
However, I was a bit nervous. I felt like a kid in the china shop, when I’d walk around with my hands tucked into my pockets for fear of breaking something. I gripped my wine glass tightly, not wanting to be the one to soil the fine rugs.
Lee and I were talking with a friend near the food table, when I decided to sample a bit of the salmon and cheese loaf that I’d neglected to try earlier. I spread some on a cracker and took a bite. Delicious. I extended the remaining bit of cracker to Lee for him to taste, when the cracker fell from my fingertips and landed on the rug. Cheese-side down.
I picked it up and hurridely threw it away.
Despite my mishap, it was a wonderful party (and I don’t think too many people saw the whole cracker/rug thing). However, it set the bar awfully high for the next time Lee and I entertain. I don’t see us getting any genuine Napoleon artifacts anytime soon, but maybe we can work on a house brochure. That’s just cool.