One Enchanted Evening

by

jazzman_one@hotmail.com

October 8, 1978 at The VIP Country Club in Westchester County. It was a debutante ball that Maxwell’s mother had asked him to attend as an usher in behalf of the Sheffields; the debutante’s family was a distant relative. He had bought Niles with him instead of the ‘proper young lady’ that his mother had directed him to escort to the ball. He had informed the hostess and asked for permission to bring his best friend as his guest who would then serve with him as a "stag". It was his way of thumbing his nose at his mother’s attempts to play matchmaker for him; it was just another excuse for her to try to run his life.

Because Maxwell was an usher, they had dutifully presented themselves at the entryway to the ballroom at exactly half an hour past nine o’clock that night. Before they were even announced, the women who were already gathered there had noticed right away the striking pair of very attractive men wearing the requisite full-dress tailcoats and white gloves. Their looks were contrasting but both had an air of aristocracy about them. One of them was a green-eyed handsome man looking like he was in his early twenties, tall with a slender build and he had a full head of jet-black hair. The other one was a shorter and stockier, slightly older, blond-haired man who had piercing blue eyes and a dashing smile. The shorter one must have said something amusing to the taller man to make him smile suddenly and laugh softly; it made him look like a naughty schoolboy. The other one’s deep blue eyes were twinkling with merriment while trying to maintain an expression of innocence on his face. One could tell right away that they were good friends.

They were announced as "Mr. Maxwell Sheffield" for the black-haired man, and "Mr. Niles Worthington" for the blond-haired man. They shook hands with the hostess at the head of the receiving line and Maxwell introduces Niles to her. In turn, she introduced them to the young lady who was being presented that night. Maxwell shook her hand and kissed her cheek, saying that he remembered seeing her two years ago in England during his sister Jocelyn’s debut.

Niles shook her hand and only said, "How do you do?" Maxwell noticed that the young girl was looking up at Niles adoringly, cheeks blushing and she held on to his hand a little bit longer than she had held his. That rascally Niles had that effect on women and Maxwell smiled in private amusement. He had seen him in action at the social events they went to at Eton and Oxford where they had gone to school together. The girls really went for him, especially when he became a ‘Pop’ at Eton and he favored wearing blue waistcoats to complement his blue eyes. Niles could really charm the pants off them when he turned it on full blast.

Once again, the women’s eyes were on them and it seemed as if they heaved a collective sigh of relief upon seeing a white boutonnière on Maxwell’s left lapel. It meant that he was an usher obligated to dance with the ‘rosebuds’. He recalled what Niles had said when they stood at the entrance and he almost burst out laughing again. He had barely controlled himself earlier. Niles had announced in a voice only loud enough for him to hear: "Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Open season! Fresh English meat! Release the hounds! Come and get it ladies!" There was no doubt that Niles would have tooted like a hunting horn if the occasion were not a formal one. He could really be sarcastic sometimes. But then again, feeling all the judgmental eyes on him, sizing him up, Maxwell couldn’t agree more with Niles’ summary about gatherings like this where your pedigree is measured up and then matched up with a suitable mate (suitable meaning acceptable only to ‘High Society standards’). With bitter distaste, he remembered all of his mother’s botched efforts to fix him up with ‘proper young ladies’. Thanks to Niles’ sabotaging counter-efforts, he was able to wiggle out of them.

As he walked into the ballroom to look for the father of the celebrant in order to convey his family’s regards, Maxwell’s attention was drawn to a slim and beautiful, blonde-haired woman wearing a French-blue ball gown. She was sitting in a chair at one of the several tables that were set parallel to the walls of the spacious ballroom. She was talking to one of the other young women who were also sitting around that particular table. Then, as if she had felt Maxwell staring at her, she suddenly turned and looked straight into his eyes. The color of her ball gown had served to intensify the arresting color of her cornflower-blue eyes. There was an expression of curiosity in them but her smile lit up her face, making her look radiant. Something stirred in Maxwell’s heart and he felt like a magnet that was being drawn to her. She took his breath away. He swallowed the lump in his throat. His heart felt like it had skipped a beat but now it was hammering rapidly. He felt himself perspiring as if he was nervous. Not knowing what else to do about his unsettling reaction to her, he had simply smiled back at her.

Luck was with him because he spotted not far away from him, the father of the debuting young lady. He went on to speak with him while surreptitiously keeping an eye on the woman who had drawn his interest so much. He was also praying hard that no one else would ask her for a dance while he was busy with his family duties. He just had to meet her. ‘Oh bloody poppycock! I’m dying to meet her!’ Due to his somewhat agitated condition, Maxwell had not noticed that she was also secretly keeping an eye on him.

After finishing his foremost duties as his family’s representative, he had walked over to the young woman’s table as if acting in his capacity as an usher. You would have been blind not to see that he only had eyes for ‘her’. Once their eyes had locked on to each other, everybody else around them ceased to exist. They were lost in each other’s eyes: cornflower-blue eyes met olive-green eyes unflinchingly, hypnotically. Both were feeling the delicious shivers running up and down their spines as they look at each other. Like a moth helplessly drawn to the candle’s flame, so is Maxwell drawn to ‘her’.

Niles had seen it and he became extremely interested to the way that Maxwell and the young lady were reacting to each other. The other young ladies had also seen it and they knew right away that the green-eyed handsome man was so enraptured with their tablemate; they didn’t stand the ghost of a chance with him anymore. They had better start looking around for someplace else to cast their nets. One of them was already eying Niles and he gulped at the predatory look in her eyes.

Maxwell had smiled. "Good evening." From a distance, one would assume that the salutation was meant for everybody seated at that table. However, Maxwell didn’t seem to be aware that there were other pretty young women sitting in front of him. He had bowed towards ‘her’ and held out his right hand. He asked ‘her’ to dance with him in a phrase that was meant to ask what ‘her’ name was too. "Would you care to dance? Miss…?"

"Huntington. Sarah Huntington." She answered in a voice with a melodic quality that was very pleasant to his ears. He asked her if she was related to ‘The Huntingtons of Connecticut’ and she had smiled shyly and nodded a yes. She belonged to a prominent social family but she didn’t act snootily like some former debutantes he had met since arriving from England. There were already some incidents where Niles had bought them down a peg or two. Some of the WASP ‘princesses’ they had met at play opening parties and charity balls had acted as if just the mention of their names was the cue for a man to drop on his knees and worship the ground they walked on.

They headed for the dance floor and the band had announced that they were going to sing a medley of songs from the "The Sound of Music" movie starting with ‘Something Good’, ‘My Favorite Things’ and then ending with ‘Edelweiss’, explaining that it was a favorite of the debutante so she had asked them to sing some selections from it. It turned out that the debuting young lady had aspirations to be a pop singer. Horrifying as that notion was to them, her parents had relented and allowed for an hour of pop music before the formal dances, which usually begin at ten thirty at night. It was a refreshing break from the normally formal ballroom dances. The band would clear out later on for the chamber orchestra. Niles concluded that the presence of a pop band must have been the reason why some of the young ladies were there early. Guests at a debutante ball don’t usually arrive until after ten thirty at night; it’s called being fashionably late.

Maxwell smiled happily for that interlude and the musical selection they were dancing to. He told Sarah that he had just started a Broadway production company; that musical theatre has been an abiding passion since he was a young boy. He had always loved "The Sound of Music" and it was his first musical production when he was still in college. She told him that she loved watching both musical theatre and dramatic plays. Amazed at finding a common interest, they had started talking about their favorite plays and playwrights. They were very much surprised to find out that their tastes were similar. They were talking about their initial reactions to Thornton Wilder’s ‘Our Town’ when he felt a light tap on his shoulder; somebody wanted to cut in. Maxwell was annoyed for a moment before he remembered that unlike London society, cutting in was not frowned upon in New York and Boston society. He turned to look at the intruder. It was Niles and he had a mischievous expression in his eyes. "Excuse me sir, but you have a phone call." His right hand had mimicked cradling a phone’s receiver.

Maxwell introduced Sarah and Niles to each other but he did not specify to her that Niles was his butler. He escorted her back to her table. Feeling a little bit possessive, he extracted a promise from her that she would not let anyone else dance with her and that she’d wait for him. She’d looked at him a little strangely but agreed with his requests. "I promise Maxwell. Don’t worry. Don’t keep that person on the phone waiting too long. I’ll be right here. Now go." She smiled reassuringly. He then excused himself to go with Niles who had been paying great attention to their bantering. Niles led him to the men’s restrooms but there were no phones there.

"Niles, I don’t see any phones here. If you’re pulling one of your pranks, you are going to be bloody sorry, old man!"

Niles just smiled at him tolerantly. "She really got to you, huh? I’ve never seen you so lost into somebody the way you are with her. You’re being very possessive too." he pointed out.

Maxwell’s irritation waned at Niles’ observations but trying to find an excuse for his obvious attraction to Sarah, he reasoned, "Well…she is pretty. And she likes musical theatre!"

"I think there’s more than that between the two of you. There’s electricity that’s sparking between you and Miss Huntington. I’ve watched while you were dancing together. It looked so much as if the two of you were made for each other. You have to learn to just listen to your heart sometimes. This could be the one night that will change your life forever."

Niles stares at him challengingly but Maxwell’s expression made it seem as if he was in another world. Niles sighed in exasperation. When Maxwell was being stubborn and did not want to deal with a situation, he had this way of just retreating into himself with that dreamy look on his face. Oh, some women fell for it, saying that he looked cute when he was like that. But only Niles knew that it was a form of coping mechanism that Maxwell had learned to do when he was very young and starving for emotional affection from his parents. Later on as an adult, it had become both his coping and defense mechanism when he wanted to avoid discussing an issue. Therefore, Niles had to really work hard sometimes to get Maxwell to realize things that were obvious to everyone else but him. He also knew that something else was bothering Maxwell tonight and he decided to broach the subject as well.

He gently grasped Maxwell’s shoulder; Maxwell favored him with a questioning look. "By the way…Happy Birthday Maxwell! Here." Niles hands him a small wrapped package. Maxwell takes off his gloves to tear it open. It was a beautiful silver lighter engraved on both sides with the initials: MBS for Maxwell Beverly Sheffield. He tucked in the lighter into his pant’s left pocket. It was bittersweet that Niles had remembered his birthday and his mother obviously did not. Otherwise, she would not have asked him to attend this debutante ball in the family’s behalf. Or maybe she did, but she just didn’t give a damn. As if reading his thoughts, Niles countered with, "I just pretended to have forgotten it. I was going to surprise you with your birthday present on the way home tonight, but now’s the time that’s good as any."

Maxwell was very touched by Niles’ thoughtfulness. "Thank you, old man." But, he was a little unnerved by Niles’ statements. He knew that his friend had a keen sense of observation and rarely made mistakes in his appraisal of people. He then swallowed the denials he was going to say and tried to redirect their conversation to something else. "Niles, I, uh…I think we’d better get back. She might be wondering by now what’s keeping me. I don’t want to embarrass Sarah by letting her wait too long. So, lead the way, O Great Guru!" Niles smirked at him.

He was still trying to make light of Niles’ observations. They just added to the whirl of emotions that he had experienced when he held Sarah in his arms and then found out that they both loved something in common. "Interrupting our dance with your faked phone call just so you could tell me that you think Sarah and I were made for each other is embarrassing enough. You ‘Linda

Goodman wannabe’!" Maxwell jested.

"Who’s embarrassing who? I just rescued the two of you from it. In case you didn’t notice, the music had already stopped because the band went for a 10-minute break. The two of you were too busy mooning over each other that you were still dancing. Without any music, if I may say so." Having dropped that bomb on Maxwell, Niles had nonchalantly walked out of the restroom.

He left behind an open-mouthed Maxwell who tried to collect his thoughts together. ‘Were they really still dancing with each other when the music had already stopped? For how long? Why did neither of them notice? Why does she affect him this way? Is Niles right? Could this really be something more?’ He went to one of the sinks and twisted open the cold-water faucet tap and splashed his face with the bone-chilling cold water. He grabbed several paper towels to wipe his face and then stood in front of the mirror and looked at himself. He had a dazed expression on his face but the hint of a smile was also lurking there. He took out a comb and made himself presentable again. He pulled back on the gloves and then taking a deep breath, he walked out towards what would turn out to be a fatidic night as Niles had predicted it to be.

While he was gone, Sarah was trying to calm down the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. ‘Of course it’s because he’s so good-looking and debonair!’ She tried to reason with herself. But, there was something else that she had felt when he was holding her in his arms. She had felt as if she belonged there. She had felt secure. She had never felt that way while in the arms of another man. Not even with Peter Vanderbilt whom she dated for five months and had thought that she was really in love with. She would have married him had he asked her to because he was different from the other rich scions her aunt was constantly arranging for her to meet at society functions. They had met at a joint fraternity/sorority charity ball. He was a senior economics major at the University of Pennsylvania and he was going on to Wharton after graduation. He had told her that one of his goals was to establish a non-profit scholastic foundation for underprivileged children. She had been very impressed by his humanitarian vision.

The fairy tale had ended when her best friend CC found out some appalling facts about Peter from another sorority sister he had previously dated. He had used the same vision scheme to get her to sleep with him and had maliciously thrown that fact in her face when she broke up with him; she had found out that he was a cocaine addict and an avid swinger. CC did not tell Sarah right away; she had hired a private investigator to confirm the disturbing facts she had been told about him. She only told Sarah after she had gotten the evidences that included pictures of Peter at an orgy scene at Studio54 where he was a regular client indulging in the decadences the club was becoming famous for: drugs and unrestrained sex with his fellow ‘beautiful people’.

Sarah had thanked God that she had not allowed any real intimacy between Peter and her. She broke up with him immediately. She could no longer trust any promises he was going to make. She also felt that the only reason he wanted to get back with her was because his parents had approved of her as a suitable match for their ‘precious’ heir. She had CC answer Peter’s phone calls pleading for another chance. CC had cut him down mercilessly in Sarah’s behalf and he had given up after just 2 days of trying to plead his case. She had had occasional dates since then. Nothing serious.

Sarah mentally chastised herself for reliving the past and bought her mind back to Maxwell. There was another thing about him that had moved her so when she had looked into his eyes: she had sensed that he was a man who would do his best to keep any promise that he makes. Something about him also made her happy just being with him. ‘Uh-oh, think I’m falling in love!’ she thought. ‘God, he’s gorgeous! You’ve already sensed that he’s trustworthy. And you also found out that you already have one thing in common! He make’s you feel wonderful! What else do you want?’ her heart had pleaded. Giving in to her hearts petitions, Sarah decided that she and Maxwell would have to talk some more and see where it would lead to. Besides, she had also sensed just how deeply attracted he was to her, maybe as much as she was to him. She had felt the electricity tingling in her spine earlier when their eyes first met and when Maxwell was walking over to her table to introduce himself and then asked her for a dance.

When Sarah saw him come back from his phone call and walking towards her, she stood up just in time to be enveloped into his arms as the band started singing Carole King’s ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?’ No words were needed to express what they were feeling at that moment, their eyes had conveyed to one another their mutual happiness at finding each other that night. But the song itself was asking them that question of what they would be to each other in the morning. They saw the promise of something encouraging in each other’s eyes and had smiled their acknowledgement of it.

They sat down after the song, mutually agreeing that they wanted to talk, needed to talk. Seeing the curious and envious looks that Sarah’s tablemates were giving them, they had excused themselves. They were heading out towards one of the thoughtfully partitioned and secluded sections of the wraparound terrace when Niles signaled that he wanted to talk with him privately. Maxwell excused himself, irritation knitting his eyebrows as he went to speak with Niles in a quiet corner of the ballroom. "What is it now Niles?" He asked in a tone that was bordering on frustration.

"I just wanted to point out to you that our hostess might think you are being negligent in your duties as an usher. May I?" He extended a hand towards Maxwell’s left lapel and he finally understood what Niles intended to do for him. Niles, so to speak was stepping up to the plate for him again, as he had always done in the past. ‘What would I do without him?’ He took it off and handed it to Niles. He watched as Niles carefully put on the white boutonnière. He was glad to be relieved of it. Well, truth be known, he had quite forgotten that he was supposed to be an usher tonight. Sarah had been the only thing in his mind from the moment he saw her.

"Thanks old man." Maxwell reached out to squeeze Niles’ left shoulder, and then he hurried back to where Sarah was waiting for him. He wanted to be with Sarah only, and he was not in the mood to even try to be charming to someone else that night. She had awakened some emotions within him that he didn’t think he would feel again when Chloe had broken his heart. He just had this insatiable desire to be near Sarah, to talk to her, to get to know her, just to be with her and a whole lot of other things he wanted to do with her; of course making love is on the list but it was not a priority. That fact comes as a shock to him. ‘What had just happened here?’ he asked himself. Maxwell started wondering if the night still had some other surprises in store for him.

If he only knew…

Acting as an usher now, Niles came to their rescue again by asking in turns, each of the unescorted ladies to dance with him in order to give Maxwell and Sarah the time and privacy they obviously wanted to have with each other. The ladies were flattered by the attentions lavished upon them by the handsome and charming gentleman who spoke with such an adorable British accent. He was such a great dancer too. They had forgotten any jealousy they felt for Sarah and had ended up vying for Niles’ attention for the evening.

Maxwell and Sarah were alone at last; they did not speak for a while. They just gazed at each other, drinking in the sight of each other’s face. He knew that she was curious about the phone call but she did not ask him about it. Unlike his earlier unrestrained act of possessiveness, she had curbed her curiosity and acted with restraint. That made him realized just what a refined lady she was; his respect for her grew. He was also very thankful because he knew that he would not have been able to lie to her if she had asked about it. He would have been forced to tell her about Niles’ declarations.

They had told each other their ages. He was 24. She was 22 and she was graduating from Bryn Mawr next year. Surprising himself, Maxwell had blurted out that tonight was actually his birthday. Sarah had kissed him on the cheek as her way of greeting him a Happy Birthday and then she stood quietly by his side as they both looked at the superb view from the terrace. They watched the various watercrafts that were sailing by in the estuary. Niles momentarily interrupted them when he bought out a chair for Sarah. They thanked him. He came back with two flutes of champagne. "I thought you might get thirsty." He had smiled at them and said, "Now, I can leave you two in peace."

Maxwell had broken the debutante ball custom of not asking if a young lady had an escort for the evening. Sarah had chided him with, "Maxwell, do you really think I would be out here talking with you if I had one?" She had turned them all down because she did not want to be bothered with faked solicitousness from would-be-suitors only interested in her because of her family’s social prominence. They had ended up laughing at the absurd but sadly accurate caricature of a ‘would-be-Romeo’ only wanting her because of her last name. He was also relieved to hear her say that she wasn’t going steady or engaged to anyone. He had missed the same look of relief on her face when she had confirmed the same from him. Then she added, "My aunt is my chaperone and she’s busy helping out the hostess. You must have seen her on the receiving line." What was unsaid was the way they had been studying each other’s faces as they were laughing. Both had seen how the other one’s eyes had lit up with an honest expression of joy. There hadn’t been any trace of malice, just pure amusement.

It was quite strange for Maxwell to just be talking with her. From his past experiences, women who had shown any interest in him couldn’t wait to get to know him in the physical sense. And yet, here he was with this beautiful woman and they were just talking to each other about their hopes and dreams, their childhood and other things of interest to them. Not only was Maxwell physically attracted to Sarah, he also felt a spiritual bond between them. He had never felt that kind of connection with the other women in his past. He became conscious now of the fact that Chloe Simpson simply inspires pure lust in him, nothing more.

He told Sarah about growing up in a castle in England. The schoolboy pranks he and Niles had pulled together, and how they gotten away with it by pretending that neither of them knew what the other one was doing. She told him about her childhood growing up in Connecticut and how their driver had complained and said that she ought to move to New York City because he was sick and tired of driving her back and forth to watch Broadway shows and other plays.

Sarah had been watching Niles with perceptive eyes and knew that Niles meant so much more to

Maxwell. She asked him about Niles. He had explained to her that Niles was his butler who was more like a brother to him; how his parents had sent Niles to the same exclusive schools with him even if he was two years ahead of Maxwell. He had earned his law degree but had undergone the formal training for a butler to honor his own father’s request to continue a family tradition. And then, he was going to spend several years working for his parents as payback for his education. His parents were divorced but they had maintained joint ownership of the castle and in the running of its household; which is why he had to get both their permissions to release Niles from his contract with them to let him go with Maxwell as his butler in the United States. They had relented and drew up a new contract for Niles to work with Maxwell. They knew that the two had been virtually inseparable since they were toddlers. Niles’ service contract would be up in a few years and he was planning to go back to England to be a barrister. Maxwell sighed at the end of his narration.

"You seem to be sad that he is going back to England." Sarah stated gently.

"Well…um…he has always been there for me. We grew up together and…and I’m really going to miss him when he leaves." Maxwell said hesitantly. He had never opened up to anyone before, much less admit to needing anybody, but this woman’s kind and gentle manner made it easy.

She talked about her best friend in college: a 19-year-old prodigy who was finishing a year after her and who was going on to Dartmouth for her Master’s degree. "The strange thing about her is I sense that she needs me more than I need her but she is afraid of opening up to anyone. What she doesn’t know is that I’ve gotten to know her pretty well and I can read her like a book. Beneath that ‘Ice Princess’ exterior is a decent person whom I would like to be by my side like Niles is by yours…and that’s because you know you can count on them to be there for you."

They were silent for a while as they digested the fact that each of them had a best friend whom he/she wishes to always have by his/her side. They each reasoned that to have a friend you feel that way about shows an admirable capacity for caring and loyalty; that person is worthy of giving love and receiving love. They smile at each other, reading the same conclusion from each other’s eyes. It was a little disconcerting that they were able to sense what the other one was thinking but it also serves to confirm that a connection does exist between the two of them.

He changes tack and told her about his dreams of becoming a successful Broadway producer. He felt that he wasn’t getting the recognition he deserved in England. She told him about her dream of becoming a teacher; how she loved literature and how she wanted to be a teacher of young children. Maxwell detects a sad tone in her voice at the mention of the word ‘children’ and he asks her if there was something wrong.

"There’s nothing wrong Maxwell. I…It’s…um…" she trailed off.

Taking note of her hesitation, he tries to gently persuade her to tell him what she was about to say to him. "Why don’t you just tell me Sarah? You can trust me. I won’t say a word of it to anybody. I swear."

The strange thing is that she did trust him, but what she was about to tell him was a schoolgirl’s fantasy that seldom comes true in the real world. She’d already experience a fairy tale gone awry when she had kissed a prince and he had turned into a damned frog. ‘Oh c’mon Sarah, he opened up to you about Niles. You know how very hard it was for him to do that.’ she told herself. She took a deep breath and then she told him about her dreams of wanting to be married because of love and not just because it was a match approved by her peers in high society.

"But…" she said, "…The truth is, if I get married and have children, my husband and my children will be my priorities. I would be perfectly happy just to stay at home and take care of them." She rises up from the chair and goes to stand beside him where he is looking out at the Long Island Sound. He seemed to be mesmerized by the view; what she didn’t know was that he was contemplating about what she had just said. It had touched him deeply. It had really tugged at Maxwell’s heartstrings and whatever attraction he had felt for her earlier was turning into something even deeper; something he had never felt before. It was overwhelming. This new emotion he felt in his heart was making him both deliriously happy and deathly afraid.

Her point of view about making the children and her husband as her priorities in life was what he had secretly dreamed for his future wife to want to do. But it was not the kind of thing that he would come out with in the open and admit to thinking of; women nowadays are so into the idea that they can have a successful career and a family at the same time. In his heart of hearts, Maxwell disagreed with that idea. His parents were divorced when they were young and his mother had been distant to him and his siblings; that was why he wanted the ‘would-be-mother’ of his children to be there for them. To nurture them with her love and kindness and be there for them to run to and cry when they scrape their knees; or when they need a hug to just let them know that they are loved and cared for. It’s funny to think about it now but Niles was the one he had run to for that when they were growing up, even though he was only two years older than him. Niles affects a sarcastic wit on people, well, even on him, but Maxwell knew that the man had such a deep well of caring and concern for his friends and family.

His thoughts revert to Sarah’s statement and he just knew right then and there that he couldn’t go on living a life without her. He felt a piercing pain in his heart when he thought about living a life without her. He wanted her to be his wife. He wanted her to be the mother of his children. He could put a name now to that new emotion he was feeling. Niles was right. He had listened to his heart and it was telling him now that he was in love. ‘I’m in love with Sarah! She is everything that I want a life partner to be! She’s kind! She’s beautiful! She’s insightful! She loves children! She’ll be a great mother! I want to be the man that she shares her dreams with! I want her to be happy! I want to make her happy! I want her to be my wife! I want to spend the rest of my life with her! I want to make love to her with all the passion I am feeling for her! Oh God, I feel such aching tenderness for her…’

As those thoughts were going through his mind, Maxwell was slowly building up the courage to propose to Sarah. He was happy that he had found her, but he was also frightened that he was going to lose her if she did not reciprocate his feelings for her. ‘What if she doesn’t love me and she turns me down? What am I going to do?’ was his mind’s argument. ‘You bloody idiot! If you don’t take that risk, there’s a better chance that you’ll be spending the rest of your life without her!’ was his heart’s argument. He knew that he would never forgive himself if he lets this jewel disappear into the night. He had listened to his heart as Niles had told him to do; it had won the argument. Maxwell turns to look at her.

"Sarah…" Looking at her and seeing a fragile quality about her, he was hit with a surge of emotion he had never experienced before. He was rendered speechless by the intensity of this new emotion. He stood immobile for a while as he lets his mind try to process this new feeling. Maxwell was not a violent man but when he thought about anyone doing any harm to Sarah, he had found within himself and realized that he possessed the capability to be violent to anyone who would even think of harming her. He wanted not only to be her husband, lover, best friend, and father to her children; he also wanted to be her protector from anything that could hurt her or anyone who sought to harm her.

"Maxwell?" Sarah was alarmed for a second; there was an expression of ferociousness in

Maxwell’s eyes, but they became gentle again when she had called his name. Somehow, she knew that that expression was not meant for her. She didn’t know how she knew that to be true; she just knew.

He gave her a smile to reassure her. He had never felt that way about any of his past ‘loves’. He thought he was in love with Chloe but she had not stirred up in him that fierce protective instinct that he was feeling for Sarah now. He forced himself to calm down the range of emotions that she had awakened within him. ‘So, this is what they meant by true love then. It’s when you put the other person’s happiness and well-being above your own.’ he thought to himself. Having resolved the conflicting emotions within him, Maxwell’s apprehensions were laid to rest. It was time to lay down all the cards on the table: make or break.

"Sarah, what would happen if you don’t meet that someone to fall in love with, get married and have children with? Maxwell looks deep into her eyes as he asks the question.

"Then I would try to find happiness in teaching other people’s children…and then keep praying that someday my prince will come." She teased him but the expression in her eyes couldn’t disguise her sadness at the thought of being a spinster teacher.

Maxwell was quiet for a moment and then he got down on bended knee and held her right hand in both of his. Sarah looked down at him, surprise written in her beautiful cornflower-blue eyes; olive-green eyes look back at her sincerely. ‘Did I just imagine seeing a momentary glimmer of fear in them?’ She asked herself.

Maxwell?!?"

He had a very serious expression on his face now but he had butterflies churning in his stomach. He swallowed hard and steeled himself.

"Sarah Huntington, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife and the mother of my children?"

She did not give him an answer; she seemed to be studying him. Maxwell became deathly afraid of having offended her that he just poured out what was in his heart: "I know it comes as a surprise to you but when I thought about letting go of the jewel that I have found tonight…even just the thought of letting it go breaks my heart and makes me feel sad and empty inside. I love you Sarah. I have never felt such a connection like the one I have with you. You are everything that I would like my life partner to be. Now that I have found you…I can’t go on living a life without you. Marry me? Please…please, say yes."

Sarah was shocked at Maxwell’s marriage proposal. She could not believe that her dream of marrying for love was becoming true; that he was kneeling in front of her and declaring his love for her and his intention to make her his wife; that he wanted her to be the mother of his children. She only thought that he was going to declare his love for her when he had asked what she would do if she did not meet the man who would marry her because of love and not because of money. Earlier, while they were done talking about their best friends, she had already admitted to herself that she was indeed in love with him. She had also tried to envision a life without him; the aching sadness almost made it feel as if her heart would burst from the pain it tried to contain within.

She clasped his hands and urged him to stand up. Maxwell stood up and she moved closer to him to wrap her arms around him. They held on to each other as Sarah looked up at him. Her eyes were glistening with tears. "Yes, Maxwell. I would love to be your wife and be the mother of your children."

Maxwell couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He felt like he was floating in air and his heart was bursting with joy. He held her face gently in his hands and brought his lips down softly on hers. It was a gentle kiss at first but their physical desire for each other had been awakened and their kisses deepened, becoming more passionate, inflamed. They were distracted by a discreet cough. They both turned to see Niles standing there with his eyes looking down at the terrace’s marble floor. "Miss Huntington, Mr. Sheffield, I just wanted to let you know that they have announced that supper will be served soon."

Keeping a perfectly straight face in order not to betray his amusement, Niles saw out of the corner of his eye that Sarah was trying to furtively slip back into place a strap on her ball gown, and Maxwell was fixing his bowtie and then smoothing down his raiment. Only when he sensed that they were done straightening up did Niles allow himself to look up and see the expression of happiness in their faces and know that the two souls before him had found each other and were not about to let go of each other. Observing propriety, Niles did not make any comment at the way they had looked disheveled or how he had found them. Besides, Maxwell was going to tell him all about it later on.

The three of them returned to the ballroom proper. Maxwell offered Sarah his arm, "May I have this dance Miss Huntington?" Niles paused to look at Maxwell and Sarah as they danced to Tchaikovsky’s "Final Waltz from The Nutcracker". They had made such a handsome couple as they twirled gracefully in the dance floor. He then went ahead to the dining room to make some arrangements that would be more conducive to the new couple.

The supper was less formal. People sat down where they wanted to. Maxwell and Sarah sat together with Niles. He had secured them a table that was a little out of the way. It afforded them some privacy because Niles had sneakily moved a large potted plant near the table. The two were acting quite giddily and Niles knew that it wasn’t the champagne that was making these two act like they were ‘newlyweds’. ‘Aha! That’s the word I was looking for to describe the way that these two are acting.’ Niles said to himself. Nevertheless, he acted as if there was nothing unusual going on. He already had a nagging suspicion that Maxwell had asked Sarah to marry him. He didn’t make it obvious that he was hurrying to finish his supper because he wanted to get something special ready for the two lovebirds when they leave afterwards. He left them at the table but not before hearing Sarah tell Maxwell that she was going to introduce him to her aunt.

Niles bid adieu to the celebrant and her family and of course, to the ladies who were at Sarah’s table at the ballroom. He found the hostess and thanked her for her graciousness and then he went out to find their driver to get the limousine ready. He had already assumed that Maxwell would take Sarah home to where she was staying and he wanted to have the car ready the minute they walk out of the hotel.

‘Mm. The things I do for love. For a minute there, I thought I was going to have to hit Maxwell’s head with a brick if he had let this one slip by because of his obstinacy. I knew it from the moment they laid eyes on each other. He’d have been a fool to deny the attraction between them. Now I wonder if I’ll ever find mine. Maybe it will hit me like a ton of bricks too!’ Niles smiled at that thought. Little did he know that his last statement was an exact prediction of what would happen to him when he meets the love of his life a few years later on: Miss CC Babcock. (In her case, it was more like being hit by an iceberg, but that is another story.)

Niles looks at the happy couple as they emerged from the hotel entrance. They matched each other perfectly and anyone could tell with just one look that they were really in love. ‘No one would believe that those two had just met each other tonight; they were so much at ease as if they had already known each other for a long time.’ were his thoughts, as he watched the driver open the limousine door for them.

Maxwell gave the directions for the Upper Eastside apartment of the aunt that Sarah was staying with until she goes back to Pennsylvania on Monday. She had introduced Maxwell to her Aunt Lindsey and he had asked for permission to escort Sarah home. Her aunt took one look at Maxwell and she must have deemed him trustworthy enough. She had given him her permission but she left them with an "I’ll see you home soon, Sarah. Goodnight Mr. Sheffield." Her message of ‘soon’ wasn’t lost on Maxwell. He just nodded his acknowledgment.

Niles was sitting at the opposite bench. He engaged the privacy screen when he saw that they were comfortably seated. He smiled and announced that there was a bottle of Dom Perignon chilling in the ice bucket. "In the mini-fridge is a bowl of strawberries, a can of whip cream and some Godiva chocolates to snack on if you get peckish." He tilted the small basket beside him to show them its contents: two champagne flutes, napkins, some mint candies and one shiny red delicious apple. Maxwell raised an eyebrow, wondering where those had come from and Niles explained that he got them from the concierge. He concluded with, "Well…that is my job, isn’t it?" with a wry grin. Then he reached out towards the tape player, popped in the cassette that was sticking out and then pressed the play button. He made a move to exit from the car but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Where do you think you’re going old man?" said Maxwell.

"I’m giving you some privacy. You obviously have some things to talk about so I’m going to sit on the front with the driver." Niles said. ‘You’re through with talking, it’s time for necking!’ was the impish thought he had on his mind but he knew that Sarah was a lady who had real class. She was not like some of the ‘trash with cash’ women who had tried to latch on to Maxwell. He wouldn’t even think twice about shooting off his zingers if she was. She was not, and he was very glad for Maxwell’s sake.

"Wait. Before you go, I have something to tell you…" Maxwell looked at Sarah, as if asking for her permission. She smiled and gave a little nod.

"Niles, I’ve asked Sarah to marry me and she said yes."

"Congratulations, sir! Miss Huntington!" Laughing inside with delight, Niles gave in to being a ham and feigned surprise at the announcement. He shook Maxwell’s hand and Sarah leaned over to kiss Niles on the cheek. She winks at Niles, looks at the apple in the basket and then smiles wryly. Its significance was not lost on her. ‘My God, she has a sense of humor too! Maxwell is one lucky guy. It’s weird that he didn’t notice the apple and what it teasingly meant. His head must really be up in the clouds now. Well, who can blame him? Just look at him gazing at Sarah with puppy-dog eyes. Yeeesh! I hope I don’t get it that bad!’

Still smiling, Sarah said, "Niles, you don’t have to act so formal when it’s just the three of us. Maxwell has told me how much he values you. I know that you are more than just a butler to him, you are more like brothers to each other."

Maxwell reached out for both of them and he hugged them to him. "You don’t know just how happy I am right now to be with the two people I love and care about the most."

Niles was a little shocked at Maxwell’s exuberance in saying what he felt. This was ‘Mr. Stiff-Upper-Lips’ himself expressing his feelings. ‘By Eton’s Burning Bush! He treats me like an older brother when we’re alone but he’d never admit that to anyone before. Not even when he was mercilessly teased about it when he was a lower boy at Eton. I guess love does make you do strange things.’ Niles thought to himself.

"I still say you need your privacy. In fact, I insist on it. You have just found each other and you want and need as much time as you can spend together. But, turnabout’s fair play; I expect the same when I, too, will find the bloody love of my life." With a rakish smile, Niles exited out the door but not before giving a parting shot to Maxwell. "Oh, I forgot to tell you sir, the concierge will be sending you the bill for the items I ordered tonight." He heard Sarah giggling and he knew that Maxwell had just raised an eyebrow in consternation. Well, either that or he was rubbing his temples. Niles smiled gleefully. The car didn’t start moving until the front passenger door had thudded shut. Niles must have given his own instructions earlier to the driver.

‘Now what made me bring that Frank Sinatra tape instead of the Nat King Cole that I was planning to bring? I even forgot that new tape of Brandenburg Concertos featuring Yehudi Menuhin playing the violin. I really wanted to listen to that!’ Those thoughts came to mind when Niles heard the car stereo start to play the music. He became introspective, wondering if fate did have a hand in what had happened between Maxwell and Sarah.

The speaker had come to life just as the car began to move. It was Frank Sinatra singing "Some Enchanted Evening". The newly engaged couple looked at each other while holding hands; pleasantly surprised by the musical selection. It was so appropriate for what had just happened that night.

"Maxwell, you are so lucky and blessed to have a friend like Niles. He’s sardonically witty but he’s very thoughtful. He has such a romantic flair in him too."

"Darling, I am doubly blessed and lucky because I have you both in my life now. You’re the best gift that I ever got as a birthday present. I love you Sarah."

"I love you too Maxwell."

They embrace and kiss each other passionately, thinking about how lucky they were to have found each other on this one enchanted evening…

Back to Fan Fiction

Back to The Really Unofficial Nanny Home Page