Page 115 - Nuts to You - The Nutcracker Retold

Prince – and toward Clara, who was elbowing and ducking around the flow of bodies, toward the back staircase and her escape. Just as these two had broken free and Drosselmeir thought his chance had come, the tide had turned, eddied around Clara’s ankles and swarmed around her knees until she had been swallowed in a wave of people bearing her back to her parents – and the honor of dancing with the now-royal Reggie.
As Drosselmeir had watched Clara being pulled away, he had thought – and not for the first time – how parties are a most inconvenient time to try to talk to someone, especially when that someone is the belle of the ball, and the list on her dance card was already filled on both sides, and around her was a circle three-deep of eligible young bachelors (or so called “eligible,” he thought).
He had been so close to her, but he knew since Clara had not even seen him, that it had been as if he did not even exist.
Torn apart in concern for the safety of his nephew and the fear of mice chewing down the castle walls, Drosselmeir pushed back into the crowd in hopes of making his way to Clara’s side, where all his hopes for Franz lay.
One little miss would not slow him down.
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