Chapter 13
Natasha and her mother are in the habit of talking in the evenings before the Count comes to bed. Today, it's about darling Bory. Natasha can't marry him - even though he's clearly in love with her - because they're related, they're both poor, and Natasha clearly is not in love with him. Natasha agrees but asks her mother if he can still come round anyway, for fun. Her mother says no - he's putting off Natasha's other potential suitors, and might be ruining his own match. She pulls him aside the next day and has a talk with him, that stops his visits. Pierre also comes up. Natasha flirts with him, but has given up on him because he's a freemason.
Chapter 14
Now it's new year's eve of 1809 and there's a ball and midnight supper going on. The Emperor himself is to be present. It is a very grand affair. Everyone's waiting for Tsar Alexander to arrive. The Rostov's are running late because Natasha's been allowed to dress everyone, since it's her first ball, and she's quite particular about it. They were expecting to pick up Mary Peronskaya - a maid of honour, who is coming with them - at 10pm and arrive at 10:30pm, but they're half an hour late for all of it. This chapter is basically all pinning up dresses and pomading.
Chapter 15
They're finally in the carriage, on the way to the ball, and Natasha is having her first free moment all day to imagine what it will be like.
...I did a bit of googling and learned, that Natasha is based on Tolstoy's sister-in-law and wife, that she was once played by Audrey Hepburn, that Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 is set in 1812, so quite a bit further in (it's part 5 of volume 2, but my copy isn't divided that way - it's just 17 parts, with chapters), and that the BBC 2016 miniseries appears to condense the book heavily, but with a lot of the same events that seem to be covered in the Great Comet.
Natasha is too nervous to do all the posing she'd meant to do, which is fortunate, because it would have looked dumb. She seems to be making a good impression on people, as they join the crowd waiting for the Tsar, and that calms her down. Mary Peronskaya is pointing out important people, including Helene and Anatole Kuragin. Apparently he and Darling Bory are competing for the same heiress, who is very plain. Natasha is happy to see Pierre, who has promised to introduce partners to her, but he's interrupted by Andrew Bolkonsky on his way over. Natasha's mother acknowledges that Andrew is very popular, but he doesn't approve, especially not with them all hanging around with Speranski and ignoring the ladies.
Chapter 16
The emperor arrives!
When everyone's done crowding to get a look at him, they begin to prepare to dance the polonaise. Natasha is disappointed because it looks like she might not be asked to dance. Andrew, Anatole, and Darling Bory all pass by, distracted, but Berg and his wife (Vera, Natasha's elder sister - apparently Count Ilya came through with the cash) - who are not dancing - come to join them.
After the first dance, an aide-de-camp comes to tell the Rostov's to move back even closer to the wall, and then another aide-de-camp begins to dance the first waltz with Helene and Natasha is almost ready to cry. However, elsewhere, Pierre encourages Bolkonski to ask Natasha to dance. Prince Andrew is talking politics - or rather, being asked about politics, since he's so close to Speranski - so he's pleased to have a reprieve. Andrew looks over at Natasha, and, remembering it's her debut ball, works out from her face how she's feeling. They're the second couple to begin to dance, and while Natasha's "shoulders looked thin and her bosom underdeveloped" next to Helene, her fresh-faced delight is much more appealing. Andrew only asked to escape the shop-talk and because she was recommended, but he's suddenly feeling a lot better. I am not approving of this development.
Chapter 17
After Prince Andrew, Natasha is asked to dance by Darling Bory and then several others, so many that she doesn't stop dancing all evening and still has some spares for Sonya. She doesn't even notice the Emperor because, tbh, he's not as interesting as he thinks he is. Prince Andrew manages to dance with her again and tells her about the night he overheard her. When she leaves him, he thinks to himself that, if she goes to her cousin first and then to another lady, then she will be his wife. This happens. He then tells himself it's nonsense, but that Natasha probably will be married within the month.
Pierre, meanwhile, is feeling humiliated over his wife's position for the first time. Natasha notices, but can't believe that anyone is failing to have a good time this evening.
Chapter 18
Prince Andrew doesn't think much about the ball the next day, and especially does not think much of Natasha Rostova, but is still distracted at work. He's not interested in the news of what the emperor has said about reforming the financial system, and has also lost interest in going to an intimate gathering at Speranski's home for the first time, which he was looking forward to. He still goes, but everything that once appeared mysterious and fascinating about Speranski suddenly seems plain and unattractive. Most of the guests are talking about how dumb the entire rest of the world is. Prince Andrew finds it all very irritating. He leaves early, claiming he has a reception to go to.
On his way home, he thinks about how pointless everything seems. All these committee meetings seem focused entirely on form and procedure and not on the actual business at hand. He also thinks the Personal Rights he's been working on are pointless, when he imagines them applied to the peasants on his estates, and is astonished to have wasted to much time.
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