The Marriage Market Opens — War and Peace

Princess Mary enters the drawing room heavy-footed while Vasíli and Anatole wait. She kisses hands, then looks up and is struck by Anatole's beauty; he stands silent, swinging one foot, as if boredom were poise.

The little princess fabricates shared jokes; Bourienne flirts; the old prince dresses slowly, dreading the day he must answer whether he can part with Mary. He tests Anatole with questions, mocks Mary's coiffure, then tells Vasíli he is ready tomorrow but must know the son-in-law first.

Male presence electrifies the household. Mary dreams of husband and child while Anatole watches Bourienne's foot under the clavichord. Evening kisses end with Lise refusing Anatole until his father vouches for good behavior. Charm fills the room; attention does not land where the contract says it should.