If There Was Love For Me

8 - Happy Birthday

Maria was used to be woken up by one of the maids opening the curtains and telling her that breakfast was served in the dressing room. She was not used to Gwenewith jumping on her bed saying "Happy Birthday!"

"Wait, what?" 

"It is your birthday, dummy," said Francesca, who was also standing in the room, still in her nightgown. 

"Come on, we have everything set up, get up!" With that, Charlotte was pulling her out of the bed and Lillian was tying a scarf over her eyes. 

"Are you really sure this isn't an attempt to kidnap me?  Because if I wanted to kidnap me I would start exactly like that."

"Don't be scared, dearest Maria, I will make sure nothing happens to - careful, that's the bed. No, wait, let my take your hand, you are going to break your neck like this."

With some difficulties Maria was led into the dressing room, where she suddenly stood blinded and alone.

"I do not mean to be difficult, but can somebody tell me what is going on? I feel like any moment somebody is going to jump at me and I will be scared to death." She had barely finished her sentence as the scarf was dropped and the room appeared in front of her.

"Surprise!" screamed her friends and Maria screamed back in glee. The whole room had been decorated with strips of colorful paper. In the middle, the table was set up as the center of the scene, with carefully wrapped presents surrounding a flower bouquet violets ans yellow acacias.

"What? Why? When? However did you manage to do all that with out me noticing?"

"Well, my dear," said Francesca and lead her further into the room. "I was surprised too, but you are surprisingly easy to trick. Did you really think we were talking about Charlottes engagement all the time?"

"Well I did. It is a really important event, don't you think?"

"Not as important as the first birthday you get to celebrate with us. Come on, open your presents!" Charlotte hat brought a blue package to her. "Take mine first."

Charlotte had given her a new drawing set and an apron to protect her dresses while drawing. Francesca gave her some french books with the promise to train their french conversations some time soon and Lilian gave her some beautiful fabrics for embroidery and some wool for knitting, which was now coming into season. Gwenewith, finally, handed her a book of sheet music.

"I thought maybe we can sing a duet some time. Those are the notes for singing, but I got the version for playing piano, so we have all the same songs. I made sure that some of your favorites where there. I hope you like it."

"Gwenewith I love it!" Despite having hugged her and the others numerous times already Maria hugged her. "Thank you all so much. This has really been the best birthday I have ever had, I don't know how to repay you all your kindness."

"Well that's the point of kindness. It doesn't have to be returned," explained the princess, who was still so close to Maria that she could search for golden sprinkles in her eyes.

"But you will have the chance to repay us on our birthdays," explained Charlotte and laughed.

They got dressed and had breakfast as usual and soon the princess suggested to have a walk through the palace to get some exercise before lunch. They were almost out of the door, as the princess suddenly stopped.

"Oh dear. Silly me. I think I wanted to war my brown gloves, but I can't find them anywhere. Why don't you guys start walking and I will catch up to you. Just, Maria dear, could you help me search? You are so good with things like that."

"Of course, Gwenewith, anything you want," answered Maria as she followed her back into the princesses bedroom. The gloves were laying on her bed.

"Oh, there they are. Maybe you just didn't see them." But the princess wasn't even looking at her bed, instead searching through her nightstand. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, yes. I just..." The princess was coughing a little and stopped her search, her back turned to Maria. "I think I am catching a cold or something like that. There is no need to worry." Still she waited a while, before she finally turned around, something in her hand.  "I have something else to give to you. And I wanted to do it in private."

"Oh." The package was wrapped in green paper. Tied to it, with a white ribbon, was a blue rose. "Gwenewith, a blue rose? You shouldn't have, you really shouldn't. That is way to expensive to give to me, I am just a maid in waiting."

The princess shook her had. "Open the present."

So Maria did and there, wrapped in the green paper, was beautiful, illustrated edition of sapphos poems. The fabric the book was bound in had been carefully bound with a rose garden, each flower full of life despite being nothing but a painting on a piece of linen. 

"Gwen, this is beautiful. You... I... thank you so much. I love it. I really do. I don't even know what to say..."

"Then don't say anything." The princess took er free hand, pressed it once and then let go. "Just be happy and... just be happy, okay? That's all I want."