4th Time Lucky

I Can Do All Things Through Spite

The Duke was barely holding it together. His smile was brittle. The gorgeous weather of the afternoon had turned stifling. Conversation with his cousin, Emperor Jonathan and his lovely wife Amalia? Impossible with Emily's interruptions. It was all going so well before she arrived. He even saw his mother walking with his favourite debutante, Miss Katherine Sachar.

Now, Edgar wished his arm was fake, like his Great Uncle Derry's, and he could pop it off, watch Lady Emily Fairfeather scream a bit, then run far, far away.

Preferably with Miss Katherine, who was the only person besides his cousin who made him feel halfway normal. When they talked or danced, he felt a tiny knot of tension loosen in his chest. Even if they couldn't get his cousin's permission to marry, courting her was the best move he could make.

He might have to fight to see her at all, given the absolutely murderous look on his mother's face - not that Katherine's was much kinder. As the two women approached, Edgar couldn't help but notice the death grip Marianne had on Miss Katherine's arm.

"Your majesties," Marianne Albrecht said, formally greeting the Emperor and Empress first as custom dictated.

"Your majesties," Miss Katherine echoed, daring a small curtsy under the pinch of Lady Albrecht's grasp. When Lady Albrecht let go to embrace her son, Edgar could see the smallest breath of relief.

To his surprise, Empress Amalia brightened. "Miss Sachar, I'm so glad you found your way over here. Have you tried the fountain yet?"

Everyone paused momentarily, shocked that the Empress knew Katherine personally. Emily ruined the exchange by interrupting.

"I haven't yet," Emily said, somehow inserting herself nearer to the center of the circle. "What should I do?"

Amalia's smile tightened but she kept her decorum. "You take a stick, place fruit or cake upon the end, and dip it in the chocolate. I saw one when I was visiting Dacroise and knew we had to bring one back to Arneau."

Miss Sachar paled slightly at the mention of their northeastern neighbour. Edgar wanted to ask what was wrong, but was distracted by Emily elbowing him toward the table so she could reach a long silver fork. The Empress has one in her hand to demonstrate and was passing a second to Lady Sachar. Both the Emperor and Lady Albrecht looked on in wonderment. Did they know each other from before?

"What's your favourite?" Miss Katherine asked.

"I'm partial to the sponge cake," the Empress said, as if no one else was in the room but Katherine. "There's something about taking the bland yellow squares and making them richer." She demonstrated a proper dunk-and-eat technique which resulted in zero drops of chocolate being lost.

Miss Emily attempted to emulate her and failed. She was forced to release Edgar to catch the drips before they fell on her dress.

Miss Katherine gathered some items on a plate with her long fork, stepping between the Emperor and his wife briefly. Next to the table, she was able to add chocolate without spilling. The Empress and Lady Sachar exchanged notes about dessert as they sampled, ignoring the others on the lawn.

Beside him, Emily pouted. Edgar couldn't care less, sidling up beside Jonathan to watch the miracle that was seeing the Empress happy. Genuinely happy - not her usual show of placid agreement.

Edgar tried to think - had they run in the same social circle before? Jonathan looked pleased, Edgar knew he had been fretting about his wife's isolation recently. It has always been difficult for the two of them to make genuine friends, with everyone in society trying to score favors. It was likely the same for Amalia, except she had come from another country and had no childhood friends to lean on the way Edgar and Jonathan leaned on each other.