My Sweet Daisy

Chapter 3 - Become A Princess

Chapter 3

To Become A Princess

The girls went down to the ladies' room. Their mother had retired to her room, complaining of a headache, so they occupied the room alone, practicing their arts. Juliet played the piano and Cynthia worked on her embroidery on the handkerchief she hoped to give to some gentleman if she was lucky to have one call on her during the season. She was very good at embroidery, always producing such exquisite works she thought it was a shame she had few opportunities to show off her very fine talent. Juliet completed the Parisian Quadrille set and came to sit beside her on the settee.

"Mother said Cousin Daisy would be arriving in three days for her first season."

"Yes, she is arriving by the end of the week." Cynthia held her embroidery at arm's length to admire her work. "How long has it been since we last saw her; six or seven years? She was so thin and knobby then. I wonder how she turned out."

"Still thin, more likely. It has always baffled me how a child who gulps down anything edible in her path could look like a wind sweeper. And that hair of hers, gosh, like a bird's nest. And she was so rowdy. Then again, all of Uncle Albert's children are. It was quite clever of Mother to postpone her introduction to court. She is eighteen now and has probably learned how to be a lady. Otherwise, it would be a disaster for all of us if she has to be presented by mother. Bair-Harvel Palace would witness a spectacle it may never recover from. The only thing that girl knows is horses."

"Nevertheless, we must make her feel welcome," Cynthia smiled. She craned her head to peer into the magazine her sister now held.

'Eye Witness' is a magazine produced purposely for the season. The first article would come before the season began with gossip about who arrived in the capital and who stayed behind in their country homes, who the eligible bachelors were, and any other worthy bits. Five more articles would be issued in the months following, mainly featuring hot topics that floated around ballrooms with the highlight on all the scandals people would be dying to know in detail. Getting to the third or fourth article, the editors would release a list of debutantes ranked according to beauty and popularity during the season. That was the most important article to all the young ladies and their chaperons who were eager to land a rich, influential beau. One is lucky just to find her name among the twenty. The previous year, her name had not been in the magazine while Juliet's had been the first. She had consoled herself that it was only her first season, and she could have been paled by her sister who had already made a mark the year before and was so beautiful. Cynthia hoped to be on the list that season, even if it was at the bottom.

She noticed Juliet wasn't even reading the section about the balls but the back of the magazine. There was a picture of a ship in the middle of the page.

"The Empress?" she furrowed her brows inquiringly at her.

"She will be docked on shore until next spring. The officers on her are performing their eight-month home duties. They are anticipating her arrival by the beginning of the season," Juliet explained.

"Oh, wonderful! It's more exciting when officers come around. They look magnificent in the ballroom in their uniforms, especially the red-coats," Cynthia sighed dreamily. The previous year, one ship had also docked, and the officers had stayed on land for almost a month, attending some of the balls and joining in the frivolous. He loved the officers because they were gallant and would ask anyone unpartnered for a dance. They were so gentle she wished she could land one. She grew more hopeful about finding an owner for her handkerchief. "Do you know any particular officer on board this vessel?"

"Andrew is on it," Juliet answered off-handedly then continued irritably when her frown only deepened in confusion. "Andrew Fitzgerald. He joined the navy a year ago. Don't you remember Lord Winderham's son who caused a raucous last year? He became very popular as the number one bachelor to be presented with an invitation after Richard."