La fleur

-Chapter 2-

Victoria spent most of her days Attending dance lessons, Dress fittings and lessons on proper debut etiquette. In her free time, she expanded on her Italian and prayed for a non-English suitor. In the moments she could, she thought of the Chateau and how she longed to return once again. She checked up on Isabella and took care of her if she needed it, on night Just a few weeks before her debut she received a letter;

'My dearest Victoria,
I hope you will be delighted to hear that Sir Ivan Obolensky has started his journey towards Leicester and will be present at your Debut. I hope that on the day of his return to Tambov, I will hear stories of your elegance and grace. I send you my dearest wishes.
With the kindest regards, Mikhail Vorontsov.'

A wave of relief flew over Victoria, for just a moment she felt as though she could decide her own future, as if she was in control, but then she reminded herself that even if he was there, the chances of her father allowing her to marry a non-English speaking noble were close to none. So, she put the letter away walked to her bed and laid awake till sunrise. As the day of Victoria's Debut neared, she could only hope there would be a decent candidate on the list let alone one that her father would choose said candidate. The realisation had now finally set in that her debut would the most important of entire life. With her future in the hands of her father she was to be on her best behaviour so that he would at least take her feelings into consideration. Eudoxia had been planning this for months and preparations for the event started days in advance. By the time the guest list had been completed and Victoria looked at it, Ivan's name stood out like a sore thumb. In the sea of English nobleman was a Russian boyar. After Eudoxia noticed she confronted Victoria; 'I believe a mistake has been made concerning the guest list.'

'What is it mother?'
'I believe the name of a Boyar may have accidentally been written down.''Oh no mother, that is no mistake, I had asked Misha to arrange for a Muscovite nobleman to attend my Debut, and he managed for an Obolensky to attend! Is he not wonderful?'
'What! If you had informed me a boyar would attend ahead of time, I could have made special preparations.'
'But what would differentiate Ivan from any other English nobleman?'
'Well, I would have liked to know, that is all. You must have underestimated the influence Boyars have.'

Though in theory Eudoxia's words seemed to be affirming that nothing was wrong, her words were indeed cold and somewhat passive aggressive. Though she was off course not the only girl to debut she would for most suiters at least to be the main catch as the ball was held in Holkham Hall and her family was by far the wealthiest to be debuting their daughter. The days before her debut Victoria was to be tested on her manners and etiquette and for the very last time fit her dress. Nothing about her measurements or behaviour between then and her debut were to change, and she went to bed early every night so she could be up early in the morning the next day. The day before her debut she mustered up the courage to speak to her father;

'Father may I ask you something'
'Well, what is the matter?'
'I wanted to ask...Will my opinion be held into consideration while selecting my future husband?' Victoria anxiously awaited Albert's response and after a second to think, he responded,
'I am not sure, if you strongly objected to the point of refusal I would have to surrender, but I will put title and status first. You are of course not to marry someone below your rank, and that is of course to save you from your reputation being slandered.'
'Well I truly hope you listen to me if I were to oppose your decision.'
'We shall see when the moment comes.'

Victoria did not feel as if he had answered her question but rather skilfully avoided it. At dinner Isabella joined them for the first time in a month. She felt good enough to join them and Victoria was delighted to hear her sister was recovering. That night she laid awake and did not sleep. When she got out of bed it was still dark out, yet 7 or so maids stood ready to change her and prepare her for her big day. As 2 maids worked on her hair and the rest on her clothing and face, she stood still thinking of what to expect, would she receive all the attention or any attention at all. She was unsure but was not to show it during the event or she would not make it out alive. After breakfast was delivered to her door and she had been fully changed 3 hours had already passed. She went over to Isabella's chamber and found her reading in her bed. In the weeks after her sickness not much had changed. Sometimes she could read at her bureau and even come downstairs while other days she would be bedridden and vomiting every 15 minutes. Isabella seemed to be doing fine but Victoria noticed half eaten plates on her bureau and began to worry again. She chose not to say anything, and they prayed together for Isabella's health to improve soon. When Victoria saw her mother again, she had visually settled down and looked more mellow. During the preparations for debut, Albert was nowhere to be found and Victoria wondered al day what he was up to. Victoria spent most of the afternoon staying in her room studying her Italian to try and distract her mind of what was soon to happen. But as girls and woman from all over England started to arrive the feeling really set in, and she could not ignore it any longer. This was not only the most important day in her life, but also that of every woman there. She greeted the eager woman and wished them good luck. As men and fathers started to arrive the girls were escorted out of the ballroom to stay there till their actual debut ceremony had started. After 15 minutes the girls were escorted back into the ballroom, and the dance ceremony had started. Victoria was as graceful and beautiful as she had ever been and, though she was not the main focus, most eyes were on her. As she looked out into the crowd, the saw her mother look proud, Victoria had never seen such an expression on her mother's face especially regarding her. After the girls performed the dance, they had been learning for weeks, their parents would introduce them to a potential match. Victoria and the other girls walked over to their respective parents. A man walked over to Victoria and escorted her to another place where they could speak;

'Would you care to introduce yourself?'
'But of course, My name is Sir Charles Alexander, son of the fifth count of Wiltshire.'
'Why that is quite the title.' She giggled.
'Well you seem as if you have quite the name as well, do you not?'
'Oh I am afraid that Victoria Josephina of Leicester does indeed qualify as a noble title.'
'Well in the near future your title will change.'
'You are certainly right. The name Leicester will have to continue through my dear sister.' Victoria caught a glimpse of her mother who seemed to want Victoria to join her;
'I am terribly sorry but I seem to be needed elsewhere, I hope to see you again.'
'Well if I were so lucky to meet you again I would be delighted.'

As Victoria wandered of to Eudoxia she saw her speaking Russian and her heart froze, it was Ivan. Victoria could not let her nerves ruin her best chance at a bright future, she gracefully walked over to the pair and introduced herself; 'Pleased to meet you, my name is Victoria maria of Leicester, care to introduce yourself?'
Eudoxia seemed a bit bothered about the suddenness of Victoria's introduction, but it did not seem as if it bothered Ivan too much.

'Why of course, I am Ivan Obolensky, Nobleman in Moscow.'
'I am delighted you were able to complete the journey from Moscow so quickly.'
'Well I would not want to miss such an important event. And I trust Mikhail's advice on selecting a bride.'
'I certainly trust his judgement in selecting a suitor.'
 As the pair got along well, Victoria was pulled aside by her father who looked furious.
'What do you think you are doing? How could you be speaking with a nobleman without a title, in Russian no less! Do you have no respect for me, the Leicester name or yourself!'
'What do you mean father? Ivan is one of the highest-ranking noblemen in Russia, and a descendent of Tsar Alexei I. He is just as important as any Englishmen here, if not more.'
'You dare question my judgement, for if you do you are free to run away with your little Russian Romeo and live the rest of your days in Russia, that is fine by me but I do not want to hear any of your wining!'
'Excuse me father, I just thought tha-'
'You thought nothing, now you are not to talk to him anymore. Now please find a suitable man to speak to.'
'But fath-'

 But before she could finish her sentence her father had already walked away. She walked past Ivan and apologised; she told him that she was needed elsewhere. As the night continued and Victoria spoke with more and more uninteresting English nobility. This included her niece, Juliet, clutching to her husband's arm, who looked just as disinterested to be at this event as Victoria;
'Marvellous to see you again so soon, how do you feel to be debuting? I remember being so nervous, but when I saw Franz standing there, I just knew immediately he was the one.'
a pause followed which Victoria attempted to fill.
'I certainly hope I have that luck.' She laughed awkwardly while looking around the room to see if she could spot Ivan anywhere.
'Have you visited Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the palace is ready to receive you at any time. I must say I have never felt happier than I have felt in Heidecksburg!' At this point Franz, who spoke approximately zero English, was standing next to Juliet like a toddler waiting for his mom to end a conversation and Victoria took the hint and gradually slowed the conversation down. She grew more bored and bored. The night continued as usual but when she had time, she would visit Isabella and give her updates. While exiting Isabella's room she encountered Ivan once again;
'You left so suddenly, what was the hurry?'