To Court a Lady

Chapter Eight

The week seems to continue in a quick blur. Everyday passing faster than the last. Every morning I would ride with Bash through the forest, finding the paths and trails, sometimes halting for Bash to sketch a landscape, some of which he decides not to show me, to my dismay. 

Every time I would come back from the said ride, my friends would already be at the morning meal and there would be food in the sitting room, waiting for me. They would come back, ask if I had a good ride and then talk about the princes, how late Prince Sebastian was or how charming Crown Prince Daniel was.

Then we would either sit together and sew or talk or play cards before preparing for dinner a few hours later. After dinner, Harper would tell us how it was and talk more about the princes before we all go to our beds. I would then either read a book, try to sleep or walk around the secret passageways, finding my way around the castle.

Now it is the day of the Inaugural Ball and I am forced to attend the morning meal so that I can see familiar faces at the ball. Therefore, I have an early and shorter ride with Bash today. When we return I climb through the secret passageway and walk to my sister's suite. I walk to the window and watch the sun rise higher. I then leave the window and go to the bathing room, where I wash the horse smell from my hair and body, leaving my clothes for the maids to launder. When my hair is clear of horse and instead smelling like honeycomb and almond, I climb out of the bathtub and wrap a cream silk robe around me, the cool air biting at my warm skin.

A lady maid walks in and clears the water. I call out a thank you before leaving and getting dressed. I decide on a dress with a plain white bodice and white silk skirt that has a light blue tulle overlay with navy embroidery all over it. I put on a navy belt and tie my hair into a braided chignon with a navy ribbon. I leave my feet bare and awaken Freya and Maya. They stare at me in shock when they see I am ready and decide to get ready whilst I awaken Harper and help her get dressed.

Harper seems tired even after a long sleep so I assume she may have had too much champagne the night before. Harper puts on a dress with a cream bodice and a light green skirt which has some volume to it. Her hair is left open and she puts on cream-coloured lace slippers.

Maya and Freya come into the sitting room, dressed with matching rose dresses that brighten their pale skin and darken their black hair. Their dresses have a light blue belt brightening their blue eyes and they smile fondly at our dresses.

The lady maid, who I have discovered is called Elizabeth, walks in moments after we are all ready, guiding us to the breakfast hall. She slows down and walks to my side,

"Tis nice to see you going with them, Miss. I was starting to wonder if you would ever join your sister and friends."

I give her a tight-lipped smile in an effort to not let my churning stomach empty itself with the unrest I feel. I ask her to call me Willow before we walk into the vast room where a string quartet is playing quietly in the corner of the room. My heart races and my stomach starts to feel as though it were spinning in circles, more adamantly, but I push it away. Not today.

We walk to a round table close to a large open window, which let's the flowery scent of the Queen's Garden waft in. I take a deep breath and inhale the smell of nature and fresh air, already feeling more comfortable.

The Royals enter, we curtsy and we eat. After we break our fast the King rises and everyone goes silent,

"Good morning debutantes and ladies in waiting. The ball will start at six in the evening, you will hear the clock chime, and until then, I wish you a nice day. Also, there will be a hunt...the day after the morrow with the Crown Prince's Court and all of you are welcome to join. There will be carriages and a slow path for you to follow and for those who wish to join the men, please do so at your own risk."

When the King leaves the room with his family, everyone rises and discusses what will happen at the ball and after at the hunt. Harper starts to talk as we walk out of the room, not having to wait until I am with her,

"Ladies, did you notice, Prince Sebastian wasn't there."

I didn't notice but I have been here to know who to look out for.

When we return to the sitting room in my sister's suite I suddenly remember Papa's packages. I hurry to my smaller trunk and open it, pushing through riding gear and petticoats until I find the white boxes, I take both out and look at the golden seals that hold together some twine, one has a H pressed in the dry wax and one has a W. I give Harper hers,

"Papa told me to give it to you for the Inaugural Ball, he also packed one for me but didn't explain what they are for."

Her face lights up and she sits down on the couch, opening the seal delicately. When she opens it I can see the joy that floods her. She pulls out a velvet sapphire dress with golden embroidery on the bodice and around the skirt's hem. It is the perfect length and as she looks into the package her face brightens even more, glowing brighter than the sun. She pulls out an envelope along with a pair of golden shoes. She opens the letter, smiling but also holding tears in her eyes,

"It's from Mama, she had these made for us when she knew she wouldn't be with us anymore."

I sink onto an armchair, our mother had died two years ago after months of pain from an unknown illness, she seemed to disintegrate right in front of us until there was nothing left of her. I grab my package, opening it with shaking hands.

For me there is also a dress but made of watery cream silk. It has copper-thread embroidered on the hem of the skirt and around the waist as detailed swirls and patterns. It has long sleeves and a slightly flirtatious neckline. The back is tightened by lots of small buttons from the neck to the lowest part of my back, blending in with the dress by their colour. When I take the dress out I find shiny copper shoes with a slightly higher heel than shoes normally have.

In a small envelope, my dear mother put a simple gold necklace with a small amber teardrop. She also has added a gold comb with amber stones in it to put in my hair. I grab the letter and see my mothers unforgettable script:

Dear Willow,

My sweet darling I wish I didn't have to depart and not be able to spend more time with you and James and Harper. I gift you this dress as a memoir of me and I thought these colours would suit your dark skin and red hair beautifully. You look so like your father.

Goodbye my darling, I love you more than the universe knows.

Mama

By the end of the letter, I look up to Harper with teary eyes and we smile at each other. She shakes her head, taking her tea, she looks out of the window with distant eyes. She needs time to herself.

My mother and I weren't inseparable, that was Harper's and James's place, but as she started to get sick and Harper went to finishing school, I cared for her with the maids. I stayed by her side and I grew close to her before she left. I still had James then, who comforted me as we grieved together. Harper was as close to Mama as I am to Papa, and having to lose Mama, so early really hurt Harper.

When the clock strikes four everyone starts to rush around to get dressed. As Freya, Maya and I try to help Harper, I struggle to hide my laughter when she worries about where her second shoe is, or where her dress is, or where her jewellery is. The dress lays on the bed and she walks around, indecently underdressed, searching for her jewellery. That is the kind of person my sister is, always focusing on the wrong details if she focuses on any. When we finally find the jewellery and get her dress on she stands by the mirror, twirling in circles.

Maya and Freya are the next to get ready and they rest in the sitting room with Harper whilst I put on the jewellery and fix my hair into an open hairstyle with a small chignon on the top of my head, held together by the gold and amber comb. I put on my dress, doing up the buttons with some help and then put on the necklace. In the looking glass I stare at myself, not sure if I am the same person as usual. I finally put on my shoes and take a deep breath and a book.