Two Loves

Chapter 12

ISAAC

"Are you done?" Two heavy knocks on my bedroom door and Cym's exasperated voice.

"Not quite!" I shout back and adjust my buttonaire one last time.

"You've been locking yourself in your room for the last three hours, you look good, alright?!"

I take one look in the mirror, huff unsatisfied and then open the door.

Cym is leaning on the other side. For a second, we both eye each other critically. Then she starts giggling.

"What?" I ask and strike a pose. "Don't you like it?"

"You spend three hours on this?"

I look down on myself - it's my best suit in a silver-blue colour, an azure vest and accessories in the same scheme, and yes, I spent hours trying to find out which colour brings my eyes out most. I, for my part, think that I look dapper.

"Yea" I say, snappish. "Just because you choose to be content with a mediocre appearance doesn't mean that that must be the standard for everyone."

Cym snorts. "I never saw anybody take so long to dress, and with such little result."

"And you?" I gesture at her simple, light grey attire she rather effortlessly arranged.

Effortlessly because she obviously spend no effort in choosing it.

And also because she is looking good though she presumably only grabbed whatever was lying in her wardrobe. Have I yet expressed my jealousy of this ability?

"What? I want everyone to underestimate me" she defends herself. "If you impress people, they are intimidated and don't want to show any weakness. When they underestimate you, they tell the truth."

I frown. "Really?"

She shrugs. "Of course. We are never honest to people that could hurt us."

With a glance at my collar she adds: "Green carnation again?"

"Atticus specifically asked me to wear one. He says it will be a great surprise."

She makes a weighing face, obviously already trying to figure out what it could be. "Hmm."

A minute later, the doorbell rings.

Atticus proposed to pick me up with his carriage, and generously accepted to also transport Ada and Cymbeline - what saddened me a little, since indecent activities on the way to the theatre and back are therefore not possible. When Atticus opens the door, he looks, of course, breath-taking. His hair is perfectly curled, his cheeks glow and he gallantly helps us both into the luxurious vehicle drawn by two white steeds. It is a bit like in a fairy-tale. It seems ridiculous that he just makes this for me.

He reaches out for Cym's hand, exchanges a few greetings, jokes about this fortunate series of coincidences and then lets her in. She slides directly onto the bench next to Ada.

Then he turns to me. I stand there, in the light of a flickering gas lantern, in the costume my sister deemed unsatisfying, in front of the man I am in love with, that makes painters cry because of his beauty and that just stopped by in a huge carriage like a Prince Charming and suddenly, I feel so, so insufficient. What am I doing here?

"Don't you want to come in?" he asks, takes one step down the little iron stairs outside the cabin door and stretches his hand out to me. "Come on. I am so glad you had time - I feared that maybe, you had more important appointments."

I look up again. "Really?"

He smiles confused. "Well, of course I am glad that you came. Though the invitation to this event, combined with my person was of course expected to be irresistible."