Upon A Time

Chapter Nineteen

They found the Queen in much the same condition she was in when they had left her; pacing the sitting room of her chambers.

The Prince’s young betrothed, Renee, was straightening gowns out over the edge of the chaise, and both Charlotte and Thomas had their arms full of clothing as well as they entered the room.

The Queen seemed to pale at the sight of Julien’s favorite dress coat; the one he often wore to official functions—and, Charlotte believed, the one he wore the night of the ball.

“I hope one of these will suffice,” Renee said to Charlotte somewhat awkwardly; which was how the girl seemed to do everything, really. She carried herself with shyness that made her seem constantly ill at ease. Charlotte thought back to Julien’s description of her and found it to be absolutely correct. She had a difficult time picturing the two of them as a couple, not that she had any desire to.

“I will find a way to make it work. What say you to this one?” Charlotte picked a dress nearly the same dark shade of blue as her eyes, and she held it up before her. “Is it fitting, Your Majesty?”

“It would be most fitting to a woman in the post you are meant to play,” the Queen agreed. “And what about our friend Michel, did he find a suitable outfit among the Prince’s things?”

“The clothing may be a little tight, Your Majesty, but I will manage,” Thomas replied, mumbling, “Especially the shirt.” Working in the blacksmith’s shop had given Thomas considerable muscles, especially in his chest and arms. A figure Charlotte knew was of note to most of the women in St. Fleur, even if they only whispered about him as he walked past. He really had no idea how desirable he was to the local female population.

Neither did he seem to be aware that the young woman Renee had taken notice of him as well. “Such light hair you have, yet your beard glows copper in the candle light,” she murmured, staring at him and drawing startled looks from all in the room. “Forgive me, I was just noticing the difference.” She changed the subject. “I have a thought, but I fear it will offend the Queen.”

“Speak, child.”

“Well… it may draw more attention if the man is wearing ill-fitting clothing, given the position he is meant to hold… being of royal lineage… perhaps one of the King’s shirts would be a better—”

“Absolutely not!” the Queen replied. “He shall simply have to hide his ill-fitting shirt beneath a cloak. No one wears the clothing of the King.”

“I am sorry, Your Majesty.” Thomas spoke now, absolutely mortified that anyone would make such a suggestion. He himself certainly never would have. “Please, forgive us our youthful enthusiasm. We are anxious to begin, and the sooner we dress, the sooner we can start.”

“Then by all means, young man, make haste. I have woken Lady Agnes and she is making inquiries for us. We shall see if there is anyone available to assist you.”

Renee looked bewildered now, as she grasped the gown Charlotte had chosen and directed her behind a fabric screen. “This will do for you to change behind, Miss. I may need to assist you; these garments can be difficult to manage.”

“Thank you,” Charlotte said, wishing she could get by without such help. She was not in any hurry to spend a moment on her own with Renee, let alone how long it would likely take to get her into that complicated gown. Even though it was the simplest of the choices she’d had, it was still a work of art, a thing of intricate closures, buttons, and laces.

“Good thing I spent a lot of my life helping my sisters into their gowns,” Renee volunteered, taking Charlotte’s discarded dress and hanging it over the screen.