Chapter 4 #2
“Can you?”
“Well,” Claire confessed. “It mightn’t be so easy if they were dressed alike… but, really, there’s a certain quality to each of their voices. And…”
“And?”
Claire flushed brightly, and Alexandra gasped. “Oh, Claire! You haven’t!”
Claire nodded very slowly and deliberately, her blush heightening. “Oh, yes, I’m afraid I have!” And she giggled.
Like old times, they put their heads together conspiratorially. “Will you do it again?”
“Of course!”
“But here? Now?”
“Heavens, no! Ben would call him out. Nor would I dare give Victoria yet another reason to wag her tongue.”
“If she comes,” reminded Lexie.
“If she comes” agreed Claire, and once again her gaze was drawn to the brothers, sighing contentedly.
It was more than apparent to Alexandra that Claire was besotted—and why not?
Ian was a charming prince, to be sure. And really, it was fascinating to observe the brothers together.
Even their mannerisms were uncannily similar.
One was raised a prince, groomed to rule a nation; the other was raised in exile, none the wiser that he, too, was a prince.
And yet somehow, even their taste in partners was the same as well.
Both Chloe and Claire had rich auburn hair, both were slight of build.
And while Chloe’s eyes were bright blue and Claire’s were a vivid green, both ladies’ gazes were marked with intelligence.
“Excuse me just a moment,” said Claire, and she wandered away to whisper into Ian’s ear. After a moment, the two of them quit the parlor, and Alexandra sighed wistfully, her gaze automatically seeking Ben.
He was gone.
It shouldn’t be like this, but the room felt entirely depleted in his absence, the mood entirely deflated.
Where was he? Out wandering the halls? Was he too plagued by that Christmas kiss so long ago?
No matter how she tried, Alexandra couldn’t seem to forget, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep romantic thoughts out of her head.
Fortunately, it was only a moment before Claire and Ian returned, and behind them came a manservant carrying a tray, urging everyone to take a goblet of champagne.
After everyone was served, Claire awarded them each with a nod and a smile.
And then, performing like a seasoned toastmistress, she said, “Welcome, friends! Welcome! Welcome!” Casting a loving glance at her fiancé, her eyes sparkling brighter than the polished marble floors, she said, “As you must know… we will soon be swept away by a joyous occasion. However, before then, we hoped to spend a quiet holiday amidst those we love best—that’s you.
And to show our appreciation for all you have done for us through the ages, we have a small token of our affection. ”
She urged another manservant to enter; this man was holding a golden, velvet sack.
Everyone raised their goblets when Claire did, but Claire wasn’t through.
“Ben,” she said, singling out her brother, standing on tiptoes, searching for Ben and frowning when she didn’t spy him.
But then she waved him away, dismissing him for the instant, and turned to Alexandra.
“Lexie,” she said. “My dearest, most beloved friend.”
She gave Alexandra the sweetest smile as the manservant lifted his golden sack, and Claire reached inside, rummaging about, lifting up a small package and putting it back.
At last, she found the precise gift she was searching for, and handed it out to Alexandra. “Please don’t open it yet,” she said.
And then, she turned to Prince Merrick and his lovely wife. “Chloe, Merrick,” she said. And she repeated the effort with the golden sack, handing each in turn a small golden gift.
Smiling still, she turned to Wes Cameron and to his lovely, but mysterious companion.
“Mr. Cameron, Lady Morrissey, thank you so much for all you have done for us. We will ever be in your debt.” And then she handed both guests small packages as well.
“Thank you, Ryo,” she said, hugging the manservant before he left, then she turned to lift her glass for a toast. “Thank you all so much for sharing our holiday!”
“Hear, hear!” said Ian, and barely suppressing his grin, he tossed his entire glass of champagne down his gullet.
When Claire drank as well, Alexandra lifted her goblet to her lips, wishing she had the gumption to drink as Ian drank and then ask for a dozen more.
Try as she might, she couldn’t shake the feeling of distress. She was grateful to be with Claire, and she was very glad to know Claire’s new friends, but something wasn’t right at all, and she could hardly bear the fact that Ben was so aloof.
But then again, how could she blame him?
Unlike Chloe, Alexandra was no diamond in the rough.
She was the daughter of a fiend, and very, very clearly, neither Claire nor Chloe nor Lady Morrissey were pretending to be other than they were.
Meanwhile, for all these past years, Alexandra had tried so desperately to mold herself to please her mother and father, and she’d tried no less to mold Claire as well—all to no avail.
Thank God, or else where would Claire be?
Alone, like Alexandra.
Certainly not marrying her charming prince.
Prince Merrick was the next to speak. He toasted his twin, and clearly emotional, the brothers embraced, clapping each other fiercely upon their backs. It was difficult not to catch a sting to the eye when they broke free of their embrace and Merrick took his brother by the face, kissing his cheek.
(At least Alexandra presumed it was Prince Merrick, since he was not the one giving googly eyes to Claire.)
“You may now open your gifts,” announced Claire, and Alexandra set down her goblet, lifting up the gilded gift, so beautifully wrapped.
Upon closer inspection, she realized the golden wrapping was patterned differently for each guest. Hers displayed an explosion of silver-leaf butterflies— a shared love for both Lexie and Claire, though for very different reasons.
Ever since she was a child, Claire had imagined herself a butterfly cocooned, and Alexandra had dearly loved discovering chrysalises in her garden.
Excited, she made short work of the wrapping and tucked inside a small velvet box she found a necklace, with a lovely clasp in the shape of a butterfly. On the chain itself was an engraved locket, and inside the locket she found a portrait of Claire…
Beautiful, beautiful Claire, whom she’d known most of her life.
Sweet, wonderful Claire… who would be gone all too soon.
Alexandra swallowed with some difficulty, hard-pressed to note what anyone else had received.
Her own gift shattered her heart to small bits.
It was beautiful, certainly, though it was a bittersweet reminder that very soon this golden locket was all she would have remaining of oldest, dearest friend…
and… Claire was no longer a butterfly cocooned…
she was a lovely winged butterfly preparing to fly away soon.
Her very first instinct—her only instinct—was indubitably the one thing she could never again do… seek solace against Ben’s shoulder.