Chapter 20 After the Ball #3
The Bratzian twins entered the medical room at a quick pace. Ismara held a bouquet of flowers in hand. When she saw Celise, a smile alighted on her full lips.
“Celise! At last, we found you!”
The two ladies crossed the room. Unlike Heather and Katrina, they didn’t wear any bustle or crinoline to support their skirts. Instead, their soft robes were cinched at the waist with sashes of bright satin, and their dresses were woven of rich cloth that resembled peacock feathers.
Katrina and Heather were forced to step back as the twins approached Celise’s bedside. Ismara thrust the bouquet of flowers into Celise’s hands. The cluster of white roses and yellow daisies smelled divine.
Celise felt a bit confused by the sudden interruption. It took her a moment to clear her head of Katrina’s venting. She took a deep breath to settle herself, then she focused on the Bratzian twins and ignored her sisters.
“The proposal was all anyone would talk about this morning at brunch!” Ismara gushed. “It was a shock for everyone. The duke didn’t even dance with you at the ball! In fact, some of the ladies say there might have been two dukes attending the gala. Can you imagine? It’s all so mysterious!”
“Much speculation,” Ilyana said in her thick accent.
“But we are so happy for you!” Ismara quickly added.
“Yes, so happy, supramin’ka!”
“That means ‘congratulations,’” Ismara laughed.
Katrina turned away to look out the window, hiding her scowl.
The twins seemed oblivious to the tense atmosphere in the room. Heather looked relieved by their interruption. Celise felt the same way; she smiled brightly at the two women. At least, as brightly as she could while her body felt like a heavy sandbag. “Thank you; truly, it means a lot.”
“We heard you were too sick to come down for breakfast,” Ismara said. “We were worried for you! But I’m glad to see you are doing well. It must have been terrifying to face down a daemon!”
“It was pretty frightening,” Celise agreed.
“The castle is crawling with reporters,” Ismara added, her hazel eyes growing wide. “Everyone is getting interviewed. You’re lucky not to be outside. They would jump on you!”
“Oh yes, they would tackle you to the ground!” Ilyana laughed.
“Nobody believes the proposal is real. They all think it’s staged,” Katrina sneered from her place near the window, unable to help herself. “Everyone wants to know about the ‘great Sluggy,’ future duchess of Gravenmere! I’m so sick of hearing your name. It’s not like you’re a royal.”
Ismara and Ilyana both looked up, shocked by Katrina’s sarcasm. Then the twins glanced at each other with unreadable expressions, perhaps confused by her animosity.
“But she is your sister,” Ismara said. “Aren’t you happy for her?”
“Forsynthian families are strange,” Ilyana muttered.
Catching the girls’ reproachful looks, Katrina switched to gloating.
“Of course I’m happy for our family. I’ve already been approached by three reporters about the daemon in the gardens last night,” she bragged.
“That’s the real story—not the engagement.
One of the journalists from The Lady’s Letter gave me her card.
Oh, she was wonderfully witty! She asked me to give a personal interview, a bit of a ‘tell-all.
' I promised to send her every last detail I can remember.”
Katrina’s eyes glinted with wicked glee.
Celise tried to appear indifferent, but she felt the blood drain from her cheeks. She had a terrible suspicion her sister would exaggerate the night’s events. The Lady’s Letter was a gossip column, so they wouldn’t care if some of the details were fabricated.
Celise shared an apprehensive look with the twins.
Misunderstanding the full extent of her fear, Ismara patted her hand and tried to reassure her, “Don’t worry about all the reports. Enjoy your moment! It’s an exciting day. The guests are happy to have something to talk about; that’s all.”
Celise nodded. She tried to absorb Ismara’s comforting words, but she still felt nervous. She had never been the center of attention like this before. She hoped the gossip would pass quickly and soon be forgotten.
“We have to go now, but we wanted to give this to you,” Ismara said.
She pressed a small letter into Celise’s hand.
“This is an invitation to our townhome. We are staying for a month in Castleberry City. Old Blackwood has provided our father, Meister Barbaros, with a house in the city for the next few weeks. I heard Castleberry is not far from Windhaven Ranch. Please come visit us. Here is the address. You may write to us as well!”
“Yes, please write,” Ilyana nodded, her hazel eyes sparkling. “I’ll practice my Forsynthian letters.”
“Thank you,” Celise said with sincere feeling.
The twins couldn’t possibly know how rare and wonderful she found their invitation.
She struggled for a moment, feeling sentimental tears sting her eyes.
Then she leaned forward and gave the two girls a hug, squishing the bouquet of flowers between them.
“I will make sure to write,” she promised.
As the Bratzian twins turned to leave, the infirmary’s door opened again.
Marcella reappeared with Dasha and Lord Dhastel in tow.
Dasha was carrying a carpetbag in hand. Lord Dhastel was still dressed in his vestments from the night before, his tailored coat rumpled and his cravat undone.
He looked very hungover. Celise was not surprised.
The twins bowed to both Lord and Lady Dhastel as they left the room. The girls shut the door softly behind them.
Celise’s father wobbled for a moment on his feet. He reached out and pressed his hand against the wall. After teetering for a moment, he slouched down on one of the cots with a groan and lay back, resting his head on a pillow.
“Sebastian, pull yourself together! We must get ready for the train!” Marcella cried.
Her husband waved off Marcella with a weary hand. “There will be time for that later.”
“There is no time!”
As Marcella dealt with her sloshed husband, Dasha rushed to Celise’s bedside. She looked flustered. The young maid set down her carpetbag at the foot of the bed and opened it. She pulled out a mossy dress of sprigged green cotton and a long white shift.
“Come along, my lady, we must get you ready for the train!” Dasha said.
“I’m so relieved to see you made it safely through the night.
The servants are telling wondrous stories about how Lord Elias saved you from the daemon in the gardens.
I’ve heard at least fifteen different versions this morning.
Come now, let’s get you groomed and dressed for the day.
We don’t have much time. Have you eaten? ”
“I will eat on the train,” Celise said. “I don’t wish to make us any later than we already are.”
“I’ll ask the kitchen to pack a lunch basket for us to take on the carriage. It’s the least they can do for the future duchess,” Dasha said with a wink.
Marcella snorted at those words. Celise glanced over at her stepmother, but the woman was turned away, tending to her husband.
When Celise looked back at Dasha, the maid was biting her lower lip in a mischievous way. “Oops,” Dasha mouthed. Then the cheerful maid helped her up from the bed and led Celise behind the dressing screen at the corner of the room.
As Dasha helped her out of her medical gown and into her day clothes, she leaned in close and asked in a soft voice, “So, should I assume Lord Elias is the owner of that mysterious frock coat in your trunk?”
Celise’s mouth gaped open like a caught fish. She had completely forgotten about the coat!
“I checked it again this morning just out of curiosity, and I couldn’t help but notice the initials E.
B. sewn into the neckline of the collar,” Dasha whispered.
“Soldiers always sew their initials into their uniforms. I could tell from the cut it’s a military jacket.
Anyway, it’s in your trunk. A nice souvenir of the weekend, don’t you think? ”
Celise was horrified. So, her maid had put it all together, just like that?
“Dasha, please, you can’t tell anyone about the coat!” Celise hissed, her voice soft. “I was going to have you return it to him—
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. You should give the coat back to him when you see him next.” With a smile, the maid added, “I’m happy for you. Truly, I am.”
“Thank you, Dasha . . . but I don’t think this betrothal is going to last.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because Elias knows the truth—I have no mana. He would never marry someone like me. He’s the Hero of the Realm . . . it would disgrace his family name.”
“Oh.” Dasha sucked on her bottom lip. Finished with the buttons on Celise’s dress, the helpful maid undid her braid and started brushing out her hair.
“Well, my lady, let’s not go fishing for trouble.
These are modern times—women can own businesses, join the military and inherit land.
Love matches are in vogue. Perhaps the duke isn’t all that worried about his family’s reputation.
” Dasha gave her shoulders a small squeeze. “We’ll just have to wait and find out.”