Daphne gave her a mock glare through the mirror. "I am not sure if I know what you are talking about."
"Oh, you know the one," Violet continued with a grin, "You must have seen it a dozen times now. It's a small wave, very stiff but oh so proper."
"I'm sure that Daphne doesn't need to practise," Isadora joined in with a laugh. "Being a duchess will come naturally to her, she needs to not be taught a thing."
Daphne nodded. Gone were the days when she would ask Isadora to give her a lesson on how to be a proper lady, or seek out advice on how to behave. Even though she was about to be a Duchess now, she was not worried in the slightest.
For she knew that Ambrose accepted, for whoever she was.
"If it comes to that, then I'm afraid I'll have to renegotiate. I'll leave all the waving to you two."
"Oh, it's a bit too late for that," Violet laughed, "Very soon, you'll be walking down the aisle and have a title of your own.Duchess.Has quite the ring to it, wouldn't you agree?"
"I prefer Mrs. Harris much more so," Daphne could not keep the smile off her face. Her friends burst into a fit of giggles in response.
"Daphne, I have to say one thing," Isadora commented, "You have certainly set quite the precedent of how one must act on the day of their marriage. I have seen ladies get so nervous that they cannot utter a single word, or keep their food down. It is quite a change after all, leaving ones home to start a new one."
Daphne shrugged. Truthfully, she had not felt any nervousness in the leadup to their wedding. All she felt was anticipation.
"I think when you find the right person, there is no need to be nervous," Daphne said the words with confidence. "You'll know when you do. I suspect it will be the same for you."
Suddenly, Violet placed both hands on Daphne's shoulders and closed her eyes as if channeling some sort of mystical energy.
Daphne blinked, startled. "What are you doing, Violet?"
Violet squeezed Daphne's shoulders dramatically. "I'm absorbing your luck, of course!" she said with utmost seriousness, then opened one eye to peer at Daphne. "It's no less than sheer luck that you end up finding the love of your life, and aduke.On your wedding day, you're brimming with this good fortune. I figure some of it might rub off on me."
Daphne and Isadora exchanged a puzzled look before bursting into laughter.
"Oh, Violet," Daphne said, "You don't need to do any of this. My match with the Duke has nothing to do with luck, if anything, luck was not on our side."
"But it was fated," Isadora said, suddenly growing emotional and reaching out for her friends hand, "I cannot believe the day has arrived so soon. You will move so far away, and I will miss you a lot."
Violet, too, nodded and came forward to embrace Daphne, albeit being very careful not to ruin her gorgeous silk wedding gown. "As will I."
The three friends embraced for a long moment.
"Please, I cannot cry right now," Daphne said, trying to steady her emotions. "I will miss the both of you dearly, and I expect that you visit me regularly – before andafteryou find husbands of your own."
Violet squeezed Daphne's shoulder again, as she had done earlier.
"Violet..." Daphne warned.
"Sorry, sorry," she said, "Just a final squeeze, for good luck, you know."
Daphne chuckled, thankful that she had defused the serious moment with her antics. She really did love her friends, and hearing them say how much they will miss her did make her emotional. But she was moments away from being called to the altar, and it would not look good to show up with a tear streaked face.
"Daphne?" there was a knock on the door, and Joyce peered her head inside the bridal room. "Are you ready?"
As she walked inside and set her eyes upon her sister, she nearly froze on spot and tears began to well up in her eyes. "Oh, my sweet. You look gorgeous."
"Thank you," Daphne muttered softly.
"And the necklace," Joyce came forward to examine the jewelry around her sisters neck up close, "Oh, it suits you perfectly. I know mother would have been happy to see you in it."
Before her death, Daphne's mother had left each of her daughters a piece of jewelry that they were to wear at their wedding. It had been sitting in her closet for many years, and even though it felt bittersweet that her parents were not here for her wedding day, it felt like she was carrying a part of her mother today.
"Bring her out already," Felicity, the oldest sister, came in. "The ceremony is about to begin, and the guests have been all seated."
