Before Kathleen could answer, Clara said, “Expense is not a concern, Your Majesty. In fact, all your underthings should be silk or fine-spun cotton.”
Kathleen looked over at the young woman, and she immediately stepped forward with a large book tucked under her arm. She opened it up and laid it across my lap. “This is our catalogue of lingerie designs.”
I flipped through several pages until a page of long, flowing dresses caught my eye. They were for sleeping and lounging, according to the description. But if I was spending most of my time with my Blood… “I like these, along with these lounging robes. Maybe with fuller sleeves, like this?”
“Of course. In the old days, they were called dressing gowns, and the ladies might even receive friends in such clothing. What colors would you like? Or how many?—”
I opened my mouth, but Clara butted in before I could say anything. “One of every color you have. Then sets of underwear and bras in the same colors in a variety of cuts.”
One of the assistants started writing everything down. “Got it.”
Kathleen stepped closer and turned through several pages until the images were all of skirts, pants and jackets. “Do any of these styles appeal to you, Your Majesty?”
I flipped through a couple of pages, but nothing really caught my eye. “These seem to be more… How do I say it…”
“Conservative?” Clara offered. “Or even business, professional attire.”
“Yes, exactly. Like I should be overseeing teams, making travel plans, buying properties. Which I suppose I may do.” Frowning, I looked up at Clara. “Or is that more what you do?”
“You express a desire or need, and I direct your team to accomplish that goal. But if you’d like to wear more business-like attire, that’s perfectly acceptable.”
Kathleen thumbed through several more pages to the back of the catalogue. “We also have more casual styles like these. Hand-knit sweaters with relaxed wool trousers or simple skirts.”
“Oh, yes, these are more my style, I think. Soft, fluffy, cozy things. That sounds perfect.”
The assistant wrote more notes.
“More elegant and timeless colors, like greens and browns?” Kathleen asked. “Or would you like some neutrals?”
I flipped backward through the book, just casually looking at the images to see if anything else sparked. “Woodsy colors would be great. White, cream, even gray would be fine too. Not very much black, though. I spent too much time in the dark to not wear colors now. Although, what’s this color?” I pointed to an image of a woman wearing a long floor-length gown and jewels at her throat.
“Midnight blue. It can appear to be black until the light hits the material just so, and then you see the blue undertones. We also have a similar green color we jokingly call midnight moss.”
“The color of your eyes,” Dörr said reverently. “Inky moss.”
I looked up at him with a soft smile. “That sounds way better than dark green.”
“You will need formal gowns for court,” Clara said. “For instance, if you’re called before the Triune. Queen Shara was very forgiving when she visited us given the situation, but generally, Triune queens have high expectations for appearances at court.”
The thought made my stomach knot again. Not meeting Shara—she’d been perfectly friendly and had literally saved my family home. But the thought of making court appearances made my stomach churn with anxiety. “I have so much to learn.”
“That’s what I’m here for, Your Majesty. If you like the style of this gown, let’s have several made up and ready in case you do need to make a formal court appearance.”
I nodded. “One in midnight blue and one in inky moss, please.”
“Absolutely, Your Majesty.” Kathleen flipped the page over to an even more elaborate gown. “We also have extremely formal designs available if the need arises. Stokes created this one, beading it all by hand with pearls and crystals to make it glitter from every possible direction.”
The gown was certainly stunning with a wide, full skirt. Yards of delicate lace made it look airy despite the heavier beading around the bodice. “I can’t imagine wearing something so fancy.”
“It would certainly be appropriate to wear to Queen Marne’s court in Rome,” Clara said. “She prefers all the pomp and circumstance.”
“What colors could you do this in?”
“White, though that might appear too bridal for a court appearance. Silver, gold, and black for sure, though I’m sure we could do something in the darker green or blue as well, Your Majesty. The trick will be finding appropriate crystals to match but I’m sure it would look lovely.”
The female assistant cleared her throat nervously, drawing our attention to her. “I also have an incredible smoky deep purple I’ve been dying to create something with.” Her head cocked slightly as she gazed at me and her eyes unfocused. “I can see it like a dream.” She blinked, clearing away the haze, and quickly added, “Your Majesty.”
Her words touched something inside me that resonated. It felt right. “Let’s do it. I’d like a dream gown, but I would put it at the bottom of the list. I can’t imagine we’ll need to go to Rome any time soon.”
