An hour later I was standing on the pedestal that the dressmaker had brought with her to the mansion. “I feel like a fluffy meringue,” I complained as I tugged on the gold skirt.
“But youlookbeautiful,” my mother said as she eyed the dress critically, looking for any spots that sat strangely on my body. The Gala was two days away and if there were any issues with the dress, she wanted them fixed by the seamstress as soon as possible.
“Do you like it, Madame Wilde?” the dressmaker asked, wringing her hands nervously while she waited for my mother to finish her perusal. Of course she completely ignored my opinion on the whole thing despite the fact that I was the one currently trapped in this monstrosity of a gown.
I looked at myself in the mirror and my first thought was, again, that I looked like a glittering desert. It was pretty enough, I supposed, but definitely too fussy for my taste. The dress was a heavy gold satin with oak leaves—the Wilde family symbol—crawling up the skirt and bodice. I was just lucky that the crinoline skirts of my mother’s childhood were no longer popular, so I only needed to wear a white satin chemise underneath.
I turned one way, and then the other, trying to convince myself that I didn’t look like a pile of gold in a very expensive treasure chest.
“It looks wonderful, thank you,” my mother finally said to the dressmaker, as she finished her assessment of my gown.
“I look like a dessert,” I complained as I tugged at the bodice, feeling uncomfortable with the tightness of it.
“A very expensive dessert, only eaten by the best of the best,” Ivy tittered from where she sat on the settee next to my mother. She had already purchased her dress prior to their arrival, so my mother couldn’t fuss over her in the same way that she was doing with me.
I stuck my tongue out at her, ignoring my mother’s appalled gasp. “Juneau, you are a grown woman, and grown women do not stick their tongues out at others.”
“Ivy isn’t like others,” I pointed out as I stepped off of the pedestal so that the dressmaker could start the painstaking process of releasing my body from my gown. I already knew that I would need several people to help me get dressed tomorrow, and the idea of all of those random hands touching me was already making me feel irritated. “She’s my sister. I can stick my tongue out at my sister if I like,” I finished and stuck my tongue out once more for good measure.
Ivy leaned back so that she was out of my mother’s peripheral and daintily mimicked me, her nose scrunching. By the time my mother turned to look at her, the omega’s face was impassive and elegant again.
“No complaining, you promised to behave yourself,” my mother said as she nodded for Dorothea to step forward and help me dress in the pink silk day dress that I had been wearing before the fitting. “Now, we have Ellen Alcott’s tea party to attend and our fitting has run over, so right out to the car we go.”
I suppressed a groan as I followed Ivy and my mother out to the waiting automobile. If I never went to another tea party it would be too soon.
The next day, after hours of tugging, tying, primping and puffing, I was finally ready for the Gala and everyone took a step back to examine their work.
“She looks lovely,” Dorothea commented, a brush still clutched in her hand from when she was doing my hair.
“She does indeed,” Maria agreed after having been pulled in to help get all of the buttons and stays fastened together while Nan held the dress together. It had taken three people, plus a smattering of other maids, to help me bathe, dress and get into the monstrosity of a ballgown. I have no idea how the dressmaker had been able to manage all of the complicated buttons and clasps on her own, but I suspected she may very well be a witch because I’d listened to Maria and Dorothea fuss over them for nearly an hour.
Looking in the mirror, even I had to admit that the end result was a very pretty picture. The dress looked feather light on my frame despite how heavy all of the beading and embroidery actually was.
My hair had been tamed by Dorothea’s sure hands into a semi-updo on my head, letting the majority of it cascade down my back. She had then tucked little jeweled suns, moons, and stars into the curls in an effort to make it shimmer under the glowing bulbs in the ballroom. It wasn’t the typical hairstyle that my mother would usually pick for me to wear, but I could see the intention behind it. My mother wanted me to stand out amongst the backdrop of some of the wealthiest people in the United States, and my hair would be one way that she was going to do it.
There was a knock on the door and Dorothea hurried to answer it. “The Madame is waiting for you with the rest of the family in the Pink Room, Miss Juneau,” she said after speaking to whoever was on the other side.
I wiped my suddenly sweaty palms on my dress before holding them out so that Maria could slide the elbow length white gloves on. “Well, I suppose there isn’t any turning back now,” I said to no one in particular as I hurried from my bedroom and in the direction of my mother’s sitting room.
The rest of my family was sitting in the Pink Room all dressed in their best finery. Nicky and Timothy were both dressed in smart black tuxedos, their hair gelled and styled. Nicky had even curled the ends of his mustache, giving him a dapper look. Ivy was dressed in a silver dress that complimented all of her features and was practically glowing like moonlight from where she was sitting.
My mother was dressed in a slightly muted version of my own dress. It was more of a yellow rather than a gold, but it still made her hair and eyes stand out as she stood upon hearing my entrance.
My family members were silent as they took me in and I felt immediately uncomfortable.
“If any of you say anything I will shave your heads in your sleep,” I threatened, pointing a finger as I joined them in front of the fire. I glanced at my hair in the golden mirror and found that it looked prettier than I had ever seen it before, the jewels within the curls glittering when I turned my head.
“You look beautiful, Tot,” Nicky said as he brought me in for a half-hug, giving me a kiss on the side of my head. If I closed my eyes, I could imagine that it was my father speaking those words. I leaned into my brother’s apple scent with a sigh.
“We should be paying Dorothea more, I’m surprised she was able to tame that bird’s nest you call hair,” Timothy teased and I turned to snap back at him when, much to my surprise, my mother whacked him across the back of the head with her fan.
“Timothy it is fully within your capability to tell your sister that she looks beautiful without any jabs. My goodness, it’s no wonder you’re still single. Don’t think I won’t be looking for an omega for you soon too,” she told her son whose mouth opened and closed with surprise, reminding me very much of a fish. It was rare for our mother to yell at her favorite child, so Nicky and I exchanged a gleeful look as we watched the show.
“Tot, I think we’re going to need to provide the gentlemen coming tonight with a tie so that they can pick their jaws up off the floor and secure them to their heads again,” Ivy said, her silvery blue eyes sparkling as she reached out to tug at a spot of my skirt that was sitting awkwardly before placing a feather light kiss on my cheek.
“You look gorgeous, my darling.” My mother cupped my face with her gloved hands and drew me down to give my forehead a kiss. “Please give these alphas a chance, all right? I’m sure there are some who would love to have a wily, intelligent, somewhat troublesome omega,” she told me, laughter glittering in her green eyes. Nothing put my mother in a better mood than hosting, and it showed with how she led us to the door of the parlor, practically floating across the floor.
“I have some friends from the city coming in tonight,” Nicky whispered into my ear as we got into position to begin welcoming our guests. “They are some interesting fellows, so make sure that you speak with them. I would love it if you found yourself in the city with Ivy and me.”
