“Yes, but you’re not here to meet dogs. You’re here to meet your future husband and parents-in-law. Do I need to remind you of that?” She holds out the dress for me and I slip it on before she begins the task of buttoning the long line of cloth buttons up my back.
“I know Frederic was a little surprised to find me cross-legged on the floor. He seemed quite concerned that I wasn’t wearing my shoes.”
“You took your shoes off as well?”
“Of course I did. It’s so hot here! They were pinching.” I turn to look at myself in the mirror. It’s a pretty dress, but itisrather plain.
Anya peers over my shoulder. “Perhaps we could add a necklace. Zhuzh it up a bit?”
“Pearls are probably the way to go. The ones Mama gave me before I left home. Oh, and maybe a tiara?” I add, hopeful.
“Now you’re just being silly. You can wear one tonight at the state dinner to welcome you.”
She pulls out a row of luminous pearls and clips it around my neck. I loosen my hair from what’s left of my up-do and brush it out.
“That’ll have to do, I suppose.” I touch the pearls at my neck. “You know, I’ve never worn a string of pearls in my life.”
“You’ve never been about to get engaged to a prince in your life either.”
My belly does a flip. The Prince made it abundantly clear that he wasn't impressed by me today.
“Did he propose?”
“Of course he didn’t. He was too busy telling me what a mess I looked.”
Anya presses her lips together, her eyes bright. “Shoes.”
I lift a foot in her direction, “What’s wrong with these?”
“You need the yellow matching ones.” Her voice is muffled as she rummages in one of my trunks. Princesses don’t travel light you know, not even in the 90s. “Here.” She holds a pair of heels aloft, and I dutifully kick off my current torture devices and replace them with a new set.
“Can’t I wear sneakers? Or wellies!”
“Not to meet your future parents-in-law.”
I turn back to the mirror and inspect my image. With my blonde hair and yellow dress and matching shoes I look like the very embodiment of sunshine.
Either that or a muppet.
“Can I ask you a candid question, Asti?”
I turn to face her. “When do you ever not?”
“Why Prince Frederic?”
I chew on my lip. “I suppose I saw it as a rather grand adventure. Something new and exciting.”
“But isn’t it rather extreme? You’ve come to another country to marry a man you’ve met a grand total oftwicein your life.”
“Three times now.”
“That’s not a lot of time to get to know someone.”
I shrug, my belly filling up with bees. “I have a feeling,” I say tentatively.
Anya looks at me as though I’ve gone quite mad. And who knows? Perhaps I have. Who changes their entire life because they want adventure, because they have an inkling everything will work out the way they hope?
“Afeeling?”
