Dani didn’t wait for an answer, she dropped into a chair and waited. The cat called Petunia leaped into her lap.
“Is it fragile?” Amelia asked.
Miriam gingerly lifted the twinkling crown from the box. “It is not unsubstantial. The finest ones have some weight to them. No matter how delicate, the precious metal—and this one appears to be white gold—adds heft.”
“Imagine,” marveled Amelia, “your husband-to-be, presenting you with a jeweled crown on your wedding day.”
“It’s not from Captain Bannock,” said Dani, “well, he’s delivered it, obviously, but it came from France. It’s an Orleans family heirloom.”
Miriam’s hands froze over Dani’s head. “It’s what?”
“Captain Bannock mentioned it last week. I’d forgotten to tell you,” said Dani.
And now Miriam frowned. She looked at the crown like it might soil her hands.
“It’s very pretty,” Dani ventured, “but it’s just a hat, isn’t it? In the end.”
“Just a hat?” exclaimed Amelia. “It’s part of the Frenchcrown jewels. Consider the age of it and the history. Think of the value to the royal family, not to mention the sheer price of the thing. If it’s a hat, it’s a very precious one, indeed. Why, this crown may have graced the head of—”
“Can I trouble you with a favor, Amelia?” Dani cut in. “Will you look in on Whittle—make certain he has what he needs? And ask your father when we should take up positions?”
“Papa said nine o’clock,” said Amelia. “Remember? I’ve asked three times and each time he said—”
“Amelia,” Dani said sharply, “will you make certain, just in case?”
“Right,” said her friend. “Making certain. Just in case.” She kissed Dani on both cheeks, bobbed a curtsy, and swept from the room.
Dani and Miriam were left alone.
“Just like a rabbit, that one,” Miriam said, “bobbing up and then down; the curtsies and the bowing.”
Dani smiled at her in the mirror. “Amelia has waited all her life for proof that fairy tales can come true. It amuses her to curtsy.”
“I knew this day would come,” sniffed Miriam.
“Miriam...”
“You’d inherit fine things and be treated like royalty.”
“This crown is trifling compared to the wedding gown made by your own hand.”
Her surrogate mother was shaking her head, sliding pins into Dani’s hair. “You needn’t diminish the significance to me. It’s not every girl who receives a jeweled crown on her wedding day. But you were never just any girl, were you? Not to us. If we could give you a crown, we would do.”
“How much more you’ve given me,” Dani said softly. Reaching up, she clasped Miriam’s wrist. “A life filled with love; the example of how to get on in the world, to serve my neighbors; the daily security of a house, my every need freely given. This is more valuable to me than any crown, Miriam. My love for you and Whittle will never change. No matter what I wear on my head. Please do not think otherwise.”
Miriam didn’t answer, as Dani knew she would not. Miriam Dinwiddie’s anxiety toward emotional conversations had taken them for a wild ride these last few weeks. Miriam could not say the words, but Dani could. Her mother needed to hear that Dani felt no loyalty to the country of France, or the family of her birth, to titles or even pretty crowns. Amelia’s genuflecting aside, it couldn’t be said enough: Dani was a princess in name only.
“Dani?” called Amelia, popping her head through the door. “There’s someone here who’s asked to see you.”
“Amelia Broom, what now?” hissed Miriam. “For the love of God, a bride does not ‘see someone’ in the quiet moments before her wedding. It is your job as attendant to protect and deflect on behalf of your friend.Protect and deflect, Amelia Broom. Do not bother Dani again with packages and callers.”
“Sorry, Mrs. Dinwiddie, but this felt too important to put off. I thought Dani should know, just in case. The timing is a bit odd but—”
“Odd? The wedding is set to begin in ten minutes’ time. What—”
“She’s called Elise, Dani,” Amelia cut in breathlessly. “Elise.”
Dani froze. “What?” She spun to look at her friend.
