“Well,” Emily began, still twiddling the lace in her lap. “We tell people that he saw me in the marketplace and before the sun went down that day, he had found my father and asked for my hand. But—” She cleared her throat and held her chin up. “The first time he saw me, I was in... a compromising position with his travel companion. A young lord from Aliette.”
“Wow,” Alex replied, eyes wide.
“Um hmm,” she nodded. “The Marquis walked right in on us. The lord had his hand up my bodice and everything.” She sighed. “It was embarrassing, and I thought it would be the end of my days, that my reputation would never recover. That I’dnevermarry.” She smoothed the lace she had been tugging on. “You know, I’m the first to admit, I didn’t always have the right ideas about how to maintain a suitor’s interest. But I never let anyone make me feel bad about it.” Then she turned to Alex. “So, do you know what I did?”
Alex shook her head.
“I kicked that lord off of me and held my head high. Iregarded the Marquis like I was the Queen herself from that point on. I even scolded him for not knocking before he entered a room.”
“What did he do?” Alex asked.
“He apologized,” Emily said haughtily, jutting out her chin. “And it earned me his notice, that’s for sure. He asked to see me the next day and the one after that, and before his time in Chevalerie was finished, I was his betrothed.”
Alex continued to stare at her for a moment, the shock in her expression apparent. “What happened to the lord from Aliette?” she asked.
“Who cares?” Emily shrugged. “I landed a marquis.”
Alex, open mouthed, stared back, then brought her hands up to her face. She let out a peal of laughter and dropped back onto the bed. She laughed whole-heartedly for a moment and didn’t show signs of stopping.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Emily said, bristling.
“Oh Emily,” Alex said, slowly recovering. She sat up again, tremors of laughter still running through her. “You are amazing. Truly.” She looked at Emily and then towards the beautiful gowns. She sighed. “I’m sorry for this.” She shook her head. “Without my sword, I don’t know.” She trailed off for a moment. “I know it’s silly,” she continued, “but as beautiful as these gowns are, they make me feel so… so exposed. And useless.”
“Alexandra,” Emily said. “In a skirt or pants, there is no creature on earth stronger than a woman. Do you think I don’t know what goes on in my city? Because I spend my days in silks?” She tutted and continued. “I am every bit as involved in the politics and the welfare of my people as my husband.” She brought her finger up to make a point. “I’m just more subtle about it.” She nodded. “Why am I throwing this ball?” she asked. “Because I like parties?”
“Um,” Alex responded, shaking her head.
“Because my people need it right now,” Emily asserted. “They need to see that the heads of this community are still strong and capable of protecting them. And the region needs time to breathe. There will be no resolution until we stabilize. My husband, Philippe, the Duke.” She ticked them off her fingers. “They need a chance to find their footing. And I can help by offering diversion and distraction.” She paused. “You know, the boys may run headlong into battle or do whatever they do, but we,” she wavedher hand back and forth between them, “we are the ones that make things happen. And we don’t need swords to do so.”
“I never saw it from that perspective,” Alex smiled and looked down.
“Listen,” Emily continued, putting her hand on Alex’s knee. “I say this to you as a friend. Grace and confidence will take you far. You worry about staying strong? Never ever let someone think they’ve gotten the best of you.”
“It is not so different than what I practice when I am at battle,” Alex said.
“Whoever told you that social etiquette was not battle?” Emily raised her brows. “It’s a dangerous sport.”
Alex sighed. “Thank you, Emily. That does make me feel better.” She shook her head. “I’m just in knots wondering if he will be here. I don’t like feeling like this.”
“This night is not about Philippe,” Emily said, holding a finger up. “It’s about Ponce.” Then she said more softly, “It’s also about you. Alex, you have power, more than you know. You just have to figure out how to use it.” Emily stood then and looked Alex up and down. “The colors of the other dresses were wrong for you. What was I thinking? With your dark eyes and hair.” She pressed her lips and put her hand on her chin as she thought. After a moment, she continued. “I have the perfect gown for you,” she said. Emily called to her maids, and they poked their heads into the room like nervous chickens. “Ladies, I will need you to do some digging through my garments. And it will have to be done with haste.”
Chapter Thirty
At six sharp, the arrival of the guests began in the main entrance of the Marquis and Marquise’s country estate. The people had anticipated the Marquis’ birthday and the arriving carts decorated with flowers and ribbons lined up and down the drive to prove it. Footmen were ready to receive each family, and Emily stood at the entrance, on the arm of the Marquis ready to greet their happy guests. They made such a handsome couple, and Alex admired them from down the hall. Emily looked beautiful as always in a golden silk dress that matched her hair, and the Marquis, tall and distinguished in his adorned jacket.
Alex had been stationed at the entrance to the ballroom and was meant to show the arriving guests inside. She took her post very seriously and was pleased to greet the happy people. She’d been humbled by the talk she’d had with Emily earlier, and as she watched the faces of each guest turn to awe when they saw the ballroom, she understood Emily’s actions even more. Though Alex still would have liked to be tracking alongside the men, she was proud to have helped put together this event.
Emily had also been right about having the perfect dress for her. Alex was dressed in a beautiful dark navy gown that went straight to the floor. It had been a gown of Emily’s mother and part of her dowry. It was somewhat out of fashion, not having the poof and yards of fabric that were popular atthe time, but it had been crafted so well, and it fit Alex’s body so perfectly, she felt more like a woman than she ever had in her life. It had a straight neckline thatjustcaptured her breasts and small capped sleeves. Her hair was twisted back from her face with a simple mother of pearl clip, her free dark waves still spilling down her back. She felt at once elegant, sophisticated, and indeed a lady. It surprised her how much she enjoyed the feeling, and secretly, before leaving her room, she’d spent a few moments delighting in the swish of her skirt across the wooden floors.
Within an hour, the ballroom had filled with excited guests, already indulging in their first dances of the evening. Against the dark wood panels and golden fixtures, the decorated guests, in marvelous fall shades of honey yellow, blush wine, glowing tangerine, lustrous chartreuse, ignited the great hall in color. Even the staff wore their most refined uniforms, mauve frocks with ivory collars for the women and ivory jackets with mauve embellishments for the men.
Off to the side, was an alcove that held the refreshments: exotic fruits, hors d’oeuvres almost too pretty to be eaten, crystal flutes of champagne and little cakes decorated to resemble the lavender and white poppies that Ponce was known for. Alex thought to try the little pink tarts or the pastry with puffed cream, but there was a tightness at the top of her stomach that wouldn’t allow her to do so. Besides, she was much too busy to think about food.
Guests continued to spill in from the main doors into the ballroom. The strings of music built and swelled as each dance gave way to another. Alex glanced occasionally at the doors, feeling the tightness in her stomach creep through her chest. It knotted her as the lords and ladies around her continued to relax through sips of champagne and unrestrained laughter. Emily had been clear in Alex’s duties for the evening: solve problems and havefun. Well, Alex couldn’t exactly have fun with her stomach in knots, but she could do the other half of her duties. Alex looked around the ballroom for anything out of sorts. She summoned a footman to clean a spill, helped a lady locate her husband, and adjusted the collar of a maid who seemed particularly stressed about maintaining her uniform. Despite the nagging tension inside her, Alex was enjoying being quite helpful in the exuberant scene. Never had she worked in this capacity before. It was a thrill indeed.
Just then, a fancy girl bumped into a footman carrying a tray of colorful drinks at the edge of the dances, and Alex leapt forward to stabilize the footman and smooth the dress of the girl.
“Thank you,” the girl whispered shyly, as she seemed to realize she’d almost gotten herself covered in liqueurs. They shared a smile before the girl rushed back to her dance. The footman nodded his thanks, and Alex looked up to see Emily gesturing to her from the dais at the head of the room.
