CHAPTER 04. – MAKE SURE YOU LOOK YOUR BEST
- BASH -
The older woman, Catherine Medici, held out her hand with a smile. "Hello, Dear," she said. I took it and we shook hands. "So nice to meet you. Please, come inside." She stepped aside and Mary led me inside her friend's suite. "What seems to be the problem?" she asked.
Mary turned to her and answered, "Bash here will be joining us at dinner this evening. And… as you can see, wardrobe is a bit of a problem."
Catherine nodded, observing me. "Yes, indeed. I can certainly help him. He appears to be the same size as my son." She held out her arm and put it around my back. "Come now, Dear. We'll find you something suitable for this evening."
I was left alone with Catherine just a few moments later. Mary went to prepare herself for dinner. It hadn't realized how much time had passed since I rose this morning and went out onto the deck. I tended to lose track of time when I was drawing. Catherine took me to her son's quarters and started rummaging through his closet. "This is… very kind of you, Ms. Medici."
"Please, call me Cathy," she said. "Everyone does. They only call me Catherine or Ms. Medici out of respect. So formal." She pulled out a tuxedo and held it up to me. "Yes, I think that'll do. Try it on," she said, pressing it up against me. I took it and she turned around to rummage through the closet again. I stripped out of my clothes and put the trousers and the button up shirt on. She found some shoes and put them down beside me, then turning to help me with the vest. "Have you ever worn a tuxedo before, Mr. Poitiers?"
I smiled. "No, ma'am. And please, call me Bash, if we're insisting on not being formal with one another."
She smiled and said, "I like you, Bash. I can see why Mary's made a fast friend out of you."
That filled me with a little pride. Especially coming from a first class woman, it was nice to hear. "I like her. She's not like most first class ladies."
"It wasn't that long ago that I was a third class member, like yourself," Catherine said. I was surprised. My face showed it. "Oh yes, I know what you're thinking. My husband struck gold out west, so we inherited many riches. I'm what they consider 'new money.' I hear the whispers about me and I see the looks the other ladies throw in my direction. In many ways, I'm still an outsider, even in this first class world."
It seemed like first class was not a place people wanted to be. I used to envy those who had everything when I had nothing, and now I was kind of starting to appreciate the fact that I didn't. "That much be horrible," I said, not sure what else to say and she walked behind me and helped me with the jacket.
"Sometimes," she said. "But I never forgot when I came from. The other ladies have never known anything else. They could never survive if they lost everything. Like Madame Guise, Mary's mother."
"I'm assuming I'll meet her tonight?"
"Oh yes," she said. "She's not the most pleasant lady in the world, but I tolerate her. I wish she could truly experience life without wealth, just for a week. Without Francis Valois and his family's money, she would be lost. But I think Mary would survive. She's a strong girl. Stronger than she gives herself credit for."
If other people saw how strong Mary was, then maybe she could really make something more of herself. I may have only met her yesterday, but I wished her the strength to fight back and take control of her own life. I'd stopped her from killing herself… maybe I could change her life in other ways. "Do you think she'll be happy?"
Catherine laughed. "Oh God no." She came around to help with the buttons of the jacket. "I wish she could be, but she's never going to truly love Francis. He's a bit of a narcissist and only cares about getting his father's wealth."
That honestly didn't surprise me. "I hope she finds happiness somehow."
She smiled. "As do I, Dear." She smoothed out the fabric on my shoulders and said, "There now. Perfect fit. You clean up very nicely, Bash."
"Thank you, Cathy," I said with a smile.
She looked over at the table next to us and noticed my book. "What's this you carry?" She went over to pick it up.
"My book of art," I answered.
"May I?" she asked. I nodded and gestured with my hand toward it. She opened it up and started to look through it. "Extraordinary." I watched her go through the pages, not nearly reacting as surprised to my more questionable drawings like Mary had. When she finished, she looked up. "My family and I have been needing a new portrait for some time now," she said, closing the book and handing it back to me. "I think you are perfect for the job."
I took the book and my eyes widened. "Really?"
She nodded. "And I will pay you half now, half after."
"Oh, no that's not—"
"Nonsense. Don't try to protest. I insist."
I smiled. "Thank you. I appreciate this."
.
- MARY -
When I left Bash alone with Catherine, I went back to my own quarters and was greeted by my mother and our maids who were ready to help me prepare for dinner. Dressing up to eat a meal was an event in first class… one I found to be quite over the top. I'd much rather lay in bed and drink a cup of tea and snack on some crackers of some sort. But when in first class, every meal was an occasion, especially dinner, which was multiple courses and more food than most could really handle.
I honestly wondered how many of us stayed so skinny.
"Francis tells me there was an incident last night," Mother said as she tightened my corset. "Care to explain?"
I wanted to roll my eyes, but I was standing near the mirror and she would see it. "It wasn't an incident, per se, Mother. I left to get some fresh air and started wandering around the ship. And then I began talking with a lovely gentleman from third class."
"Would this be the same gentleman that's joining us this evening?" Mother asked, not too happy by her tone. Apparently Francis had told her all about it.
"Yes. Francis and I invited him as a thank you for his kindness."
"Wouldn't a few bills do the job?" By 'bills,' she meant 'money.' A lot of money. Because apparently money was the only thing that worked on people. I'd just love to see my mother as a seamstress. She wouldn't last five minutes. No… no, I wouldn't even give her that long. It might have been mean to think, but it was the truth.
"Money can't buy everyone's thanks, Mother," I replied. "Sebastian is a very nice man. Don't treat him like garbage just because he's not as rich as we are." And… technically we weren't even the rich ones. It was Francis and his family. We weren't even married yet, but my mother and I were benefiting from the engagement.
My mother scoffed. "Why shouldn't I? All of the third class passengers are garbage. They look like garbage. They smell like it."
I pulled away and turned around. "Need I remind you that we could be traveling third class right now if not for Francis and his family?" The look on my mother's face said it all. She knew I'd put her in her place and wasn't going to speak of the matter anymore. So… I slowly turned back around so she could finish with my corset.
I found myself questioning my actions. Why would I defend our situation to my mother? Sure, it was merely a reminder that would could be like the third class passengers right now, but I made it seem like I was happy about this engagement. Maybe it was the act that I had to continuously put on around her to make her happy. She wanted my engagement to Francis to work out. I shuddered at the thought of him… with me like that… and eventually having his child. My stomach became nauseous every time I thought about it. But it would have to happen one day. I would have to produce an heir for the Valois Empire.
I didn't care for Francis. Not at all. But I had to marry him. I didn't want to because I didn't want to be stuck in a loveless marriage for the rest of my life. Sadly I didn't have a choice. This was how my life was going to be.
There was a knock on the door. A maid answered it. Francis stepped inside, already dressed in his tux. "Are we ready to go?"
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A/N: Review review review! Chapter 5 coming soon! -heart-