Hope stood just outside the chapel doors, her entire body shaking so hard, she half expected her dress to come apart at teh seams. If Eliza had sewn on all the embellishments Evelyn had wanted, they most certainly would have fallen off by now.
Fortunately, Hope had managed to keep her stepmother from seeing her gown, so Evelyn didn't know her orders hadn't been carried out. Evelyn wouldn't see it until Hope walked into the chapel in less than five minutes. If all went well, Evelyn would have a little too much wine with dinner tonight, and any harsh words she would have for Eliza would be forgotten in tomorrow's headache.
Hope fiddled with the snowy white gloves at her wrists, feeling they were a bit out-of-season, but the bishop had insisted she wear them. For what reason, Hope could only guess. At least they would disguise how clammy her palms were.
Eliza appeared at her elbow, causing Hope to jump. "Ready, dear?"
Hope swallowed, then nodded.
The chapel doors swung open, and every head turned back to face her.
Hope's mouth was dry, and her body shook, and she was sure everyone could see the sweat rolling down her spine. Nevertheless, she walked forward down the aisle, her white-gloved hands folded in front of her. She had been told this was a very serious event, and that she would not smile, but a pair of faces in the crowd made her break that rule.
The first face was that of her grandmother, Lady Annamarie Inada, who was a fiesty elderly woman who more than once had pulled her granddaughter from stuffy lessons on etiquette and politics go on a grand adventure somewhere. She had lines all along her cheeks and eyes from a lifetime of smiling, and those eyes always held an extra sparkle for Hope.
The other face Hope recognized brought on more than a blush than a grin. Prince Felipe himself was in attendance, seated in a place of honour in the front beside Evelyn. Hope had not seen him very often over the course of their lives, but ever since their childhood meeting, the prince had written to her without fail twice a year - once on her birthday, and once on the anniversary of her mother's passing. The palace had regretfully been unable to attend her father's funeral, so Hope hadn't been expecting anyone today, especially the prince. Felipe had grown taller since she'd last seen him, and he wore his hair in longer, looser golden curls. Evelyn saw who her stepdaughter was smiling so shyly at and frowned disapprovingly.
Hope reached the front of the church and curtseyed respectfully to the bishop, who bowed back. He bade her kneel before the altar, and she did so, mindful of the lace on her dress. She could feel Evelyn's eyes boring into her back.
The bishop said a prayer, then began to speak about the responsibility associated with the position. He wasn't really that boring, but he had a dry, quiet voice that was difficult to hear in the back. Hope heard people starting to fidget. She forced herself to pay attention, struggling to ignore the numbness of her knees.
Finally, he turned to her, and began the vows. Hope repeated them in a clear voice, although it was not as loud as she wanted. She vowed to protect the people who lived by her name; to honour their beliefs and rights; to uphold the laws of the kingdom as fitting her rank; to report unlawful action of any man, be he king or be he poor; and to respect the authority of the King Robert III and his heirs. At this line, Hope fought to keep her emotions under wraps.
"Should I break these vows, spoken before these witnesses," the bishop continued.
"Should I break these vows, spoken before these witnesses."
"I willingly accept any punishment and consequence."
"I willingly accept any punishment and consequence."
"That should be deemed worthy by the church, the king, or my God."
"That should be deemed worthy by the church, the king, or my God."
The bishop smiled at her, finally, and bade her rise. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Duchess of Caelsbridge, Her grace Lady Hope Juliana Inada."
Everyone got to their feet and clapped politely, too proper to show much emotion, if they felt any at all. Hope wished she had something to do with her hands; instead they were folded in front of her, fingers clenched to keep from fiddling nervously. Her grandmother, at least, showed genuine emotion: she clapped heartily and grinned from ear to ear.
Hope wasn't quite sure of the exact details, but she ended up walking out of the chapel and back into the house. Somehow she completely missed the carriage ride that, just an hour ago, had felt eternal. Eliza hugged her excitedly as soon as her foot touched the drive.
"We are so happy for you, milady," Eliza said, speaking for all the servants clustered around.
"Oh, please, Eliza," Hope laughed for the first time all day. "It must be killing you to address me by a title. Use my name, all of you. Nothing else should have to change here."
"If you say so," Eliza continued in her brisk way, not giving the moment enough time to become emotional. She took Hope's arm and they walked into the house together. "Is there anything you need to do before the guests arrive?"
"No, thank you. I'd just like to be alone for a little while."
Hope made her way to her father's study - no to be hers. She wasn't sure she wanted it, and still thought of her father sitting at the desk, busily scribbling and getting ink all over his fingers as he was prone to doing. She didn't sit in the large chair behind the desk; instead, Hope made her way to the window seat. Many a rainy afternoon of her childhood had been spent in this spot, either reading a pleasantly thick novel, or watching Derek attend to the neverending mountain of paperwork. Hope sat and pulled her knees to her chest, staring at the empty chair.
Eliza was hanging up ladies' delicate summer wraps when Evelyn appeared at her side. The faithful servant managed to keep a grimace off her face, even though she couldn't conjure up a smile. "Milady?"
"Do you know where Hope is?" Evelyn asked while she checked her makeup in a nearby mirror.
She was too preoccupied with her mascara to notice Eliza's slight hesitation. "Yes, milady."
Fortunately, Evelyn didn't insist on getting the young duchess herself. "Good. Send her to me right away, please." And with that, she was gone again.
Eliza rapped on the study door. "Hope, time to go downstairs."
The door opened, and she was surprised to see Hope's eyes were clean and dry. She did notice, though, that they lacked their usual life and spark - but then again, Eliza could hardly recall the last time she'd seen that.
"Hope, darling," Evelyn claimed her the moment she entered the ballroom. Evelyn's gown was a brilliant shade of blue, adorned with frills and embroidery,,and she wore generous amounts of jewelery. Hope felt like a lone stormcloud on a beautiful summer sky standing beside her.
Evelyn gave her stepdaughter air kisses to both cheeks, then escorted her back to the group of well-dressed men and women. Hope was introduced, and promptly forgot everyone's name. They spoke very prettily to her, complimenting her hair, and her home (not her dress, she noted), asked her opinions on the latest gossip and politics and addressed her as "Your Grace". However Hope got the impression that as soon as she walked away, they would gossip about her behind her back.
Evelyn kept Hope glued to her side for the next hour, hopping from group to group, person to person, and gushing about Hope's accomplishments and intelligence to anyone who would listen. Hope felt worn out and her head swam as she tried to remember so many names and faces and titles. Who knew so many people wanted to see a little-known duchess?
"Now, this is for your own good, my dear," Evelyn said into her ear. "These are the people who will help you rise up in the world, if you establish the right connections. Connections are everything in politics."
Someone grabbed at Hope's other arm. She whirled around, and then grinned.
"Grandmama!"
Evelyn stopped dead in her tracks. She did not turn around to watch the heartfelt reunion. Who had invited Derek's old mother after she purposefully left her off the guest list?
"It is so good to see you," Annamarie said. "My, you've grown taller! I must visit more often. I am so sorry I wasn't here sooner."
Hope didn't need her to clarify. "Oh, it's all right, Grandmama. I'm just glad you're here now."
"Yes, to see my only granddaughter all grown up and looking like a gorgeous young lady! My, where has the time gone?"
Evelyn cleared her throat. "Hope, we have more people to talk to."
"Oh, but Mother," Hope pleaded. "I haven't seen Grandmama in so long, and surely we've met everyone already. You go ahead, I'll catch up." And then she did something she didn't think she had the courage for: she turned and walked away with her grandmother, leaving Evelyn where she was.
"I can't believe I did that," she hissed.
Annamarie squeezed her arm. "What can she do? You're duchess, and furthermore, an adult. You can make your own decisions, and she is just going to have to deal with it."
Hope was still a bit tense, but she forced all thoughts of her stepmother out of her head. "I'm so glad you received my letter, Grandmama. I was afraid Evelyn would go through the mail." Well, she tried.
"So am I," Annamarie answered. "Although, I must admit, I was surprised I didn't receive a formal invitation. Evelyn and I have never been great friends, but we've been cordial to each other all these years. Perhaps it has something to do with the other half of your letter."
Hope had chronologed all the changes in Evelyn for her grandmother, starting at the very beginning. She had simply wanted someone outside of the estate to know what was going on.
"Let's not talk about her," Annamarie put a cheery tone in her voice. "Tell me all about yourself. I don't care if you've written; I want to hear you say it."
Since it had been a few years since they had last seen each other, recounting all the major events of her life would take Hope most of the night. And she would have loved to do nothing more, but she did have other responsibilities. There were important people to talk to, and Evelyn had promised her several dances to some eligible men. The first round of dancing, Hope was occupied with either social duties or dancing. At dinner, Evelyn sat on one side of her, pointing out important dignitaries and beginning nearly every sentence with, "Now that you're duchess..." Hope ignored her as much as possible, instead speaking with her grandmother on her other side.
Annamarie drank in every word her granddaughter spoke. Three years ago, Hope had been a happy, shining example of the perfect young woman, but today...something was off. It wasn't just her father's passing; the wan, pale face and thin frame could not have all happened to such an extent in only three months. Derek never would have let his daughter work herself so hard while he was ill, either. Besides, Hope herself had written that she knew her father was at last at peace, and because of it, so was she. No, there was something else going on, something Hope hadn't even told her.
Annamarie did not get the chance to pull aside her granddaughter, though. At the end of the dinner, someone tapped Hope on the shoulder. Her cheeks instantly flushed red.
"May I have the next dance?" Prince Felipe asked. Without a word, Hope stood and placed her bare fingers in his - the gloves were long gone. A spark tingled against her fingertips, and her embarrassment grew at the thought of sparking the crown prince with static electricity.
Felipe spun her easily into the next set. Hope found him to be an excellent dancer, incredibly easy to follow. She was still too shy to look at his face, and instead focused on the buttons of his black vest, and tried to ignore how the muscles of his arms pulled against the white sleeves of his shirt.
"How are you?" Felipe asked politely.
"All right," Hope squeaked. "I think, anyway."
He gave a lopsided smile. "I know the feeling."
Her tongue loosened, Hope dared to say, "Tell me what you've been doing lately. I would do the same, but you probably already know."
Felipe grinned fully then. All the court gossip for the past several months had been about Caelsbridge.
"I'm afraid the life of a prince is far more boring than you'd imagine."
"Tell me anyway."
The first words that popped into his head were that she was in no position to demand anything from him, but Felipe bit his tongue. Something about Hope had always made him check himself, though he wasn't sure why.
"I'm telling the truth. I sit in a stuffy room all day and argue politics with stuffy old men."
She smiled a little as he spun her out and then back in. "It can't be as bad as all that."
Felipe raised his eyebrows. "Oh, but it is. There are no pretty young faces like yours back east."
Hope blushed even more. She hesitated a bit before asking her next question. "And how is your mother?"
Felipe normally felt a flare of anger or annoyance whenever anyone asked about his mother, but not this time. It did take him a moment to answer. "I think she's been better lately."
"That's good."
"Perhaps you could come visit her soon. She was not able to come today, but she likes you."
Felipe and his mother had come to Caelsbridge on a few occasions, but they hadn't been by in even longer than Annamarie. Hope was excited by the prospect of visiting the capital; she had only been once when she was a little girl.
"I'd like that. Please let me know when she's feeling up to it."
"I will."
The music ended. Felipe bowed low, and Hope swept what she prayed was her finest curtsey.
"Thank you for dancing with me," she said, all her shyness rushing back full force.
"It was entirely my pleasure," Felipe answered. He bent over her hand and pressed his lips to the back of it. Hope felt her face grow hot. Why did she blush so easily?"
Felipe's eyes flicked over her shoulder for a fraction of a second before returning to her face. "If you'll excuse me?"
"Of course."
He strode off, leaving Hope gazing at his broad shoulders as he went. She was rooted to the spot, utterly transfixed, save for the small part of her brain that said she would die of embarrassment if he caught her staring.
A hand snatched her elbow and whirled her around. Evelyn's grip tightened when she saw her stepdaughter's expression.
"Hope, dear," she said, her voice surprisingly calm, "Who was that?"
The words stuck in Hope's throat. She was terrified to tell Evelyn the truth, but she also knew she was a terrible liar. "Prince Felipe."
"Prince Felipe," Evelyn repeated. She of course knew, and disliked the tone of Hope's voice. "Why didn't you introduce me?"
"He had to go. He has important business to take care of." That wasn't exactly a lie.
"Indeed." Evelyn pursed her perfect lips, and was silent a moment. Then she was dragging Hope across the ballroom.
Hope peered over her shoulder, but the prince was gone. She sighed, and wished she could disappear just as easily.
