When we gathered after lunch to head into the city for our shopping excursion, I was surprised to find that we were walking. Though it was a short walk, I had assumed that a proper lady always took a carriage and that we would be expected to act the same. However, the duchess didn't address our lack of transportation. Instead, she spoke excitedly of what we would see while Cynthia, Gina, Sheila, and I followed her through the courtyard of the castle and out the front gates. We made our way down the central thoroughfare until we reached the central shopping district.

Cynthia tapped my arm and pointed at a small hat shop across the street. "I saw that shop when we first arrived. I would love to go in there," she said quietly.

The duchess paused in front of a small perfume shop. "What are you young ladies most interested in seeing today? If I recall correctly, Miss Taylor wished to purchase a book for her mother. I am eager to stop in the bakery later on. Where else should we go?"

"Oh, Your Grace, could we please go in here?" Gina gestured to the perfumer's.

"Of course! Let's head in, shall we?"

As we pushed open the door, a bell jingled above our heads and our noses were assailed by a cloud of perfume. There were so many different kinds of scents, I could hardly distinguish any specific one from another. The smell of sharp, exotic oils mingled with soft, sweet florals. It took me a moment to adjust. Once I managed to gain control of my senses, I looked around in amazement. Sparkling crystal bottles were arranged on shelves behind the main counter next to baskets holding small paper packets and incense. Another small counter off to the side was covered with trays holding samples of the shop's products.

A tiny woman emerged from a curtain at the back. She gave a bright, eager smile. "Your Grace, what a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you on this fine spring day?"

The duchess nodded in our direction. "These lovely young ladies are guests of mine this week and they were interested in visiting your shop."

"I would be delighted to help the ladies with whatever they require. How can I be of assistance?"

Gina stepped forward. "My late grandmother had the most lovely perfume when I was a child. I adored it and have been searching for a bottle for myself, but I haven't been able to find anything even close to it. I was hoping I might be of luck here."

The tiny woman straightened and rubbed her hands together. "Oh, I do enjoy this sort of mystery! First, describe everything you can about your grandmother's perfume."

While Gina and the perfumer discussed what the mystery perfume might be, Cynthia, Sheila, and I made our way to the sample counter. I gently ran my fingers along the closest perfume bottle.

"This is such a beautiful shop," Sheila said softly. "It's much nicer than the one in Wellington. The perfumer at home isn't a very good one. I hope Gina finds what she's looking for."

The duchess approached. "Feel free to take a sniff of the perfumes, ladies. Each tray holds a different scent type." She picked up a bottle, uncapped it, and waved it under her nose. "Ah, lavender. My favorite."

Only a few minutes went by before we heard Gina squeal. "This is it! This is her perfume!"

I glanced over at the counter to see the perfumer taking a large glass bottle from Gina's hands. "Would you like to choose a bottle to take it home in?" She gestured to the rows of bottles behind her.

I turned back to the samples. Seeing the beautiful crystal bottles made me wish I could buy one for my mother. I opened up the small purse that held the allowance we were given. I glanced down in amazement. There was more money than I had ever seen at one time before. I knew that I wouldn't be going on to the palace, so I needed to save this money and not spend it all today on frivolous purchases. I pretended not to be interested while Cynthia and Sheila picked out small perfume bottles after Gina was finished, then we left the shop.

We made our way down the street to a dress shop. The duchess stopped and said, "I know you ladies have your dresses from Ms. Dawson, but I much prefer this shop myself. Don't tell Ms. Dawson, though! I just need to stop in and check on a dress that I'm having made. You can come in and take a look at their delightful selection of fabrics and ribbons. It's the best in the county and quite expansive."

We stepped inside and discovered that the duchess was not exaggerating about what they had in stock. The shop was much larger than the perfumer's. It was long and narrow, with incredibly tall ceilings. Two of the walls were completely covered by huge shelves that reached to the ceiling, stuffed with bolts of fabric in all patterns and colors. There were racks covered with ribbons and lace. The selection of ribbons was just as expansive as the selection of fabrics. We stood in awe, staring around at the shop.

Next to me, Sheila mumbled something under her breath as she looked around. Before I could ask what she said, a woman made her way from the back of the shop. "Your Grace," she called, sounding pleased. "I am so glad to see you. Are you here to check on your dress?"

"I am," the duchess replied, making her way to the counter.

While the dressmaker spoke with the duchess, the other three girls wandered around to get a better look at everything. I stood in place, still overwhelmed by the elegance of it all. Another woman appeared in the doorway separating the shop from the back room.

"Miss Taylor?" I looked at her in surprise. It was Ms. Carter, my new friend from the previous day. She quickly made her way to my side. She leaned in and said softly, "Would you like to see your dress? Mother and I have made wonderful progress on it."

I glanced at the woman speaking with the duchess and realized she looked almost exactly like an older version of the young woman standing next to me. When Ms. Carter had told me that her mother was a better dressmaker than Ms. Dawson, I didn't think that her mother would have a shop of this caliber. "Yes, I would love to see it," I answered.

"Follow me," she said, leading me back through the doorway. We wove between seamstresses working on dresses in various states of completion. I couldn't believe the beauty that was back here. "Here it is! It isn't finished- we still need to finish off the neckline and hem it properly, but it at least gives you an idea."

I stared at the mannequin that stood before me. If I hadn't recognized the fabric, I wouldn't have believed it was the same dress. How did they manage to transform this so quickly? Every seamstress in the shop must have worked on it late into the night and again this morning! The high collar had been cut down to a more fashionable and low, yet modest, neckline. The sleeves were no longer full-length, instead stopping at the elbow. The cuffs and neckline were lined in a golden braided cord. The skirts weren't as obnoxiously full as they had been yesterday, either.

I turned to Ms. Carter, my eyes brimming with tears. "I don't know what to say," I told her. "This is- it's wonderful."

"I'm so glad you like it! Several of us started on it last night and my mother and I have been working on it this morning." Her eyes twinkled and she gave a small laugh. "Nobody likes Ms. Dawson here. Several of these women worked for her once, and when I told them about your situation, they insisted on helping."

I looked around and found that some of the seamstresses had paused their work to watch us. Each of them gave me a smile when they caught me eye. "I am honored, Ms. Carter. I don't know how to thank you. I don't think I could ever thank you enough."

"Miss Taylor? I was wondering where you went."

I turned to see the duchess standing in the doorway with Ms. Carter's mother. My new friend looked guilty, like she had been caught. "Your Grace, forgive me. I recognized Miss Taylor and offered to show her the progress on her dress for Friday."

"Ms. Carter, I am not angry. I was just startled when I did not see her in the shop." The duchess approached us, staring at the dress with a raised eyebrow. "This is the dress? I don't recall seeing this dress in the twenty Ms. Dawson brought earlier this week. Mrs. Carter? This doesn't look like one of your fabrics either."

The older woman stepped forward. "No, Your Grace, this is not one of mine. This is the dress Ms. Dawson supplied for the young lady."

The duchess let out a soft sigh, as if knowing exactly what had transpired with the dress. She then turned to me with a smile. "Miss Taylor, let's get going. I believe Miss Warner wanted to visit a hat shop."

After we had visited the hat shop and the bookshop, we stopped at the bakery. As I asked for my sweet roll, something in the case caught my eye. "I'll take a dozen of those," I added. I paid the baker and our group made our way back to the castle. As we passed the dress shop, I slipped in quickly.

Mrs. Carter looked startled to see me again. "Miss Taylor, I didn't expect to see you again. Is there something I can help you with, my dear?"

I held out the box from the bakery. "I wanted to thank you ladies for being so kind and helpful. I am humbled by the kindness your daughter has shown me. I brought these for you as a token of my gratitude."

She took the box from me and peeked inside. Her face lit up and she said, "Macarons? Oh, Miss Taylor, how kind of you! They're beautiful and look delicious. Thank you so much. We will all enjoy them very much."

I gave her a smile and ran back out the door to return to the group. They were standing with Mrs. Marten and her group of five in front of the candy shop. As I caught up, I realized there were four extra girls. Cynthia caught my eye and motioned me over with a solemn expression.

"What's going on?" I whispered. I realized the four extra girls were from Mrs. Downey's group, with Portia missing. "You look like-"

Cynthia shook her head, silencing me. She was about to say something when Mr. Phineas Potter rushed from the candy shop and made his way down the street in a hurry. Mrs. Downey followed soon after with a red-faced Portia in tow.

Mrs. Downey walked past us with purpose and made her way up the sidewalk towards the castle. "Ladies, we do not gawk. It's time to return to the castle. Come along!"

Nobody hesitated to follow her instructions. Cynthia and I followed slowly and trailed slightly behind everyone else.. Once I was sure that none of the chaperones would hear, I asked Cynthia again what happened, though I had a hunch.

"Portia was caught kissing her beau in the candy shop," she whispered softly. "She's going to the castle to collect her things and go home."

"She's being sent home?"

"Not exactly. Mrs. Downey threatened to send her home, but Malena argued that there was no rule set in place about such activities. Mrs. Downey gave in and gave Portia a choice. She told her that she could either stay and have no more interactions with her beau, or remove herself from Tyberon Castle. Portia chose to leave."

"Wow." I glanced up at Portia, expecting to see her head hung in embarrassment. Instead she walked next to Mrs. Downey with her head held high and her shoulders thrown back. "I suppose this is a relief for her then."

Cynthia nodded. "There are two fewer girls than when we started. Can you believe it? I never thought anyone would actually leave before the interviews- willingly or not."

When we arrived at the castle, the chaperones left us in the ballroom until dinner was served. Mrs. Downey escorted Portia to her room to collect her things and make sure she was taken home safely. Soon after we arrived, Mrs. Anderson's group joined us. The room buzzed with gossip and excited energy as they were informed of what had transpired in the candy shop. Some girls speculated that Mr. Potter wanted to take Portia away to the countryside right there, while others claimed they saw him get on one knee and propose before the kiss. Malena tried her best to dispel all these rumors, but nobody seemed to listen.

After a long while, Mrs. Downey strode into the room. We fell silent as she surveyed our group. "Ladies, let this be a lesson to you. You will not get off so easily if you are caught with a young man at the palace. Is that clear?" We all nodded silently. "Good. Now I don't want to hear another word of this. You don't need to worry about anyone but yourselves. Your interviews are in two days. Tomorrow we will have brief lessons on Rybeth before your dresses are delivered. I need your focus to be on those lessons. It will be part of your interviews. The more you know, the better off you are. Do not forget that." She gave a heavy sigh. "Once you return to your rooms, you are not to leave unless it is an emergency. You will stay in your own rooms- no socializing or visiting each other tonight. You are now dismissed for dinner. I will see you all in the morning."

After a very quiet dinner, Cynthia and I changed into our nightgowns and half-heartedly discussed what we might learn the next day.

"I'm going to miss Portia," I said abruptly.

"Me too."

I twiddled my thumbs. "Who do you think will go to the palace?"

She shrugged. "I honestly don't have a clue. I really think each of us here has just a good a chance as the other." She held up a hand when I was about to speak. She knew what I was going to say and added, "Even you. Come on, Eloise. You know that you're just as likely to make it as the rest of us. You did well on your second etiquette review, didn't you? The interviews on Friday are just to get an idea of who you are. Whoever gets chosen to go to the palace will have at least two years of training before a choice is made." She looked down and drew her knees up to her chest. She looked nervous and unsure all of a sudden. "I actually think you have a better chance than I do to make it."

"What? No, Cynthia, that's absurd. What makes you think that?"

She shook her head. "I don't really know. I can't quite put a finger on it. You've acted as both a leader and a friend this week. You learn quickly, adapt well, and make friends easily. That sounds like the makings of a great queen to me."

"But I'm a coward, I don't have any confidence. Nobody wants a queen like that. You, Cynthia, are amazing. You always know just what to say to everyone, but not in a bad way. You don't put on a false front; you're genuine. You have eased my worries countless times since Saturday. You knew just what to say to break the ice with Alice and Nora when we first arrived. I thought you were crazy for telling Alice that the color of her dress didn't look good on her, but she responded to that sort of thing. You're a great communicator. That's an important part of being queen, too."

"You think so?"

"Absolutely."

"Thanks, Eloise."

I shrugged. "So is there anyone you think won't make it?" I asked with a grin.

That seemed to break the tension we both felt, and we continued to talk for hours- well past when we should have gone to bed. When we finally got into our beds and fell asleep, I felt more relaxed than I had all week.

Well, I hope this was an exciting chapter for you! I hope everyone is enjoying their winter (or summer, if you're down under), whether you celebrate anything or not. I would like to get two more chapters in before 2017, but I will definitely get at least one in for you.

Also, thank you immensely to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed the story. I appreciate your loyalty and feedback. You're all wonderful people! Thank you, thank you, thank you!