Wow, two chapters already! And it's the first and the second, too! Actually, I have the third written. I'll post that when I've finished the fourth. Remember to review!

**NOTE: This chapter has been updated with spelling errors corrected and a few wordings changed. Thank you!**

Chapter 2: Funerals and a Wedding

Katie stared straight ahead. Duchess Starina took her hand and squeezed it, but Katie shook it off. She didn't want to be comforted, especially not by the woman who might have killed Mother.

"Lady Margaret was a wonderful woman..." Blah, blah, blah. Katie was tired of hearing the priest drone on and on about Lady Margaret this, and Lady Margaret that. She had loved her mother, but she wanted to get away from these people before she couldn't hold the tears back anymore.

Her blue eyes stung. She wanted to be away from here, at home with Brownie and Eloise and Bolt. She wanted to be out of the black satin dress she had borrowed from Callista.

It had been an entire year since her mother's death. The year had been spent with the coroner and Duchess Starina in the house all the time -- the coroner examining Mother's body and Duchess Starina keeping house, as Katie and Papa were mourning too much to clean and cook. At last, the coroner announced that the cause of death was unpredictable and Papa arranged for the funeral.

"...And we must always remember to remain faithful to the Garian flag, King Derek, Queen Louise, and Prince Kenneth." At last it was over and people went forward to place flowers on top of Mother's coffin, Mother's box. Katie fled and ran home, not daring to look back or stop when Papa called after her, saying he had something important to tell her.

Katie couldn't get past the front porch. She fell to her knees on the steps and crossed her arms on the floor of the porch, put her head down, and sobbed. It had been just down the street where Mother had died, just a quarter mile, if that.

At last, only because she couldn't stand the black satin anymore, Katie stood and changed to her brown dress. Duchess Starina had insisted she left her hair out, tumbling down her back. Katie didn't bother to plait it, as she was too tired. She went to the kitchen, spread a bit of precious butter on a slice of bread and began to eat.

She had just finished and was wiping her crumbs from the table when Papa, Duchess Starina, and her daughters arrived. "Katie," Papa said gently, finding her in the kitchen. "Katie, I've something important to tell you."

"Go away," she said, laying her head on the table. "I'm too tired for important news."

"Darling, I--"

"Papa, please."

"Katie, I'm marrying Duchess Starina."

"You're WHAT?" Katie was no longer tired. "You're going to marry that wicked woman? She killed my mother!" She clapped her hands over her mouth. Over a year and she had told no one about the smug look that she thought she had seen on Duchess Starina's face.

"No, love, she didn't. Duchess Starina has admitted to falling in love with me since Margaret's death. And I've found that I have, too."

"You've fallen in love with yourself?"

"No, silly."

Katie sighed and laid her head on the table. "I know. Papa, you don't understand."

"Katie, you need a mother. A year without a mother is long enough, I don't want you waiting any longer!"

"Papa, you couldn't choose a worse mother for me!"

"Katie! I've made my decision! And nothing -- do you hear me? Nothing! -- you could say will ever change my mind." Papa stormed from the room. That was the first time Papa had ever raised his voice with Katie.

Papa angry with her, borrowing dresses from Callista, Mother dead, Duchess Starina becoming her stepmother, going from an only child to having six stepsisters.

Life was changing. Fast.

*****

Duchess Starina led the way into the dress shop. Katie did not want to be there, she would rather be with Papa, making invitations, talking to Brownie, anything but trying on gowns.

"Ah, why, hello there." A short, pretty woman who couldn't have been much older than twenty stood behind a desk. "Welcome. Might I ask why you stop by today? Casual dresses? Wedding gowns? Capes and cloaks?"

"Wedding gowns." Duchess Starina walked over to three gowns on dummies, each wearing a beautiful gown in a different style. The first was cream, the second green, the third a deep red. Duchess Starina turned on her heel and snapped at the short woman, "Where are they?"

"Where are who?" asked the woman, smiling.

"The wedding gowns!"

"Oh, of course, of course! Those three behind you are the bride gowns, and the gowns for the bridesmaids are right over here." The woman gestured to a wall near the back covered with gowns of every style and color imaginable.

"Thank you," snapped Duchess Starina, seizing Arena by the arm. "Arena, which dress do you like the best?" She made a long gesture towards the dummies in the wedding gowns.

"Hmm," Arena said, pretending to be in deep thought. "The red, you should definitely go with the red."

"If I may." Katie stepped in. She knew a thing or two about gowns, Mother had taught her fashion. "The red will look like the color has been drained from your skin." Duchess Starina turned and gaped at Katie, as though she had said the rudest thing in the world. "Not that your skin isn't beautiful, the pale is lovely. But don't choose too dark colors or it won't look nice. And the green could possibly do the same. I'd say go for the cream."

"Never in all my days," began Duchess Starina, "have I ever, ever experienced such ridiculous -"

"Actually," said the short woman, stepping in, "your daughter here is right."

"She's not my daughter!" snapped Duchess Starina. "She will soon be my stepdaughter, yes, but she is not currently."

"Well, that's beside the point. She is right, you will look best in cream."

Duchess Starina sniffed but decided that she might as well go with it. "Arena and Brenda here," she said, pushing the girls forward, "are going to be the bridesmaids. I'm going to choose their dresses, understand?" She glared at Katie, who stepped back and nodded. She narrowed her eyes at the short woman who just smiled.

Duchess Starina seized a ruby red silk gown and threw it at Arena and an emerald gown was selected for Brenda. Katie figured that was because she and the short woman both thought Duchess Starina shouldn't wear those colors -- and, because their coloring matched Duchess Starina's, Brenda and Arena shouldn't have either.

Lavender gowns in different styles were chosen for Callista, Fayre, Gale, and Loreen. It was decided Katie would just wear her pink dress.

After the gowns had been paid for, they left the shop to select and buy flowers. But as they were leaving the dress shop, a plump woman fell in front of them. She wore tatters and a black shawl over her hair. "Please, miss," she cried, grabbing the hem of Duchess Starina's skirt. "Please, do you have a job? I can clean, I can cook, I can wash and mend clothes, anything! Please, just give me a job!"

Duchess Starina sniffed. "What is your name, woman?"

"Carita, if it pleases you, miss."

"Very well, Carita." Carita stood, her big, brown eyes hopeful. "I am to be married within the next half-year, yes, it has been six months since the engagement, and so it should be another six months. When my husband moves in with me, we'll need a cook. Would you like that, Carita?"

"Oh yes, miss, I'd love to be your cook, miss!"

"Very well. You may call me Mistress Starina. These are my daughters, Mistress Arena, Mistress Brenda, Mistress Callista, Mistress Fayre, Mistress Gale, and Mistress Loreen."

"And I," said Katie, stepping forward, "will be her stepdaughter, Mistress Katie."

"Whatever you say, Katherine," said Duchess Starina. "Oh, Katherine? Take Carita to the coach, will you, and wait there with her for us? We'll be along after we pick out the flowers and have them ordered to come a week before the wedding. Thanks, darling!"

Katie rolled her eyes and led the plump woman to the coach.

"Pardon my soon-to-be-stepmother," said Katie, "she's so rude. I don't want her to become my stepmother, but I don't have much choice or say in the matter."

"Well, Mistress Katherine, I would be honored to have any of my family again."

"I would give anything to have my mother again. Oh, and Carita? You can call me Katie."

*****

Flowers had been picked out -- Duchess Starina would carry a cascading bouquet of ivy, violets, and forget-me-nots. Arena and Brenda would carry smaller bouquets of lavender and marigold. The church was decorated with ivy, red roses, and white roses.

Invitations had been sent.

Food had been prepared.

And the wedding had ended.

Six months had gone by since Carita had been hired as a cook. The wedding was over and Katie and Papa were living in Duchess Starina's mansion in Shon. Actually, Katie was supposed to call her Mother Starina, but Katie decided that made her sound like a nun and Duchess Starina was definitely not a nun. Katie had decided that Starina would be fine.

Katie was getting more and more suspicious about Starina -- she had hired Carita as a cook, but she was in the kitchen almost as much, "helping" Carita. Katie was careful about the food she ate, and she tried to warn Papa too, but he wouldn't listen. Ever since the funeral, ever since the betrothal, Papa had been acting very different... and Katie didn't like it.

Katie's room was the smallest in the house. It barely had room for a small bed and very small dresser, let alone enough room for her. She changed standing on the low bed. She still only had three dresses and the pink and pale green were used only on special occasions. Soon, however, Starina had taken the pale green from her and given it to Callista.

Finally, at dinner one day, they all sat down and began to eat. Starina was eating, but absentmindedly, as though she was more interested in something else. Papa cut three bites of meat and speared one with his fork. He was about to eat it when his face lit up like he remembered something. He put the fork down and said, "Daughters of mine and Starina, I must go to the fair in Jonda tomorrow. I will bring you each back something, so what would you like?"

Arena, Brenda, Fayre, and Loreen each asked for a beautiful gown.

Callista and Gail wanted ropes of emeralds and pearls and sapphires and rubies and diamonds.

Katie wanted the satisfaction of having Papa home and alive and safe.

"Surely there must be something else you want, Katie?"

"No, Papa."

"Very well. Starina?"

"Nothing my dear, and don't try to convince me otherwise. Now eat up, you have a big day tomorrow!" Papa nodded and picked up his fork, which still had the piece of meat on the end. He bit into it, chewed, and swallowed.

And fell over.

Katie slammed her hand on the table and stood, glaring at Starina. "YOU KILLED HIM! YOU KILLED MY PAPA!" She ran over to Papa and shook him. "Wake up, Papa, WAKE UP!" She turned and slapped Starina across the face. "I HATE YOU! YOU KILLED HIM!"

"You have no proof!" snapped Starina. "I did not cook the food, Carita did! The assumption is Carita poisoned him!"

"YOU'RE ALWAYS IN THE KITCHEN! YOU DID THAT SO WHEN YOU WENT IN THERE ONE TIME TO POISON HIM, IT WOULDN'T BE ANYTHING NEW TO HAVE YOU IN THERE! YOU KILLED HIM, YOU KILLED HIM!" Katie fled the table, the room, the house, the yard. She flung herself on the ground beside the dirt road a quarter mile from the house, the place where Mother had died. She lay there sobbing until the next morning when she woke and returned to the house.

She went inside and found Starina, Arena, Brenda, Callista, and Fayre lounging on the sofas in the parlor.

"You aren't even going to give him a funeral?"

"You're an orphan now, Katie." Starina rose from the sofa. "An orphan. I could throw you out in the streets, let you beg for your food, let you die if you don't get it."

"But you're my stepmother, you have to let me stay."

"Not legally. However, if you promise to help Carita in the kitchen, start fires in the fireplaces, clean and mend clothes, carry water, and clean the house, I will let you stay."

"Fine. I promise."

"Very good." Sitting down, Starina added. "I'll allow you today off as your father died last night. You'll begin tomorrow."

Katie fled to her room and cried. But after just a few minutes of crying she found she was out of tears and so she plaited her hair. When she was done, she found the pink silk dress and took it to Starina.

"Here. Now that I'm an orphan and a servant, I won't need nice clothes anymore, will I?"

"No. Keep it. If someone ever comes calling, you will still be seen as a servant, but you can't wear those brown tatters. You'll wear the pink dress. Now go to your room."

Katie turned and stomped off.

END CHAPTER TWO

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