Chapter 5:
A bell tinkled shrilly as I slipped into the little flower shop. Courage trotted proudly beside me as I marveled at elegant flower arrangements that adorned almost every corner of the tidy shop. The fragrant aroma of the flowers mingled with the sunlight, which streamed into the room though a circular window above the flower boxes. Beside it, a redhead florist was deftly arranging flowers. As she saw me enter, her attention diverted from her work to me.
"Hello," she said setting aside the long-stemmed roses that she was trimming. "What can I do for you?"
"Can I order some flowers?" I replied.
"What would you like?" she asked as Courage sniffed a lovely carnation and sneeze. I gave her a letter on which Vivian has written out some instructions. The florist took the note and read its contents. After going through with it she said cheerily, "We'll just take it to you. Thank you for purchasing some of our flowers."
The bells rang once again as I thanked her. I turned and saw James enter with another man. He saw me and whispered something to his companion who nodded.
"You again?" I said as he followed me out.
"What's wrong with that?" he asked as he acknowledged Courage's attempts for attention.
"Nothing, I guess," I said, shrugging. I was in a pretty good mood and I didn't really feel like arguing with him. "Did you have fun with Trudy last time?" I asked jokingly.
"Ha. Ha," he said, rolling his eyes, "That wasn't very funny. Don't ever do that again."
I laughed as we stepped into the beautiful day. The afternoon sun was painting the sky red, yellow, and pink and the effect was dramatic. I noticed a few birds flying across the vibrant sky, probably going back to their nests to rest.
"So what were you doing in the flower shop?" he asked.
"And what if I don't want to tell you?" I asked good-humouredly.
He shrugged as he walked beside me. "Will it annoy you again if I insist on knowing?"
"Not really," I replied. "I was ordering some flowers for Vivian. A friend of hers told her that positioning the right flowers at the right places would give you good luck. Vivian's kind of superstitious so she told me to buy the "lucky" flowers. How about you?"
"A Duchess is visiting the palace tonight so the butler went to buy some to present to her. I came along to watch," he replied distractedly. After some time he spoke again, "Where are you going now?"
"Back to Dwight Manor," I replied as I stuffed my hand to my pocket. I felt something and took it out. Looking at it, I realized that it was the annoying paper that Trudy asked me to ask that prince to fill out. I hastily placed it back to my pocket to prevent James from seeing it but I was too late.
"What's that?" he asked curiously.
"Nothing," I replied innocently, stuffing the paper further to my pocket and crumpling it in the process.
"I know I saw something," he insisted.
"I-it's n-nothing," I stammered.
He raised his right eyebrow and said, "Oh really?"
I nodded furiously and he smiled. "OK, if you say so." I nodded some more.
We soon reached the forest. As we walked through a particularly rocky road, I accidentally slipped on a slippery rock. James caught me on my waist before I hit the ground.
"Are you all right?" he asked after I was back on my foot.
'Yeah, I guess so," I replied as I checked to see if I had anything broken. "Thank you."
I looked at him and noticed that he was holding the paper that I stuffed into my pocket moments ago. He must have gotten it when he caught me.
Sticking out my arms I cried, "Give that back to me!"
He laughed and raised the paper away from my reach. "Now, let's see what little Claire was trying to hide." I tried to reach it by jumping. Courage, who thought this was all a game, also began jumping. After a few more seconds, I realized that my efforts would be but in vain.
"Give it back to me," I repeated as he raised his arms even higher. Raising his other arm, he began unfolding it. I stopped jumping and waited for his reactions uneasily. My heart was drumming madly it pained my ribs. I felt my cheeks flush as heat rose from my shoulders to my face. I knew I was getting redder and redder.
His eyebrows shut up as he went through the entire list of Trudy's wild questions. When he was through, he turned to me with a smirk. By then, I was so sure that my cheeks were even redder than the apples that dangled from a tall tree a few feet away.
"What's this?" he said holding back a laugh. "Do you like me or something?"
"What!" I said. "Of course not. That's not mine; it's Trudy's. She wanted me to ask you to fill it up," I explained grunting unpleasantly.
"If you were suppose to ask me to fill this up, why then were you hiding it?" he asked with a doubtful smile.
"Just because Trudy asked me to do something doesn't mean that I would actually do it," I replied. "I was planning to forge it, she doesn't have to know."
"If you say so," he said, handing me back the paper. I looked at it for a while. "Well, take it," he said.
"Um… S-sssince you've already seen it, could you save me the trouble of forging it?" I asked in a small voice, all the while nervously fingering the lowest button of my shirt.
"Sure," he said taking out a pen. I heaved a sigh of relief. He turned to me and smiled mischievously, "but you owe me one." If I could have unheave a sigh of relief, I would have. I asked him suspiciously, "Is this one of your tricks again?"
"No, no, no," he said waving his hand, "Don't worry. I promise, no tricks."
"Why should I trust you? Last time you promised, you broke it and called me stupid for trusting you," I said with my arms akimbo.
"Oh… that…" he said sheepishly.
"Uhuh," I said, nodding.
"Can't you give me another chance?" he said. I reconsidered as we turned on a bend on the road. "I promise I won't call you stupid," He added.
I sighed. "All right, but no pranks ok?"
He smiled and resumed writing. "James?" I said as I watched him ponder on a question.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Thanks," I said.
"For what?" he asked.
"For that," I said pointing to the piece of paper he was filling up, "and for helping me last time."
He smiled. "Your welcome Little Claire. You always will be because we're friends. Right?"
"You still want to be my friend even though I was so mean to you before?" I asked.
"Depends if you will keep your good mood," he said.
"I will if you stop being annoying," I said.
He laughed and stopped writing. He extended his hand and said, "Friends?"
I took it, his warm hands caging my slender hands. "Friends." I said as we shook our hands as if sealing a deal, a very important deal.
"By the way," I said as we freed our hands from our shake. "Why do you keep on calling me little when I'm taller than most girls?"
He shrugged, "I don't know. I just feel like it. Not everything has a reason behind it."
"Mom," Gaspar said during breakfast a few days later, "I need more pocket money for my vacation."
Gaspar was planning to go on a trip with some of his friends for a few months and he had been trying to convince Vivian to give him more money to spend. I was cleaning the huge window in the dining room so I was forced to listen to my stepfamily's boring conversation. I blinked several times as my eyes fought the blinding light of the sun that passed through the stained glass I was scrubbing.
"Gaspar," I heard Vivian say edgily, "we've already discussed this. It's unnecessary. Besides, you've been squandering money in gambling pretty awfully during the past months."
I was climbing the stool to reach a higher portion of the window when I heard Trudy release an earsplitting scream. Maybe there was a rat or something. Poor rat, if it ever existed today will be its dying day. I stole a glance at Trudy to see what had bothered her. I saw Trudy stare at an envelope, which appeared to be the object that surprised her. I pretended to be intently scrubbing while I listened carefully. Trudy does not go around screaming at non-important things.
"Trudy, Trudy, Trudy," Vivian gently chastised, "How many times do I have to tell you that a lady of true finesse does not scream, specially not like that. No, no, no, no." She droned on about how it's improper and disgracing and disgustingly uncultivated.
"B-but Mother, I..I-I..I," Trudy stammered as she shakily handed Vivian a letter, which was, I noticed stamped with the royal seal. Vivian took and noticed the royal seal. Suddenly she started shrieking madly. Gaspar was so shocked he dropped his fork. Trudy covered her ears and I could feel my eardrums vibrating rapidly.
"Eiieiikkkkk….. Eiiikkkk…Eieekkkk…," Vivian continued screaming like a teen who saw her idol for the first time, only much worse - much, much worse.
So much for her lecture about being a lady of finesse, she just proved to the whole world that she's "improper, disgraceful, uncultivated" and much, much more.
When she finally stopped, she hastily opened the letter and read, "Lady Vivian of Dwight Manor, I would like to invite you to the garden party which I will throw a week from now. Bring your children, Trudy and Gaspar, and your stepdaughter, Claire with you. I look forward to meeting you, my son has told me so much about you. It's from Her Highness, the queen."
"Trudy, do you have any idea what this means?" she asked Trudy eagerly. "The prince has been talking about you. We have to take this chance. We'll have to but you new gowns and shoes, and a hairdresser… Where can we find a good hairdresser? Oh there is so much to do!"
I listened to Vivian chatter on enthusiastically as I stared out the window, dumbfounded. Was I just invited to a royal party?
"Mother," I heard Gaspar protest, "I can't go. I'm leaving for my vacation that morning remember?"
"Oh?" Vivian stopped for a while, "That's okay, I'm sure the queen would understand." Then she continued chattering.
After a few minutes, Vivian finally stopped babbling. She reread the invitation and the fact that I was also invited began to finally sink into her brain. She turned to me and said, "I have no idea how you suddenly became invited."
I gaped at them, still in disbelief. Vivian sighed, "I suppose you'll have to come with us. Queen's orders."
Gaspar smirked, "What is she going to wear?"
"That will be her problem," Vivian leered, "Go call the coachman and tell him to prepare the stagecoach."
"Now Trudy," Vivian turned to Trudy once again, "What color do you want for your gown? How about gold? I think gold suites you, it's brings out the color of your eyes."
I noticed that Trudy just kept on nodding while I exited as Vivian droned on and on about what she should and shouldn't do in the presence of the prince. I didn't think she could hear anything; her ears aren't as strong as mine.
I followed Vivian and Trudy into a huge tailor shop. Several clothes lined the hangers and walls. Most of them were gowns, arranged in an orderly manner. I was already holding a huge pile of things and I laid them down on a corner. Trudy went into the fitting room and immediately started trying on several gowns. I watched idly as Vivian sang praises about Trudy's "beautiful figure" (her words not mine) while she admired her own in front of the mirror. From time to time, I suppressed a yawn as the hours droned by.
I stood up from my sit and took a closer look at the displayed items. Most of them did not interest me very much; too many ruffles and laces. I pushed the gowns back to their original positions when I tired of them when something caught my eye. I noticed a blue gown behind all the ruffles and laces. It looked simple yet elegant. There weren't mush laces and ruffles like the others but it was studded with emeralds. They looked like tiny, green drops of water scattered carelessly on the skirt. The hem, lined with green lace was cut unequally like the sparkling, loose, blue green sleeves that almost reached the wrists. I felt a smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I touched its soft material.
"That looks good on you," I heard a voice behind me which caused me to hastily drop the gown back to its place. I turned and saw James.
"Oh, Your Highness," Trudy said, turning away from the mirror and dropping into a curtsy. "You think so? Do you think this looks good on me?" she asked as she appraised the red gown that she wore. She turned around and examined how she looked at different angles.
"Sure, anything looks good on you My Lady," he said, discreetly winking at me. I suppressed a smile.
"I'll take this then," Trudy said as she went into a tiny room for changing.
Vivian, who had chosen her gown and was handing it to a servant that worked in the shop, spoke, fighting to stay calm and civilized, "What brings you here Your Highness?"
"I was also fitting for some clothes for my mother's garden party next week," he explained. "Have you gotten your invitations yet?"
"Yes we have," said Vivian as Trudy stepped out of the room she previously entered. I watched Trudy approach the prince and link her hand with the prince. This is becoming her habit.
"Have you finished your fitting?" she asked James.
"Well, I just did." He replied.
"Marvelous," Vivian interrupted, "Why don't we all go and grab an cup of coffee or something after the gowns we chose gets wrapped up."
"What a great idea Mother," Trudy remarked with shining eyes. Turning to James she said, "What do you think James?"
James glanced at me and I turned away. "Sure," I heard him say.
A short while later, Trudy handed me their gowns which had been placed into large boxes.
"Take them to the carriage and go home," Vivian commanded as she pointed to the pile of things that they bought.
"Let me help you," James said.
"Oh that's not necessary, she's only a servant. It's her job, besides all this fitting has made me hungry," Trudy interrupted, eyeing me menacingly. Vivian also appeared very displeased.
"Oh really? I thought Claire was your stepdaughter," James said with an eyebrows raised.
Vivian grimaced uncomfortably as I gave James a stop-that-this-instant look.
He fortunately caught it and complied. He said, "Never mind, I've got an idea. Why don't you two go ahead and I'll go with Claire to help her. Then I'll just follow. Where do you want us to meet?"
"If you insist on being a gentleman," Trudy said, "We'll just go with you. Is that all right with you Mother?"
"Of course dear," Vivian replied.
"Come along dear," she turned to me and said in a kind voice, which I knew was faked. "Let me help you with that." She got the smallest and lightest box. Trudy followed her example and got another box. They weren't really of much help.
James stooped beside me and picked up half of my load. "What's up with your stepmother? Why is she treating you like a servant?" I barely heard him whisper.
"Later," I mouthed to him as I stood up.
The four of us exited from the shop and loaded our stack into the carriage.
"Let's go," Trudy said linking her arm to James's.
"You may go now," Vivian instructed me.
"Wait," James said as Vivian gestured to leave, "Claire, why don't you come with us?"
I looked at Vivian and saw her displeased expression as she said, "Oh, Claire has to go home now. She has a lot of things to do. Isn't that right Claire?"
I nodded my head in reply.
"Oh," said James, "Is it more important than me?"
Vivian eyed me dauntingly as she answered him, "If it pleases you Your Highness."
"Excellent," James said as he gestured us into a carriage, "Let's go."
We stepped into it and alighted in front of a teahouse. We entered it and sat on a table beside a curtained window. Trudy sat between me and James