Belle at the Ball

"Belle!" Cinderella cried, as she saw Belle and Adam climb the steps into the ballroom. She made her way towards them, with Eugene at her side. "I'm so glad that you could both make it… I mean," she curtsied. "I bid you welcome to our palace, and I hope that you have a very enjoyable evening here."

Belle smiled as she curtsied back. "I thank you very much for having us, your highness."

"Please, Belle, there's no need to stand on ceremony."

"Isn't there?" Belle asked. "This is a very ceremonious-looking place."

"Yes, but nobody's paying attention at the moment," Cinderella replied.

Belle's smile became a little mischievous as her voice rose. "Aren't they, Cinderella?"

There was no response from the gathered notables, lords and dignitaries already thronging the ballroom. Crowds failed to gasp in horror; all conversation failed to slam to a halt in shock at the lack of decorum; you could not have heard a pin drop, or even an entire tray of crystal goblets, for all the hubbub sounds of conversation.

Cinderella covered her mouth as she giggled. "I did tell you."

Eugene was dressed in the uniform of a hussar, with a red jacket laden down with gold brocade across the chest and arms, and golden faces on his cuffs and collar; his riding britches were blue, with more gold trim and silver buttons down the side, and his knee-high boots were polished to a shine. One arm was concealed behind a scarlet pelisse trimmed with black bear fur, but his hand emerged from it as he held it out to Adam. "Prince Adam, it's good to see you again."

Adam was rather less extravagantly dressed, wearing a green tailcoat with very little in the way of piping or brocade anywhere to be seen upon it, so that if Cinderella hadn't known he was the prince of the Franche-Comte she might almost have taken him for a country gentleman returned from a day's ride. He wore long white leggings up to his knees, in the slightly old-fashioned style, with small dark shoes with silver buckles on his feet. He took Eugene's hand with a little more warmth than he had shown to Cinderella when she had first called upon him. "Prince Eugene, likewise." He smiled. "May I belatedly congratulate you upon a most excellent marriage."

Eugene returned the smile in kind as he drew Cinderella a little closer. "Yes, I'm the most fortunate of men, without a doubt. I hope that you are almost as happy in your marriage as I am in mine." He let go of Adam's hand – or rather they both released the other – before taking Belle's hand gently in his and raising it to his lips. "Madame; perhaps we will have a little more opportunity to get to know one another than we did at our last meeting."

"Our visit to you will be much longer than yours was with us," Belle said. "So, I hope so as well."

"And I hear that you're a father now as well, Prince Eugene? Congratulations on that, too."

Eugene's smile widened. "If my wife can be nothing but Cinderella then I dare say I can bear to be plain Eugene as well, at least in somewhat private circumstances like these. But, yes, I certainly have a great deal to be thankful for: a perfect wife and an expansive family."

"You're very fortunate," Belle said. "I… I'm not ashamed to say that I envy you both."

Adam looked a little uncomfortable, and possibly a little guilty for having brought the subject up; for that matter, Eugene's face had fallen, too, his smile disappearing. He shuffled his booted feet back and forth ever so slightly on the ballroom floor.

Cinderella couldn't blame either of the two men, for the conversation had suddenly – and so soon – entered some rather difficult waters. For her own part, she felt terrible for poor Belle, her heart went out to her, it must be truly awful to want children and not be able to have them – she was quite fortunate, almost as soon as she had felt herself truly settled in her marriage she had become with child, before she'd even really had a chance to think about children they were already on their way – but she didn't know whether it was that Belle couldn't have children at all or that she and Prince Adam had simply been unfortunate so far.

And this was hardly the time or place to ask.

"We," Eugene began, a tentative note in his voice that swiftly began to dissipate, a degree of confidence returning as he went on. "We should probably have some introductions before we all sit down to dinner; introductions down a long dining table are likely to be quite awkward. Cinderella, would you mind leading the way."

"I… no, of course not," Cinderella replied. Nicely done, Eugene. "But will you two gentlemen give me a moment alone with Belle, please? We won't be long, I assure you."

"Certainly, so long as Prince Adam doesn't object," Eugene said. "Prince Adam?"

"If you're all allowing such informality at the moment it makes me sound rather full of myself to insist on 'Prince' don't you think?" Adam replied.

Eugene shrugged. "You are a ruling prince, which is more than can be said for me."
"All the same, just Adam will do," Adam said. "While we're amongst friends."

"Alright then, Adam," Eugene said, gesturing a little away from the ladies. "Shall we?"

"Yes, let's… let's," Adam said, apparently unable to say what he was leaving Cinderella and Belle to. He and Eugene began to move off, side by side.

Cinderella heard Adam say, "You know, Eugene, I seem to recall you've spent some time in Austria, haven't you?"

She didn't listen to Eugene's reply – yes, he had spent some time there; after Katharine had died he had travelled somewhat, across Europe, away from Armorique. The ball at which he and Cinderella had met had been to celebrate his return home – as she took a step closer to Belle. She reached out, and put one hand on Belle's arm, just above her gold glove, and squeezed it reassuringly. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Belle said quickly. "Yes, I'm fine, really." The fact that her head was turned downwards, her gaze falling down her golden skirt towards the ballroom floor, somewhat gave the lie to her declaration.

Cinderella's eyes narrowed just a little, her brow slightly furrowing. "I understand why you might not be quick to trust," she murmured. "Not everyone who asks for it is worthy of it, but… you can trust me, I promise."

Belle looked up at her. "If you mean that, then…" she sighed. "I feel as if I should confess an ulterior motive."

Cinderella went very still. Not more false friends, please. Not more self-interested flatterers. Am I so unlikeable that no one wants to befriend save for their own advantage?

At least I still have my ladies in waiting.

Some of them, at least. She trusted Marinette, Augustina and Lady Christine completely, at this point. Oscar, Penelope, Charlotte and Julia were still unknown to her at this point, for all she hoped and meant to get to know them better. She trusted Angelique, too, but Angelique was leaving.

"What… what do you mean?" Cinderella murmured.

"Queen Maria Theresa has promised that if our mission here goes well then she will make me Adam's true wife," Belle said.

Cinderella's eyebrows rose. "His true wife? You mean that-"
Belle nodded. "I will be Princess Belle of the Franche-Comte, and entitled to sit above you at the table by right and protocol, and not just out of your kindness and consideration."

The corners of Cinderella's lips curled upwards into a smile. "I… I can only imagine how wonderful that would be for you." She could only imagine because she had never been placed in Belle's position; she could appreciate what a wretched position it was because she had once been threatened with it, but she couldn't really comprehend what it would be like, having been in that position, to be elevated from it – unless she compared it to the sudden liberty from her stepmother's house, which felt both like and yet at the same time totally unlike Belle's situation.

"It would be very nice," Belle agreed. "For a whole number of reasons. But it does mean that I – that we – have our own, slightly self-interested reasons for wanting everything to go as smoothly as possible."

Cinderella smiled, and once more rubbed her hand up and down Belle's arm. "Belle, since I married Eugene there have been those who pretended to be my friend because they wanted things that only I could give them, or else they wanted to take things that belonged to me. They wanted money from me, or jewels; they wanted to take my marriage, or my crown. They wanted to sleep with my husband. Compared to all that, I'm afraid your situation doesn't compare one bit. Yes, you have your reasons for wanting to make a success of this congress, but so does everyone. His Majesty wants to secure a grand legacy, and Eugene and I want to help him in that endeavour however we can. If or when Queen Maria Theresa and Queen Eleanor arrive then they will want to gain everything they can for themselves." She might have added that Lord St Cyr wanted to strike at the Holy Roman Empire by non-military means, but that would hardly be something Belle wished to hear. "The point is that what you want isn't any worse, or even unusual."

Belle smiled slightly. "Well, if you say so then I'm certainly not going to tell you that you're wrong. But I'm glad I told you, because otherwise… at least I don't have to feel as though I'm taking advantage of your kind nature. The kind nature you surprisingly still have, after all you say that you've been through."

"I try," Cinderella said. "Where there is kindness there is magic, as my mother used to say, and it isn't as though everyone has been deceptive or malicious towards me." It's only felt that way sometimes. "So don't worry, you're not taking advantage, far from it. So how do you feel?"

"I really am fine," Belle assured her. "What was Adam supposed to do, ignore the fact that you have children for my sake? I should be apologising for spoiling the mood."
"You never have to apologise for how you feel," Cinderella assured her.

"Something else that your mother used to say?"

"No, I think that's something I might tell my own daughters," Cinderella said. "If you're sure that you're feeling better, shall we rejoin our princes?"

"Yes, I think we shall." Belle grinned mischievously. "Just as I think mine is the more handsome by some distance."

"Oh!" Cinderella exclaimed. She laughed. "Even if that were true – which it isn't – mine would still be the better dressed by far." She smiled up at Belle. "You look absolutely lovely, by the way. You look… will you forgive me a terrible play on words?"

Belle raised one eyebrow. "Are you going to say something like 'you're the Belle of the ball'?"

Cinderella winced. "I was going to say that you're sure to be the… would you rather I didn't?"

Belle hesitated for a moment. "Now you make me feel like a spoilsport," she said. "But, on the other hand, at this point I doubt it would have the impact, not least because I know what you're going to say."

"I see what you mean," Cinderella murmured. "But, even if I don't say it, you should know that you deserve it."

Belle was dressed in a gown all of gold, with a full skirt made up of eight triangular panels, each one rippling slightly up and down like the undulating motion of the waves upon the water. The bodice was simple, but emphasised the slenderness of her frame, while the wrapped sleeves fell off her shoulders and down towards thin arms enveloped in opera gloves as golden as the rest of the gorgeous dress. She wore her hair half in a bun, bounded by a thin golden kirtle, while the rest descended down her neck and draped elegantly but languorously over her shoulder. Despite the absence of any jewellery save for a pair of simple gold earrings, she still looked so wonderful that once again Cinderella was left with the sensation of having been put in the shade.

"The possibility of puns aside, I'm glad you like it," Belle said. "It's my favourite dress."

"I can see why," Cinderella said, admiringly. "Would you twirl for me, please?"

Belle looked a little self-conscious, but she obliged without a word of complaint, turning in place to reveal a many-layered petticoat beneath the golden skirt, and golden shoes upon her heel.

Cinderella clasped her hands together at her breast. "Oh, you're so beautiful."

"So I've been told," Belle murmured. She stopped twirling and cast her lovely hazel eyes over Cinderella. "You on the other hand, are simply stunning."

"Oh, thank you so much," Cinderella said, because it was very kind of Belle to say so even though Cinderella couldn't hold a candle to the other girl. Nevertheless she had tried her best, in a gown that was her favoured white, with a beaded bodice that sparkled with diamond dust sewn in amongst the beads tailored to her – a little less slender than Belle's – figure; the skirt was somewhere between ruffled and being many layers of peplum, with only a single layer of the (outer) skirt reaching all the way to the ground, with the others descending lower and lower but always longer at the back then at the front, forming impression of a train that followed along the ground behind her. The lace-trimmed bateau collar of her gown left less room for necklaces than Cinderella usually allowed herself, so by her own choice she had been restricted to only a single pearl choker, three strands deep, wrapped around her throat, with a crystal swan with a tiny sapphire for an eye set in the centre of it. She had made up for this restraint with rows of stacked bracelets climbing up her arms up from her wrist, which she could feel through the silk of her white opera gloves: diamond bracelets, including the one that Eugene had given her as a gift before the wedding clasped around her right wrist; sapphire bracelets; diamond-and-sapphire bracelets all glistening under the light of the many candles that illuminated the ballroom. A pair of large diamond earrings hung from her ears, while the rolls of the French twist into which her hair had been arranged fell upon a silver silk hairband and behind a spindly crystal tiara set with even more diamonds.

While her wedding and engagement rings sat upon her right hand, upon her left she wore a silver ring set with a single square cut diamond.

"I'd like to show you something," Cinderella said, lifting up the hem of her skirt and raising one glass slipper-clad foot up off the ground so that Belle could get a better look at it.

Belle's eyebrows rose. "Glass?"

"Yes," Cinderella said. "Eugene gave them to me as an anniversary present."

Belle let out a kind of laugh. "Whatever made him think of that?"

"Oh, I must tell you the whole story some time," Cinderella began, "but right now… we really have kept Eugene and Adam waiting quite a while, haven't we? And I said I wouldn't be long."

"You're right," Belle agreed, and the two of them, side by side, glided across the ballroom to where Eugene and Adam stood, their backs to their wives, apparently deep in conversation.

"An Arabian thoroughbred? Really?" Eugene said.

"Really," Adam said. "I didn't much care for it. I wanted the rest of my presents."

"Good God, man!" Eugene exclaimed. "An Arabian-"

"Eugene?" Cinderella asked.

Eugene and Adam both turned to face the two ladies.

"Ah, there you are, darling," Eugene said.

"Yes," Cinderella said. "I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long."

"Not at all," Adam said. "Although you may have saved me from a rebuke – or a lecture."

"We were just discussing horses," Eugene explained. He glanced at Belle. "Did you know that when your husband was a boy his parents gave him a-"

"I think I can guess where this story is going," Belle said, as she slipped one hand into the crook of Adam's arm. "I'm aware that Adam was a certain kind of boy, but we don't dwell on it. That's not the man I fell in love with."

Eugene shrugged, making his pelisse shift a little upon his arm. "Fair enough, I suppose."

"Considering what you told me about the way you and General Gerard used to ride your ponies through the corridors when you were boys, perhaps Adam's parents got off lightly that he wasn't very interested in the horse they gave him," Cinderella suggested, with a slight chuckle in her voice.

Eugene laughed. "You may be right, as you so often are." He paused for less than a moment, just long enough to indicate a change of subject. "Do you hunt, Adam? I seem to recall there was a hunt the day after your wedding?"

"Sometimes, I hunt," Adam said. "Not as much as I used to, but occasionally. The trouble is that there are too many wolves in the woods around my castle; they keep the stag numbers down – which isn't all bad I suppose – and mean you have to watch your step unless you venture out with a large party, like a wedding party, for instance."

"Well, we don't have that problem here in Armorique," Eugene told him. "Although there are some who say that we should, to keep the deer numbers down as you say. But, I'd be glad to arrange a hunt for you, if you like? Do you hunt, Belle?"

"No," Belle said at once. "I had… a bit of a bad experience in the woods, with some of the wolves Adam mentioned." She shuddered. "It's dissuaded me from venturing out there since. And you, Cinderella?" she asked quickly, as if eager to change the subject.

"No, me neither," Cinderella murmured. "I… I'm not sure that I'd really want to see a deer die, and even if I did…" she felt a flush of colour rise to her cheeks. "I can't ride a horse." She had tried to learn, shortly after her marriage, but the horse had thrown her with such force that she had hit her head on the ground and been knocked out; she'd been lucky that she hadn't suffered any worse injury. After that, she'd been too nervous to try again, especially now that she was a mother: she didn't want to leave her children orphaned because of a horse-riding accident, of all things. No, it was carriages for her, every time; which was a perfectly fine way of getting around, but had some limitations when it came to chasing animals through the woods, even if she'd wanted to do such a thing.

Belle and Adam both looked sympathetic. It was Adam who said, "I'm not such a good horseman myself anymore, I… got quite out of practice for a while, and now I'm a little indifferent. How about fishing, Eugene, are there any good rivers around here?"

"What? Oh, yes, several," Eugene said, once he'd recovered from the change of subject. "Course fishing or trout, as you prefer, there are several good streams or lakes roundabout."

"I was just thinking that we wouldn't need to leave our wives behind in that case," Adam said. "That is, if you fish at all?"

"Indifferently," Eugene admitted. "But then, sitting by the river bank with good company and then returning to a fine supper can't be a bad way to while away the hours, even if you don't catch anything."

"That's settled then," Adam said. "If everyone is agreeable?"

"Oh, yes, that sounds splendid," Cinderella declared. "We can make the arrangements later, but for now I really should start to introduce you, or else the bell will ring for dinner before I've even got started."

Adam essayed a slight bow in her direction. "Of course. We are at your service."

Cinderella smiled, and turned away. The ballroom was filled with people, all the great and good of the kingdom, the ladies in their gowns and the men in their uniforms or their frock coats, the lords, the officers and the great burghers alike. They stood in small clusters, or in pairs, no one dancing now – the orchestra had not begun to play, nor would they until dinner was over – but sipping at glasses of wine, and talking of this and that, and in more than a few cases sneaking surreptitious glances towards the couple from the Franche-Comte.

Cinderella was sure that more than one lady here must be very jealous of Belle; how could they not be?

By good fortunate, she spotted General Gerard and Lucrezia standing nearby, and it was in their direction that she led their foreign guests first.

"Prince Adam, Belle," she said. "Allow me to introduce you to General Etienne Gerard, of the…" she trailed off. With a slight self-deprecating chuckle, she added, "Forgive me, General, I can never remember your regiment?"

"A general has less of a regiment than some officers, but the Tenth Crown Hussars," General Gerard supplied for her.

"Yes, that's it, the Tenth Crown Hussars, I'll remember it someday," Cinderella promised him. "Allow me to introduce General Etienne Gerard of the Tenth Crown Hussars, who is at the moment deputy commander of the garrison of Brest, and his wife, Madame Lucrezia Gerard. General, Lucrezia, allow me to name Prince Adam Augustin Galahad de Laurenberg of the Franche-Comte, and his wife, Belle de Laurenberg."

General Gerard clicked his heels together upon the polished floor. Like Eugene, and in keeping with the regiment whose name he had reminded Cinderella of, he was dressed in a hussar uniform, with a fur-trimmed pelisse slung across one arm. The pelisse, along with his braided hussar cadenettes, fell downwards somewhat as he essayed a bow to Adam. "Your highness," he said. He reached for Belle's hand, raising it almost as far as his lips. "Madame. Welcome to Armorique. I'm sure that Her Highness will keep you in good company, but if you ever have any concerns touching on your security, do not hesitate to call on me for assistance."

Lucrezia curtsied to the couple from the Franche-Comte. She wore a gown of midnight blue, modest in many ways and lacking a great deal in decoration – there was only a sash of a slightly lighter shade of blue around her waist, tied into a loose bow at the side – but perfectly tailored to her figure, with white opera gloves covering her arms and an off-the-shoulder neckline of the sort that she so often supplied for Cinderella clinging to her upper arms. Her curly hair was worn in tight ringlets, bound up at the back and then descending down her neck. Around said neck she wore a blue choker, with a blue sapphire brooch, trimmed with gold, pinned to the centre of it, and a pair of sapphire earrings – a wedding present from Cinderella herself – hanging from her ears.

"Your highness, madame," she said. "I would tell you, Madame, that just as you should feel free to call on my husband in matters of safety, don't hesitate to call on me in matters of your wardrobe, but to be frank it doesn't seem as though you have need of my services or anyone else's."

Belle frowned. "Aside from that being a compliment to my dress – for which thank you – I'm not sure that I understand."

"Lucrezia is my dressmaker," Cinderella explained. "She's the reason I can even think of trying to compare to you."
Lucrezia's eyebrows rose, but she said nothing.

"A dressmaker?" Belle repeated. "The royal dressmaker. This… this isn't the kingdom I was expecting it would be."

"In some respects, no," Eugene agreed, as he put one arm around Cinderella's waist. "But all the better for it, I think."

"And I, too, have come to realise," General Gerard said quietly.

Belle smiled, if only briefly. "Well, as I say, thank you for the compliment to my dress, but I wouldn't discount that I might have need of the services of a good dressmaker. I haven't arrived with that much to wear, especially when it comes to gowns."

"Really?" Lucrezia asked. "Then this meeting is most fortuitous, isn't it? Lucrezia Gerard nee Adessi, proprietor of the Florentine Boutique, at your service. House calls are, of course, available to distinguished clients." She looked Belle up and down with a professional eye. "Hmm, you wear that very well, darling, but the collar looks a little big for you when you have your arms down."

"You noticed." Belle said. "I sometimes wonder how it doesn't fall down."

Lucrezia chuckled. "As for the colour, the client's wants trump all else but how would you feel about colder colours, to contrast your warm eyes?"

"I am quite fond of blue," Belle said.

"Blue indeed, yes, blue would suit very well," Lucrezia murmured. "Blue with a touch of-"

"If you will forgive me, Madame Gerard," Eugene said. He glanced at General Gerard. "It feels odd to say that name in reference to your wife, not your mother. But, in any case, I'm afraid that we must steal Prince Adam and Belle away, there are a lot more introductions to make."

Lucrezia curtsied even more deeply than she had before. "Of course, your highnesses, my apologies. Please, send your maid round to the Florentine Boutique with what time it would be convenient to call on you. Please, forgive me."

Lucrecia was assured that there was nothing whatsoever to forgive, before Cinderella and Eugene stole Adam and Belle away to continue the introductions. Most of them didn't take very long – few people were interested in beginning a lengthy conversation with Adam, still less with Belle – but there were quite a few people whom they needed to know, and some more whom Cinderella at least felt that they ought to know. She had meant to introduce Belle and Adam to Lord Roux, his wife and family first, since of the politicians, ministers and councillors he ought to be the first one introduced to a foreign prince on a diplomatic mission, but somehow Lord St Cyr managed to contrive matters that he and Adelaide were so directly in the path of the royal party that there was no way of avoiding them without giving the appearance of a snub.

And so Cinderella gave Lord St Cyr the victory over Lord Roux he seemed to want – for all that it seemed a victory so small it verged on pettiness – and introduced him and Adelaide.

"Prince Adam, Belle," she said. "Let me introduce the Foreign Minister of Armorique, Lord St Cyr and Lady Adelaide Despenser."

"Charmed, your highness," Lord St Cyr said, with a bow. His rings glistened in the candlelight. "M'lady."

Lady Adelaide essayed a deep curtsy, holding her arm out as far as it would go to spread her skirt out as she bobbed up and down. She was a pretty girl, not so beautiful as Belle for all their similarities in hair and eye colour, rather petite, being even smaller than Cinderella – if not quite as small as Angelique – and about as slender. She wore her hair in sausage curls down the back of her neck, and her face was very round, with bright rosy cheeks that seemed to have no need of makeup to burnish up their glow. A slender diamond necklace glistened at her throat, and another upon her wrist. She smiled, but she kept on glancing between Belle and Lord St Cyr as if she needed to continually remind herself how he was reacting to her.

Cinderella so hoped it didn't all end in tears – or worse.

After Lord St Cyr and Lady Adelaide had been greeted, Cinderella led them on to Lord Roux – nobody else sought to interrupt or put themselves first – and his wife and large family, then in what was perhaps a slight breach of protocol, to Sieur Robert Danjou, who greeted the couple from the Franche-Comte gravely, and his daughter Julia. Then there was Lord and Lady Blanchard, the leaders of the remaining conservatives, and then Sieur Charles Bocage, then other ministers, a few senior officers introduced by Eugene, they were still not done by the time the bell rang to draw everyone into the dining hall for dinner.

Few of those introduced had any interest in Belle; they reserved their attention for Prince Adam, and spared none – or very little, in the best case – for his morganatic wife. No one spoke to her, few even looked at her, at best they spared her a dismissive glance before fixing their attention squarely upon her husband.

Belle bore it with really admirable patience; Cinderella was impressed, she didn't remember holding up so well to the grand disdain of the court of Armorique in her first days here, but Belle kept her head high, in fact she bore herself with pride throughout, everything from her back to her bearing to the way she walked, the way her skirt moved to indicate how she walked, none of it and nothing indicated any shame whatsoever.

"You're doing very well," Cinderella murmured, her desire to express her admiration winning out against her desire not to draw attention to Belle's situation.

Belle glanced at her. "I've endured worse," she said.

Cinderella didn't press for details, but just the thought of it, just what Belle had said, made her very sad.

But I should have expected it, perhaps.

I should have expected this reaction, too, maybe.

I'd hoped that as the court accepted me, they would find it easier to accept others too.

That seems to have been a little naïve of me.

It was almost a relief when the bell rang to summon everyone in for the banquet.

Judging by the pained look on Adam's face, and Eugene's expression of somewhat discomfort, it was a relief for them, too.

Cinderella and Eugene led Belle and Adam out of the ballroom towards the dining hall; not that they really need leading, they could have found their way perfectly well simply by following the crowd of guests who were all flowing in the same direction.

Nevertheless, they pretended to be in need of Cinderella and Eugene's directions, and to be grateful for them.

As they left the ballroom, Belle cast one last glance behind her. "I may not like the architecture of this place as much as our castle back home, but I have to admit it is enormous. How do you find your way around?"

Cinderella laughed abashedly. "Through trial, error, and hoping that someone can hear you call for help when you get lost, I'm afraid. Perhaps I could give you a tour sometime?"

"That would be very kind of you," Belle said.

As they entered the dining hall, Cinderella and Eugene led Belle and Adam up towards the head of the table, where His Majesty was already present, if not actively waiting for them. As Belle, her wedding ring gleaming upon her left hand, made her way up the table in the direction of the head and of the King's seat, a few whispers and mutters began to follow her, as monocle-wearing former members of the Privy Council and ladies from Armorique's grand old families leaned back in their seats, and glanced and stared and murmured amongst themselves about what they were seeing.

Cinderella was about to advise Belle to ignore them, but then remembered what Belle had already said and realised that Belle needed no instruction from her on how to behave in situations like this.

As they approached His Majesty, Eugene quickened his step a little so that he might arrive first. "Your Majesty, allow me to present Prince Adam de Laurenberg, Prince of the Franche-Comte, envoy of the Holy Roman Emperor; and his wife, Belle. Prince Adam, Belle: His Imperial Majesty Louis, Twelfth of His Name, King of Armorique."

Prince Adam bowed low. "Your Majesty, I thank you for your gracious welcome."
Belle bowed her head, averting her eyes from His Majesty as she curtsied. "You have been most kind, your majesty."
"You are welcome indeed, both of you," His Majesty replied. "We are glad, very glad that Her Majesty Queen Maria Theresa has given our desire for peace so much consideration as to send an envoy to negotiate the details with us. Please, be seated, both of you, all of you."

Prince Adam, the ruling Prince of the Franche-Comte, sat down upon His Majesty's left, while Eugene, the Crown Prince of Armorique, was banished from his accustomed seat and had to take Cinderella's usual place upon the King's left-hand side. Belle, treated as the Princess of the Franche-Comte, and Cinderella both sat down one seat below their husbands, facing one another.

The next seat below Belle was taken by Frederica.

"Prince Adam, Belle," Cinderella said. "I believe you've already met Princess Frederica Eugenie de la Fontaine, Princess of Normandie?"

"Good to see you again," Frederica murmured. "We met at your wedding, I don't know if you remember."

"I… I think I do," Belle said. "You asked how I was."

"And you told me that you had always been an outcast," Frederica replied. She grinned. "Do you feel any less of one now?"

"A little," Belle admitted, with a glance towards Cinderella.

Frederica chuckled, "Yes, Cinderella has that effect."

Cinderella pretended not to hear them.

The banquet was lavish, as Cinderella had expected given the stellar quality of the palace chefs and the fact that one of their guests was a visiting ruling prince. Since her wedding Cinderella had never known a bad meal here, and the kitchen didn't produce one tonight. Dinner was served a la francaise, with all of the courses emerging at once – or as close as could be humanly achieved by the serving staff available – and being laid out down the table until it was groaning under the weight of so many dishes: roast pork, beef, lamb and chicken all slavered in rich and succulent smelling sauces; potatoes roasted, buttered and dauphinoise; buttered parsnips, carrots, artichokes, turnip and beetroot; oysters, eels and smoked herrings freshly caught that day; pies and cakes and luscious puddings they all lay spread out in a great column down the table, with the choicest-seeming dishes placed at the head before the King and his family and the visiting prince, while towards the bottom of the table the far became a little more sparse for those who were not so well-connected.

Cinderella ate little, as was her wont; she had never been a great eater and Belle's slimness had rather put her to shame; she picked at her food, mostly vegetables with just a little meat and fish, and only mustered any appearance of enthusiasm when she caught Eugene looking at her; he was always concerned that she didn't eat enough.

She sent a few cuts of some of the nicest looking and loveliest smelling dishes a little down the table to her ladies and Jean, in case they were missing out.

Prince Adam, meanwhile, devoured the meat set before him with all the enthusiasm of a true carnivore. It was not that he ate rudely, although from the somewhat awkward way he held his elbows and kept glancing at Belle as though he was afraid that he was jogging her with his arm he might have feared that that was the case; in fact he ate in a perfectly genteel and civilised manner, but he also ate so heartily that he made His Majesty the King appear fastidious, and overwhelmingly upon the flesh of what had once been living creatures.

Belle ate a little more than Cinderella might have expected given her size, but in a manner much like Cinderella herself: picking slightly at morsels sprung from many dishes, without committing herself to any single one or few.

In their own ways, both she and her husband seemed to be enjoying the meal, which was what mattered most of all.

They did not discuss politics; there would be a time for that, in a more formal setting than… well, not to say that a state banquet wasn't formal, perhaps a better choice of words would be to say an official setting; the banquet, however convivial, was formal but not quite in the right way for a discussion of the business that had actually brought Adam and Belle to Armorique in the first place. Instead they discussed art and culture: Prince Adam was very fond of music even though by his own admission he couldn't play an instrument or carry a tune to save his life, and he lamented that there was no city or town in his principality large enough to be the home of an orchestra which he could patronise; this led to a polite verbal fencing match between Eugene and Adam over whether Cinderella or Belle had the prettier singing voice.

"Perhaps, rather than you continuing to assert that which the other has no experience of," Frederica interrupted with a roll of her eyes. "We might simply reconvene at some convenient and hear these two nightingales in contrast." She smiled. "Or even in duet with one another, for although there is sometimes a little pleasure to be derived from a pair of lovely voices straining to outdo one another, there is, I find, more to be obtained from hearing the twain embrace one another in harmony."

"I agree," Cinderella said. "Like a marriage."

Frederica let out a bark of laughter. "Yes, I suppose you could say that, and you certainly would. Like a marriage, like a good marriage… or a wholesome partnership."

Belle, it turned out, was a great reader, with opinions on all manner of literature that threatened to make Cinderella's head spin, and even Eugene and Frederica looked as though they were having trouble keeping up with some of her opinions as she dashed from one subject to the next (Adam looked fondly confused). On the other hand she was rather ignorant of the theatre, a deficit which Cinderella – who in her capacity as princess was patroness of the Theatre Royal – promised to remedy during her stay with them.

At length, all of the vast meal was devoured, and the table stood relieved of much of its prior burden as only empty plates and platters remained where once there had been piles of food.

It was at this point that all of the now full and heavily laden – Cinderella couldn't help but wonder if the order of things shouldn't have been reversed – dinner guests rose to their feet and returned to the ballroom for the dancing.

Eugene took her by the arm, and they made their way onto the floor for the first dance.

As the ballroom filled up – there was General Gerard and Lucrezia, and over there was Jean and Angelique – Cinderella occasionally lost sight of Belle and Adam, only to catch a glimpse of Belle's beautiful golden gown and immediately find her again.

Then she and Eugene came to a stop, and Cinderella turned to face him.

She looked into his eyes, and she allowed him to take one of her hands in his, and felt his other hand upon her waist, and as she lifted up her skirt in her other hand nothing else mattered at all.

Belle and her beauty, Adam, the congress, Burgundy and its throne all fell away, and there was nothing in the world but the ballroom, and nothing in the ballroom but Eugene and herself.

And the orchestra, whose music swiftly began to swell, sweeping them away like a great tied gushing through the ballroom, carrying them on the waves of music.

Every dance with Eugene was as magical as the first dance, whenever he held her in his arms everything was wonderful, whenever they moved like this with the music bearing them on thing everything would be alright.

Nothing mattered but that he was here with her, that he held her, that he danced with her as the other couples dissolved into a swirl of colours, the odd flash of gold glistening amongst them and then disappearing as they danced.

It ended too soon, of course; it often ended too soon, but usually Cinderella knew that Eugene would dance at least the second dance with her as well before either of them started to invite other partners. This time, however, Eugene released Cinderella from his hold almost as soon as the music of the first dance stopped.

"Excuse me for a while, darling," Eugene said, leaning forwards to kiss her quickly on the lips, before he turned away from her, looking around.

He only had to look around for a moment before he spotted Belle, and began to walk through the crowded ballroom towards her.

Prince Adam was doing the same in reverse, leaving Belle behind and making his way across the room towards Cinderella.

He passed Eugene halfway, the two of them glancing to one another but not speaking.

Cinderella caught a glimpse of Eugene bowing to Belle, but she could hardly pay attention because Adam had reached her, now, too, and he bowed to her in his turn.

"Princess," he said, holding out one large hand towards her. "May I have this next dance?"

Cinderella smiled at him, and placed her hand – so much smaller than his – into his open palm.

He did not put his hand on her waist, as Eugene did – and as he was doing to Belle, which seemed to leave her looking a little surprised for some reason – but instead took both of her hands, leaving her with no way to hold onto her dress.

Nevertheless, Prince Adam was far from the worst dance partner that Cinderella had ever had; some of those that she had danced with had held her too tight, had steered her forcefully, had half-manhandled her across the ballroom floor. Cinderella sometimes wondered if she had ought to have realised that Anatole de Montcalm had been a less than friendly presence because of the way he held her when they danced.

But then, Lucien had made her laugh when they danced together with the way he clowned and made such sport of dancing poorly, so really there was nothing serious to be learned about someone from the way they danced with her.

But, with all that said, Prince Adam was far from the worst dance partner that Cinderella had ever had. Not as good as Eugene, obviously, and not as well suited for Cinderella – he was too tall for her, or she was too short for him, he had to bend over a bit too much – but he held her comfortably, not too tight, not too controlling, and they moved in a rhythm.

It was not a magical feeling, it wasn't like dancing with Eugene… but then she was sure that for him, dancing with her wasn't a patch on dancing with Belle, either.

But they moved together, nonetheless, and as they moved they achieved a kind of harmony.

Just as they were all hoping for in the days ahead.