Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 249: Violet: New Velvet
21 December, 1347. Thierre Manor, Duchy of Orravalo, Islia
Violet stood as still as possible as the seamstress took her measurements, though she wanted to wriggle from impatience. Ilse sat on the day bed, next to another seamstress who was patiently showing her swatches of different fabrics.
They were in their parents’ presence chamber and for once, there was abundant firewood burning in the fireplace. Lady Thierre had suggested the fittings should occur in her presence chamber, as they would be easier to manage in a larger room.
This was probably true, though Violet strongly suspected the real reason was that her mother didn’t want the seamstresses to set foot in the damp, musty bedchamber her three daughters were forced to share. These days, the bedchamber was even more damp and crowded as the roof had started leaking in one corner and there were no funds to repair it. The sisters were instead forced to cram all their belongings into the other side of the room.
Even for a pair of humble seamstresses, Lady Thierre insisted on putting on airs, Violet thought as she directed a pitying look at her mother. Even for nobodies, she was determined to hide her reality and protect her pride. She’d probably be happy to die of starvation so long as to the outside world, she was still seen as a grand noblewoman.
Lady Thierre was now sitting in an armchair and supervising everything, her features set into her usual frosty expression. She had already ruled out dozens of fabric samples for the new gowns, referring to the colours as garish and unrefined. Beautiful shades of rose and red, rich purples, stunning yellows and golds - colours that reminded Violet of the summer wildflowers that would carpet the grounds near their home.
Her mother had decided such vibrant colours were unacceptable. When the seamstresses had tried to politely explain that bold shades were much loved by the women of the court, Lady Thierre simply replied grimly, "My daughters need to look like ladies of virtue. I won’t have you dressing them like strumpets or worse, northerners."
Their fabric choices were instead limited to greys, dark greens, creams and pallid shades of blue and lavender.
Violet exchanged a look with Ilse, who looked equally crestfallen. Neither girl wanted to stand out as a cold young matron in somber colours, when all the other ladies were as bold as a butterfly’s wing. But it looked like it was inevitable.
With a sigh, she then looked into their mother’s large gilt mirror that had been dragged into the room. The seamstress held up a swatch of fabric to her face, to check if it would flatter her. The velvet was a steel grey colour, which somehow managed to drain Violet’s complexion and make her look sallow. Violet quickly shook her head to refuse it.
Of course, when the same velvet was held up against Ilse’s face, the grey made the gold in her hair gleam and made her eyes look even more striking.
Violet clenched her fists so hard that her nails dug into her palms, leaving little crescent shaped wounds. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
- - -
After the fittings were completed that evening and dinner was shared, both girls retreated to their bedchamber. As darkness slowly took over, they sat side by side on their bed and shivered under the blankets, talking quietly to avoid waking Sancia. No one had the patience for another one of her tantrums.
"The excitement of a new wardrobe isn’t quite what I hoped now that Mother has restricted us to only wearing nunnery colours." Violet grumbled.
Ilse gave a tiny giggle and nudged her with a shoulder. "Don’t worry about that. We will turn it to our advantage, Vy. Just think - all those other ladies dressed like peacocks and then the Thierre sisters sweep in, so dark and mysterious. We’ll stand out and turn all the handsome men’s eyes."
Violet laughed as well. "You may have a point. It would be nice to stand out."
"We’ll be the most dramatic and fascinating young ladies there, you’ll see. Besides, there’s two of us. We can help and support each other. How many other women will have a twin there to support them?"
Ilse’s vision for them was infectious. It would also be a huge help having a sister who loved her at her side, as they navigated their new surroundings. Violet found herself smiling and squeezing Ilse’s hand. "I cannot wait for for the start of spring! It still seems like an eternity away, especially having to wait through another miserable season here. I hope we aren’t the last of the new ladies to arrive at court and by the time we get there, all the eligible men have been taken."
"I know." Ilse’s teeth were chattering. "But just the thought of hot meals and a warm place to sleep is enough for me right now. Who cares about the men when I can’t feel my feet?"
Both girls burst out laughing, then quickly hushed when the noise caused Sancia to stir. The youngest sister rolled over and her breathing turned steady and deep again.
"Imagine if we caught the eye of the princes themselves." Ilse whispered.
Violet snorted as quietly as she could. "Our lady Mother could finally die happy. Do you remember ever seeing that woman smile?"
"Never! Then again, Mother wouldn’t be satisfied with one of us just winning a prince’s attention. She’d want us to marry him as well and then bleed the poor man dry for all his gold, so that she can live the life of luxury she thinks she deserves."
Violet crammed her fist in her mouth to stop from laughing out loud. Then she managed to calm herself down enough to ask, "What do you know about the Crown Prince Leo and his brothers?"
"Not much, really." Ilse whispered. "I believe Prince Leo is a few years older than us and the second prince is close in age to him. The other princes are younger. They’re supposed to be a handsome family, the Devons. The king himself was supposed to have been an attractive man in his day, though he’s now older."
The king and queen seemed as distant and untouchable to Violet as the heroes in ancient ballads. "Mother keeps saying it’s a court with no morals. The way she describes it, anyone who lives there is corrupted to their very soul. I’m surprised she’s willing to send us at all."
"Yes but worrying about our souls over there probably costs our parents less gold than having two extra mouths to feed here." Ilse’s voice held a touch of bitterness.
- - -
Time seemed to have almost stopped as the country gradually ground its way through one of the coldest winters in living memory. Christmas and New Year’s Day were barely celebrated by the Duke and Duchess of Orravalo due to their limited funds. Violet didn’t care much either way. The sisters kept constantly reminding each other, when the meals were small and the winds were whistling through the battered window panes, that their lives would soon change for the better.
The only bright spot that season was when a trunk, filled with their new gowns, was delivered to Thierre Manor during a rare sunny day in late January. The twins managed to drag the heavy trunk into their bedchamber and opened it to admire the contents, giddy with excitement.
Both girls gasped when they saw the gowns, neatly powdered and pressed between sheets of lavender scented parchment. They were by far the loveliest clothes they’d ever owned.
Despite Lady Thierre’s repeated insistence that the necklines not be too low or the cuts not be too clinging, Violet felt so happy she could’ve wept when she saw the rich fabrics in muted shades.
Ilse slowly, reverently, lifted the gown at the very top, which was made of such deep blue silk that it was almost black. She held the gown to her chest and the colour made her fair face gleam like a pearl against it. Violet hoped the colour would be equally flattering on her.
"And then there’s still our veils and capes and shoes to inspect! I can’t wait until the rest of our things arrive!" Ilse exclaimed.
"What things?"
Violet and Ilse whirled around when they realised Sancia had walked into the bedchamber, staring at them avidly.
"Just our new court clothes." Ilse muttered awkwardly, hastily dropping the blue gown back into the trunk and covering it with a parchment sheet.
Violet slammed the trunk lid down and sat on it as Sancia started approaching them.
"Why can’t I look at them?"
"Because it’ll just make you jealous and upset. You’ll end up crying over something you can’t change, Sancia. You’re only ten summers old. You’re too young to serve as a lady-in-waiting yet, even if Father had the money to send you." Violet tried to sound as reasonable as possible.
Sancia glared at both of her sisters but at least didn’t start howling again.
