Serial Fun - Installment 7

Welp, best laid plans and all that...I never managed to get into the sewing room today.  Tomorrow is an all-day-at-church Wednesday, so...hopefully I'll get the second muslin cut out on Thursday.  For what it's worth, here's the little ancient diversion.  Earlier instalments are HERE, if you are late to the party...

The next two days were a blur.  Monday was the day Gregory was to arrive back at the palace, so once again Rita’s lessons were suspended.  She spent the morning getting fitted for her dress for the formal dinner the night of the ball, but she was so distracted by all the hubbub around her and by her own anxiety that she scarcely noticed what the dress looked like.  There was to be a ‘family’ banquet that evening, but the number of semi-royal persons at court had multiplied far beyond the usual and it appeared that the informal welcome home dinner the Queen had planned would not be far short of a full-fledged feast.  Rita was nervously watching all the young daughters, nieces, wards, cousins, etc., of the nobles who seemed to appear in court from the dust in the air.  Many were quite lovely, and all of them hoped to snare Gregory’s attention at the first available opportunity.  She desperately hoped Gregory would not fall madly in love with any of them before he’d even met Isabella.  She was even more anxious when Gregory’s entourage arrived just before noon and the whole lot of them descended upon him.  Rita watched as her older brother treated them all with the utmost courtesy and patience and breathed a sigh of relief as she noted that he treated them all exactly the same.  So far, so good. 

            It was the middle of the afternoon before Rita herself actually got a chance to spend any time with Gregory.  She found him heading toward the kennels and picked up her skirts a bit to catch up with him.  He heard her approaching and turned around with a look of rather strained patience, which turned instantly into delighted relief when he saw who she was.  ‘Rita!” He cried, giving her a hug that lifted her slightly off of the ground.  “The first young female I’ve been glad to see all day!”

            “Poor Gregory,” Rita sympathized as they began walking toward the kennels together.  “Has it really been that bad?”  She looked at him closely.  He was -- she did some addition -- twenty-two years old, and she decided he had finished growing up.  It was a bit of a shock to think of Gregory as a man, a grown man, and not just her adored big brother.  She tried to be objective, but she still thought him to be extremely handsome: tall and athletic, with sandy brown hair and deep blue eyes that, unknown to Rita, exactly matched her own.

            Gregory gave her a wry smile.  “You’ve no idea.  It’s not just the girls...it’s their mothers and grandmothers and aunts and godmothers... I’m beginning to think everybody in the kingdom is determined to get me married off.”  His smile turned into a broad grin as he opened the kennel door.  “Thank heaven for little sisters who aren’t interested in that yet!”

            Rita blushed as she walked in.  Maybe it was a good idea to just put Isabella where Gregory could meet her on his own, without anyone seeming to try to push them together.  All the same, she didn’t like being even indirectly included with all those ladies who seemed to be pulling Gregory in so many directions.  She finally squelched the pang of guilt by reminding herself that she wasn’t motivated by self-centered ambition...Isabella was perfect for Gregory.  She watched as Gregory opened the door of Champion’s run and called the dog to him.  Champion, who needed very little encouragement, was a picture of tail-wagging ecstasy as Gregory snapped the lead onto his collar.  Rita followed them out of the kennel before she finally spoke.  “Gregory...do you think you’ll ever fall in love?”

            Gregory shrugged.  “Oh, I suppose I’ve been close, once or twice.”  He sighed wearily.  “Ultimately, though, it seems that all the girls I’ve met have all been cut from the same cloth.”  They took the promenade walk to the garden perimeter.

            Rita frowned.  “‘Cut from the same cloth?’  What do you mean?”

            “Well...” Gregory thought a moment before he continued, “I have yet to meet a girl who is interested in me, Gregory, a man who likes dogs and Shakespeare and the moonlight on the lake.  I don’t think a single one of them could tell you what my favorite piece of music is, or what reforms I would like to make in what institutions when I have the opportunity.  I am a prize to be won, a stepping-stone to a better life, a crown and a title.  I have yet to meet someone that I can talk to like Father talks to Mother, someone I can trust to have sound judgment, who thinks of more than just gossip and fashion and parties.”  He paused for a moment.  “So tell me, Rita, are there any girls like that at court?”

            Rita thought of Lady Sophia, who was a fair reflection of the young ladies at court and shook her head.  “I don’t think you’ll find anyone like that at court.”  Oh, she wished she could tell him about Isabella!

            Gregory sighed.  “I thought as much.”  He grinned at her ruefully.  “Sorry to complain to you, little sister.  Mother and Father understand, thank God, and aren’t pushing me...yet.”

            Rita remembered her recent conversation with her mother.  “I don’t think they will, Gregory.  Mother says that a happy marriage makes a better monarch...I think they’ll trust your judgment.  If you’re following their example, I don’t see how you can go wrong.”  She smiled at him as they turned back toward the kennel.  “It may take a while, though, and everyone else will keep after you until you’re settled.”

            “I know.”  Gregory stated grimly.  “It’s a temptation to just go ahead and marry one of them, just to get the rest of them to leave me alone.”

            Shocked, Rita gasped, “Oh, Gregory, you wouldn’t really do that, would you?”

            Again, Gregory grinned at her.  “Oh, no, it’s just a temptation.  I’m determined to hold out until I find that girl that’s different.”  At that moment, the dog trainer spotted Gregory and waved to him.  Gregory looked at Rita and nodded.  “See you at dinner,” then took Champion over to the trainer. 

            Rita waved at him and headed back toward the palace, her heart singing.  Isabella was that different girl -- she knew it!  She shivered in anticipation as she mentally reviewed her list.  She had everything Isabella would need...she felt sure she could get her to the ball...but would Gregory get the chance to meet her with so many other girls vying for his attention?  Rita knew there was no way she could guarantee that.

            It was Wednesday before Esmerelda brought the rose brocade dress back from the laundry.  Rita was right -- the dress was absolutely stunning once it was fresh and crisp. Rita gazed at the dress after Es hung it in the wardrobe, still annoyed by the fact that it seemed somehow familiar.  It was a trifle out of style, but since it was a fairly classic design, Rita thought it wouldn’t look too out of place.  She knew Isabella would look lovely in it.  The portrait neckline and the puffed off-the-shoulder sleeves would give her a truly elegant appearance.  She would look like.... suddenly, Rita gasped, realizing where she’d seen the dress before.

            Against all possibility, it had to be the dress Bella Savoy had worn when Jerome Baltry painted her portrait. 

Isabella would look just like her mother.

To be continued...