บท 2: CHAPTER 1
The room was thick with the scent of the finest and richest silk and satin, and the sound of giggles and whispers filled the space as the ladies chatted away, well, except for the one that had her head buried in the morning paper. Lady Victoria, resplendent in her corset and bustle held up an exquisite gown of lavender silk, "Oh, dear friends, what do you think? Will this colour suit me?"
Mrs Samantha's lips pulled up in a proud smile. Pale blue eyes scanning the younger lady, "Great choice, Lady Victoria. It's lovely."
Mrs Prisca, who was sitting beside Mrs Samantha smiled, "I agree with Mrs Samantha on this. I bet you will find yourself a charming man that day in this colour."
Lady Victoria's smile widened as they all turned to the third lady who still had her head buried in the morning papers, "Calantha?" She called out softly. When she got no response, she called out more stiffly, "Lan!" The morning paper went down, revealing a blinding redhead and green cat eyes. "I am glad you find the morning paper more interesting, but could you at least tell me what you think about this one?"
Folding the paper, Calantha placed it on the small centre table. Her eyes darted from Lady Victoria to the lavender silk, "Tory, it's beautiful, but perhaps a shade too pale for your complexion."
"What?" Mrs Samantha, the eldest of them all chimed in, "Lady Victoria dear, you will look stunning in it. Besides, it matches your eyes perfectly."
"Coming from the sixty-something-years old woman who matched her orange gown with a blue shoe, that's interesting,"
Mrs Samantha's eyes slightly widened, as she eyed her beautiful blue shoes. "And what do you know about fashion?"
Calantha smiled, "Not much but enough to know that the combination should keep you on the list of top three people with a pitiful fashion sense,"
"Lan!" Victoria whisper-yelled,
"What? I am sure Mrs Samantha understands I mean no harm. Right, Mrs Samantha?"
Smiling, Mrs. Samantha said, "I enjoy your sense of humour, Calantha,"
"Lady Calantha," Calantha corrected her before turning to Victoria, who was giving her a mild glare, "Go try something else. I am sure there is something for you. All you need to do is to find it. As your best friend, I must make sure that you look your best on MY wedding day."
"But I am tired. We have seen almost all the fabrics in Madame Agnes's shop. Besides, I am not the one getting married. It is you that is getting married." Victoria stated, flashing them a tired smile.
Ignoring her statement, Calantha said,"We can go to the next fabric store down the road if that's what you mean." Taking the silence for a no, Calantha nodded, "You over there?"
One of Madame Agnes's girls who had been standing quietly in a corner as instructed by her mistress, turned around with a bow, "Yes, my Lady?"
"Go get your Madame," Without waiting to be told twice, the girl was more than happy to take a break from the women
Madame Agnes entered the room with hopeful eyes, but one look at Calantha had the hope in her eyes vanishing. Victoria quickly mouthed 'sorry' to her. "So, should I bring the next fabric?" Agnes tried to add some cheerfulness in her voice, but the tiredness and irritation she felt didn't let her sound as intended. It was obvious everyone was tired except for the spoilt brat and bride-to-be, aka Lady Calantha. Madame Agness was on the verge of asking the ladies to leave her shop, but considering the fact it might bring her career as a seamstress to an end in the town, she quickly aborted it. Besides, the pay was worth it. The little Calantha was loaded. Getting married to the wealthy Duke of the East makes it all more interesting. To top it all off, the girl was willing to pay whatever amount she called.
"Yes, we don't have all day Madame Agnes," Calantha replied, "Do well to upgrade your fabrics. They are quite old,"
"My lady, these fabrics were brought in yesterday by my supplier,"
"Get a new supplier. I am not impressed."
"He has been my supplier for years."
"And I have been your customer for years."
"Exactly my point. Why are you suddenly not impressed?" Madame Agness dared to ask.
"I don't know, perhaps because I feel you people have forgotten the importance of a proper fit. We must make sure that every colour, every texture, every seam and fold is perfection itself. In as much as I want to be the most beautiful lady in the room, that doesn't mean those around me are allowed to look monstrous."
Mrs Prisca smiled, "I think you are forgetting something. It doesn't matter the fabric, colour of the outfit, design, seam, fold whatever it is you are killing yourself for. What matters is the person wearing it. You are the one we would be looking at."
After a few seconds of silence, Calantha said, "Thank you for letting me know why you dress the way you do."
"What is wrong with the way I dress?" Asked Mrs Prisca, eyes scanning her outfit.
Ignoring Mrs Prisca, Calantha said, "I am getting married to the Duke of the East! Everything must be perfect. The Duke once mentioned his plans of inviting His Royal Highness to our wedding."
Victoria flashed her best friend a stiff smile, "Lan, I am sure one of these thousands of materials will do the work,"
"Sure, after we try a few more…"
Mrs Samantha leaned closer to her friend, Mrs Prisca, and asked, "Why did they invite us if they were not going to take our opinion?"
"I bet the young girls just wanted to remind us of how rich they are and how almost-poor we are." Mrs Prisca whispered back,
"We already know that, what's the point of rubbing it in our faces? By the way, middle class is not almost poor. There is a huge gap between us and the poor." Mrs Prisca asked whispered.
"Okay, what else do you want me to say? Or perhaps they just wanted to show us how the rich can get whatever they want,"
Having had enough of the two women beside her, Calantha said sarcastically, "I can't her you two. And for the record, I wasn't the one who invited you two. It was all Tory's idea. And don't be jealous you weren't born into a wealthy family like ours. Maybe your next life you would be fortunate enough."
The two women shared a look before Prisca reached for the Newspaper Calantha had previously been reading. "Blimey! Look at that!" Mrs Prisca exclaimed,
"What is it?" asked Mrs Samantha,
"Ryder Walker has been released! I thought it was all a rumour!" Exclaimed Mrs Prisca.
"What?! I thought he was locked away for good." Victoria chimed in, a look of disdain adorning her face.
"I heard he was seen at a local tavern, flaunting his newfound freedom." Mrs Samantha shook her head in disapproval.
Calantha joined the conversation, "The audacity! I wonder why he wasn't killed at once. Murderers like him shouldn't exist or be seen among us."
Mrs Prisca nodded, "I totally agree with you, but some say he is innocent, that he was wrongly accused and imprisoned for years,"
"Innocent? Ha!" Calantha flashed them an annoyed look, "Innocent my foot. He should still be behind bars or dead."
Clearing her throat, Mrs Samantha said, "I heard he used to be a charming rogue back then,"
Calantha flashed Mrs Samantha a tight smile. "More like a charming murderer, and what on earth could be charming about a man whose father was a farmer?"
"Maybe he is a changed man," Victoria chimed in, but one look from Calantha had her clearing her throat, "But that doesn't excuse the hideous crime he committed. It was a crime against humanity!"
"Whatever happened to our justice system?" Calantha wondered out loud, "Why would they let loose a lowlife that murdered a nobleman in Coldblood? What if he goes about killing other noblemen? They should have allowed him to rot inside the prison." The other women exchanged looks of confusion. Wondering why the news was getting to the young lady the way it did.
"Um, Lan? What do you think about this one?" Victoria held the golden silk against her body as she sent a prayer to the heavens.
After one long minute of silence in the fitting room, Calantha finally opened her mouth, "It's perfect." She smiled. It was a genuine smile that showed off her dimples. Everyone let out the breath they were holding, "I knew there was something in here for you. What do you ladies think?" Calantha turned to Mrs Samantha and Mrs Prisca.
Knowing they had no say in the matter, they smiled, "It is indeed perfect. I must say you do have a remarkable fashion eye, Lady Calantha."
"Of course, I do. I do not want anything less than perfect for my best friend even though it's my day." She beamed at Victoia like a proud mother.
"Thank you, Lan,"
"You are welcome. What is next on our list?"
"Jewelry, I think?" Answered Mrs Samantha, earning her a little glare from Mrs Prisca. "What, she promised to pay for everything. We should get as much as we can and save our money while she is being generous."
"About that, my fiance promised me a customised necklace from the best jewellery maker in the North! You know what they say about the North, North is where the gold comes from."
Mrs Prisca and Mrs Samantha rolled their eyes. They had already lost count of how many times the young girl bragged about her fiance. They already got the point! She was going to be the wife of a rich man! "That is so generous of him!" The ladies chorused with so much fake sweetness in their voices.
"You are so lucky to have met a man like that," Madame Agness chimed in, all smiles.
"Yes, I know. The other day, he brought me a bunch of flowers and said, I saw this beautiful flower on my way here and thought about you."
"Oh my, He is such a charmer. To date, my husband has never gotten me a flower before." Mrs Prisca frowned,
"The few times I have met him, I can also testify that the duke is a charming young man indeed. I pray to have a man like him for myself." Victoria chimed in, a broad smile on her lips.
"I can't wait any longer to be his official wife! He is every woman's dream."
Clearing her throat, Mrs Samantha said, "What about our jewellery you promised to pay for? Since your fiance is getting your jewellery, does that mean you won't pay for ours again?"
"Of course not! First thing tomorrow morning, I promise to send my coachman to deliver the money to you ladies so you can buy whatever you want, but make sure it matches the dress you would be wearing." The women nodded in unison, "I need to head home, right now. Duke Harold promised to visit me this evening. I don't want to keep him waiting if it's something he is on his way."
"Of course, it would be rude to keep a man like that waiting. Hurry up, now." Victoria agreed.
After seeing her carriage drive off, they let out a sigh of relief, "My goodness. How on earth have you been able to cope with that girl for so many years as best friends," Mrs Prisca asked Lady Victoria,
"She only gets like this when she is excited or nervous. Sometimes she is a sweetheart while the other days, she can be a pain in..." She reduced her voice, "In the behind."
"You don't say!" Exclaimed Mrs Samantha. "It's so hard to keep up, especially now she is marrying a whole Duke of the East. A man born in Wealth. Nobody is going to hear enough.
"It's fine, I mean we all wish to end up with a man like that. Tall, handsome, perfect manners, and generous."
"You will get one for yourself one day dear, and then you will get to rub it in her face as well."
Victoria laughed, "I already met one, but he was taken away from me. I will find another one." As she turned away from the group her smile fell. Oh, she would love nothing more than to tell the women about her little conniving best friend stole the duke away from her, but of what use would that be to her? It would create unnecessary drama which she wasn't ready for.
A short while later, Calantha's carriage pulled up in front of the mansion. Upon seeing the carriage, the butler was quick to open the carriage door and helped her out. "Good evening, Lady Calantha."
"Is my fiance here already?"
"No, I haven't seen him today."
"That is good then. I will have time to freshen up and look more presentable."
"You look beautiful enough like this,"
"Thank you, but what do an old man like you know?"
"I know the duke would be falling at your feet if he sees you right now,"
Calantha tried not to smile. Out of all the workers in the mansion, the old man was her favourite, but she would never tell him that. "Oh, dear old Douglass. Where is my father?"
"He is in his study room,"
"Tell the maids to prepare a warm water bath for me. I need to speak with my father shortly."
"Yes, Lady Calantha, but your father is with a visitor right now."
"We have a visitor?"
"Yes,"
"Why didn't father tell me about this person,"
"Maybe because he is not a regular visitor?"
"What do you mean by regular visitor?" As if on cue, the entrance door opened, revealing a strange man.
Calantha and Douglas watched in curiosity as the man's body, straight as a rod, marched down the little staircase. She would have admired the man if he wasn't looking so unkempt. His dark hair looked like it had been styled by the hurricane itself and his beard was nothing to write home about. It looked like he was carrying a bird's nest on his face! His shirt had what looked like mud patches on it as well as other stains she didn't want to think about.
Calantha frowned at the man as he walked past them without any word of acknowledgement, worse he smelled like sweat. The least he could do for the world was to take a bath before leaving his damn house. She was tempted to ask if he was the new gardener her father was talking about before she left but decided against it. Though not in any fancy attire, something about him commanded attention and respect. Leaning closer to Douglas, she asked in a hushed voice, "Who on earth is that?"
The butler's eyes darted between his mistress and the man standing a few feet away from them, waiting for his horse. As if the name left a bitter taste on his tongue. Douglas whispered back, "That is Mr Walker."
"Do I know him?" Calantha searched her brain, trying to remember if her father had mentioned something about this Walker man. He wasn't a man of title. In other words, he wasn't a nobleman. All the Walkers she knew were all noblemen— except for the one she read about in the paper. Ryder Walker. She internally laughed at the way she was thinking. She knew she had no chance of ever meeting the ex-convict. Besides, her father would never associate himself with people like the Walker lowlife. "I believe he is not the new gardener?" She asked just to be clear,
"He is not."
"Do you have any idea why he visited my father?" she asked as they entered the mansion.
"No idea, my Lady."
"What do you ever know, Douglas?"
"I do know a lot of things except for the reason why Mr Walker suddenly showed up at our doorstep like a dark knight, demanding to see your father."
The next few minutes were full of Calantha trying to get as much information from Douglas as possible before they parted, but as usual, the man was tight-lipped. She decided to lay the matter to rest. Besides, a woman shouldn't concern herself with matters of men.
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