Page 253 of Night's Fall
Through destiny and circumstance, we were now one big family.
Chapter38
Dismissed
Aleksei and the king did not join us for pre-dinner drinks.
They also didn’t join us for dinner.
Though, the king came into the parlor we’d all retired to for after-dinner drinks, mostly, it seemed, to show his face to his guests, give his wife’s cheek a kiss and leave.
He appeared distracted and troubled, which meant the queen’s gaze was sharp on him, but he did at least show his face.
Aleksei didn’t do that.
By the by,Timotheehad come to dinner, and he seemed aloof, but there were no outbursts, and he didn’t act like a horse’s behind once.
Errol was stillMIA.
I’d been feeling better about things, but withAlekseia total no-show,Iwas back to more than a tad insecure.
Thus, when the queen announced she was going to bed,Idecided to leave with her.
We said our goodnights, and my insecurity lightened when she curled her fingers around my elbow as we walked out of the room.
It wasn’t the gal-clutchCatandI’dbeen in on the way to pre-dinner drinks, butIsensed it wasQueenCalisa’sversion of it.
“Dita had a conversation withNatatoday,” she shared as we walked to the staircase.
“Yes?”Iasked.
“Nata mentioned to her your idea of loaning the wedding garments to theMuséedeVêtements.”
Oh boy.
“I was going to talk to you about it at tea yesterday,”Itold her. “Andit wasn’t my idea, unless your use of ‘your’ was collective.Theidea wasNata’s.ButIthought it was a good one.”
She nodded to indicate she heard me, but she didn’t address that.
“Alas, we didn’t get to have that riveting conversation over tea,” she replied as we started up the steps. “ButIthink it’s a marvelous idea.SodoesGermaine.I’vespoken toFillionabout it, and he agrees with me andGermaine.Thetiming couldn’t be better.”
Timing?
“Sorry.Whattiming?”Iasked.
She stopped us when we were halfway up the steps and looked at me.
“If you’d be willing, we’d like to send someone with you to theCatalogues.Tomorrow.Theycan vid you among the displays, and you can talk about the different eras of the garments, who wore them, pick two, maybe three to focus on.Thenexplain that there will be an upcoming exhibition of them, and the royal family will be discussing more such exhibitions of the priceless relics of our realm, introducing them to our beings in the coming years.”
I saw this play.Andshe was correct, it was great timing.
Another indication of,All’swell here, no worries, onward, and look!Somethingfun is coming your way.
“Dita has already spoken with theDirectorof theMdV.They’reecstatic about the opportunity,” she informed me.
As they would be.
“We’ll do a ball.Afundraiser for the musée,” she decreed. “Alongwith a contest.Citizenscan buy tickets, maybe five marks apiece.Achance to win two entries to the ball.Perhapsfor ten beings, five winners.Thenwe can seat them with dignitaries, noblebeings, celebrities.Raisemore money but make it inclusive.Sharethe message this is not just for those who can afford it.Everyonecan feel involved.”
