Page 13 of A Lady’s Fairytale Come True
“Not at all. Too slow, in fact. I do not wish for you to wed someone you do not love, Nathaniel. That is why we are discussing this. You must marry a young woman that you love. Not one you are forced to marry as your mother and father did. One you care about, who you wish to spend your life with,” she told him.
Nathaniel liked that idea. Although he knew of no one who could possibly meet those standards, he wished for a marriage based on this. He wished for a marriage that he chose, in the time he chose and to the woman he chose.
Being faced with now having the freedom to marry whomever he wished but with his grandmother’s urgency, he felt at an utter loss.
Who would he find that he would so easily care for? And how could he find a woman and marry her so quickly after their meeting?
Whatever he did, Nathaniel knew that he must not to panic.
Chapter 7
Olivia remained in shock over the letter she had received. The invitation was still an anomaly. However, she found her curiosity increasing to the extent that she was looking forward to it. And on the morning of the event, she began to consider the fact that this could be a day that might change her life. After all, it was not exactly common for a dowager to invite a woman like her over and there had to be a reason for it.
The frustrating part, however, was that Olivia had absolutely nothing to wear. She considered throwing on the dress she had so recently sewn the ribbon into. But Louise was slighter than she, with a less developed figure, and Olivia knew that she would not fit into the dress. Of course, even if she could, it was still not of the standard to go to Lady Kirby’s home.
As she continued to search through her meagre clothing, Olivia was struck by an idea that rather frightened her. Although she had only a few dresses, she looked through them again and again in hopes that she might find something. But when nothing revealed itself to her, she knew that her idea was the only option she had. Even if it was the worst of all her choices and one she might come to regret.
So, in the midst of the struggle, Olivia made her way through the quiet home. Her father was at work, labouring as was his trade, and her sisters were outside.
Olivia swallowed and took a deep breath. Her hesitant steps led her to the room with the trunks that still held her mother’s belongings. Nearly a year had passed, but it was still not long enough. The thought of going through her things, the thought of searching them and scavenging through them was painful.
She missed her mother deeply. Olivia felt that she would give anything to be with her again, anything to spend time with her rather than going through her trunks.
Nevertheless, it had to be done.
She went through the door and stepped towards the trunk that she knew held the majority of her mother’s clothing. Opening the lid gently, Olivia begin to sift through the dresses within it and disappointment flooded her.
She felt a deep sense of guilt and shame. What was she doing going through her mother’s belongings? Was this wrong with her?
There was no easy answer. She was doing what had to be done. Then again, it felt wrong to go through the belongings of someone she had loved, someone she had lost.
With each dress, a new memory returned. Memories of days out with the family, memories of times when her mother scolded her and her sisters were fighting, of days when they had a little more to eat and days when they had less. These memories, and so many others, held her together. But still, each dress made her feel more and more empty.
Olivia realised that none of these dresses would do. Similarly to her own, they were far unworthy of a woman like the dowager.
It was then that Olivia moved to another trunk, one she had not seen before. It was stationed just behind the first but had been covered by a cloth that she removed. The top of the trunk was decorated with carvings, elaborate and beautiful.
Olivia was curious. She opened the lid and this time found something strange. Another dress of her mother’s that she had seen her wear many times was laid on top. But it was placed too carefully, not like the others.
She moved it aside and revealed what was beneath.
The gown was unlike anything she had ever seen before. The deep, green brocade was spun of the finest silk. She had never even touched silk before. There was gold detailing, the sort that she had seen worn only by noblewomen.
How was it that her mother had owned this? And how was it that she had never seen it before?
Olivia was utterly taken aback. In her shock, she wondered how her mother might have kept such a secret. Was it possible that she had a hidden history? No, that was a foolish thought indeed.
But Olivia pulled the dress from the trunk and looked it over. From the nape of the neck to the hem at the very end it was perfection.
She had only the span of an hour before she had to leave in order to make her way to the Manning Estate. With that in mind, Olivia quickly took the dress and made for her bedroom.
Fortunately, her sisters were still outside. She would have plenty of time to dress and leave as quickly as possible. She had already told them that she would be going into town and had arranged for them to be far from where she was trying to hide herself.
Once the dress was securely on, Olivia looked at herself in the small mirror. She wished she could see herself from head to toe, but this was enough. She knew that the dress fit perfectly.
For years people had told her she was the image of her mother. And while her mother had grown in width over the years, Olivia was her identical from when she was young.
She had to hurry, however. Olivia knew it was only a matter of time before she would be caught.
