Betrothed

Chapter 17: Nikki

Last night was a whole new experience for me. For instance, during supper I was sitting in dining hall with a family that is supposedly mine, all the while being served my food be servants. It is strange because just yesterday I was the one serving food to a noble family. Sleeping in my new room last night was strange as well. The large expensive bed was much more comfortable than any bed I have previously slept on. It felt as though I was sleeping on a cloud.

Today is my first day in noble life and so far it has been merely okay. I enjoyed spending time with my new siblings this morning. Grayson is so chivalrous, especially for his age of eleven years old. Willow has such a big heart; I have never known a child so gentle, and she is only eight years old. As for Avery, she is so intelligent. I have a feeling that her vocabulary is twice the size of mine when I was eight, and she is only five. Tobias, is only two, so he does not do much but he sure is cute when he smiles, which seems to be quite often.

Right now I am not spending time with my new siblings though I wish that I was. Instead I am spending time with my new mother. We are in the library trying to decide who to invite to our ball. I am finding it hard to focus on her ramblings of people who I do not know though because I am too fascinated by the rows upon rows of books. I have always wanted to learn how to read. I wonder if Princess Caroline will teach me.

"I know that you are not listening to me Nicole." Princess Caroline regains my attention by snapping in my face as she says that.

"Please call me Nikki." I tell her. "And I am sorry for not listening, I was just admiring your book collection."

"Oh. Well it is quite impressive, is it not?" She responds. "Do you read Nikki?"

I look down in shame, "I do not know how to." I admit to her truthfully.

"Oh. We will just have to fix that now will we not?" She ends the topic before continuing with her previous rambling. "Now as I was saying before, our invite list. We will of course invite your cousin Prince Joseph as well as your uncle King Harold, though I do not think he will accept our invitation. We will send an invitation to your aunt Lady Fiona Clemmons, her husband Peter, and their daughter April as well. Fiona and Peter are the Marquess and Marchioness of Lansdowne. We should also invite the Speight family; Major General-Lord Richard, his wife Lady Clarissa, the Marquess and Marchioness of Downshire, their son Lord Evan, who is a few years your elder and the Earl of Hardwicke, and their daughter Lady Lillian, who is a few years younger than you. Also on the list are Viscount and Viscountess Cobham and their two daughters; Viscount and Viscountess Hood and their daughter; Baron and Baroness Cromwell and their three sons; the Duke of Somerset and his son; and the Marquess of Huntley and his son. Is there anyone that you would like to invite from Harrison?" She finishes.

"I would wish to invite the Queshire family, all of them. The Wembley family as well, including Lord Maxwell." I tell her, suddenly wishing that my list was as long as hers was.

"You still wish to invite Lord Wembley and his daughter? After all, that he did to you?" She asks incredulously. And you do not even know half of what he did to me. I say under my breath.

"Yes I do Mother. Honestly Lady Alyssa is my friend, so I would invite her to anything. As for her father, I would like to show him that he toyed with the wrong girl."

"What about these Queshire people? Who are they to you?"

"Lady Madeline Queshire is my friend as well, along with her brother Quentin. Nobody knows about our friendship though and I do not wish for it to seem suspicious by only inviting those two. So I am inviting all of them, I would not want my friends to get into trouble for just befriending me when I had nobody."

"Well okay then. There we have our list. We will send the invites out right away and then we can start to plan the ballroom." She announces excitedly. I inwardly sigh. Does this family never run out of energy?