The Love He Stole

A Fitting

The next morning after her breakfast, Poppy and the two other lady’s maids greeted Lily as they prepared her for the day. They had an itinerary for her including a wedding dress fitting and a dinner alone with Catharine. Lily frowned at the schedule, wondering why she had to dine with Sam’s mom. And between every other last minute plan for the wedding, she had to find the time to question the servants.

As the girls styled her long hair into a braided updo, Lily thought carefully about how to word her inquiries so as not to raise suspicion. She decided to approach it as happy gossip, like her old roommates would.

“So, have you heard about Rose’s engagement?” Lily chirped to the maids. “It’s Mr. Belgrave.”

“Yes, we heard. How exciting for her,” one of them stated, not in the least bit enthusiastically.

“We were happy to hear the good news,” said the other. Poppy remained silent among them as she pinned the last braid into place, thoughts clouding her face. She checked the rest of the hairstyle and stepped back.

“How do you like it, my lady,” Poppy questioned.

“It looks beautiful. Thank you, ladies,” Lily beamed, turning her head from side to side in the mirror to see all the work they had done. It was truly a beautiful updo, but Lily needed to try to get more information out of the other ladies. She stood up from her seat at the vanity to face them.

“So, have you met Mr. Belgrave? What’s he like? He was very quiet at the family dinner the other night,” Lily pressed on.

“Oh..um… He is… a noble man. Very honorable,” the first one muttered.

“He will make Rose… very happy, my lady,” said the other. They both curtsied and left like they were running away. Interesting, she thought. Lily was disappointed she couldn’t get any details from them, but their tone said it all. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do with a sour tone. She turned to Poppy.

“That was odd. I wish they would’ve spoken their mind,” she complained.

“They are scared. They think you will report everything they say to Lord Samuel or worse, to Mr. Belgrave himself. Don’t worry, there are many more servants in this manor. And I can ask around in private later when you dine with Lady Catharine,” Poppy reassured her.

Lily took a deep, calming breath and nodded.

“You’re right. Now I guess we have a wedding dress to get fitted for,” Lily groaned, remembering her fight with Sam last night. Poppy tried to contain it, but she couldn’t help smiling.

“Come, Lily. All will be well. You will see, he will forgive you.”

“But… will I be able to forgive him for not helping?”

“Things are… complicated for my lord. He cannot offend Mr. Belgrave’s father without proper cause. We will find that cause and then my lord will help end the engagement,” Poppy comforted.

“I suppose you’re right.” Lily hated to admit it, but she had a point. Things were very different here. There were customs and laws unlike modern day America. She couldn’t just expect him to act like a New Yorker. Things would be easier if he would, she thought with a sigh.

Poppy rubbed her arm and gave a gentle smile, then led her out of her bedchamber. Lily wore a silk robe for modesty overtop her underskirts and a plain strapless bodice for the fitting. They walked through the manor, passing the staircase to the hall across the way. They passed by Rose’s bedchamber to the end of the hall and turned into the last room on the left. Inside there was minimal furniture, just a table, a chair, a circular pedestal, and a floor length gilded mirror.

A maid was already there holding a big roll of white fabric, bowing her head in respect. Lily was hit by the realization that this was all actually happening. She was actually about to marry Sam, to be married to him, as his wife. Her knees wavered and she almost lost her balance, but Poppy steadied her. She hadn’t actually thought about the wedding that much, only her mission of lasting a year to get back to school and to end Rose’s engagement. But there was a wedding soon to be had that she couldn't stop, her own, and the sudden anxiety of it had filled her with overwhelming, dizzying nausea.

“It’s going to be okay, Lily,” Poppy whispered, rubbing her arm and giving a soft squeeze. Lily gulped and told herself to be strong. I can do anything, she reminded herself of her mom’s words. She nodded and tried her best to smile.

Master Damien and Lady Catharine came in behind them looking elegant and serious, and shut the door behind themselves. Damien greeted everyone and bowed to Lily so she curtsied in return. She wasn’t certain why he was there but didn’t want to offend him by asking.

His clothes were vastly different from the first time she saw him, this time donning proper attire for nobility. Gone were the poorly done modern clothes, replaced with a matching cream colored vest and frock coat, black pants and riding boots. Lady Catharine was fiercely stunning in a deep blue dress with silver thread work, her brown hair pulled into a braided bun adorned with tiny blue flowers.

“Wonderful to see you, Miss Lily. Let’s make a dress, shall we,” he grinned, rubbing his hands together.

Poppy pulled Lily’s robe off and gave her a final comforting squeeze on her shoulder. Damien gestured for Lily to stand on the pedestal in front of the large mirror in the corner and asked her what she wanted her dress to look like. Oh, it’s not really a dress fitting, he’s literally going to conjure my dress…

“Oh…well, I’ve never really given it much thought,” she replied, biting her lip.

“Probably for the best. Who knows what kind of atrocities people from her land wear to weddings,” Catharine sneered. Her words stung Lily, another reminder that she doesn’t belong here. Lily looked in the mirror and felt like an imposter.

“Now, now…let’s just see what we get. I can always adjust it to fit our style,” Damien replied, raising his bushy eyebrows at Lily.

“Well I guess I like lacy sleeves…”

“Just picture it, my dear! Hold it in your mind’s eye, and I will do the rest!” Damien exclaimed. His enthusiasm almost made up for Catharine’s prickly attitude.

Lily did as she was told, closing her eyes and imagining her idea of the perfect wedding dress. Damien lifted his arms and pointed at the roll of fabric in the servant's arms and it began to unroll itself, swirling in the air above everyone at Damien’s guidance. Shimmering magic surrounded the fabric, transforming it into lace and tulle with beads before enveloping Lily gently as a fully made gorgeous gown.

Lily opened her eyes in surprise when she felt her bare arms suddenly covered up and she found herself in awe. The gown had a princess puffiness to it, but was all delicate lace with an off shoulder neckline and long sleeves. She felt beautiful and spun around to see the dress fluff out even more.

“Oh my, I feel like Cinderella!” she squealed, turning to face Damien.

“Who?” they all collectively said, and Lily giggled.

“Oh, um, she’s a storybook character in my world… nevermind. This is beautiful, Damien!”

“I agree,” he said, turning to face Catharine who had her lips pursed. “What does the future mother-in-law think?”

“I’m…pleasantly surprised. It will do nicely,” she admitted. It felt like a win to Lily, who exhaled with relief and had a cheesy smile on her face. Poppy, who was standing off to the side next to the other servant, was beaming at Lily.

“Well, that was quicker than I thought it would be. I have some time to rest now. Lily dear, I'll see you in the private dining room for dinner tonight. We have important business to attend to,” Catharine said, before whipping around and trotting out. Lily had to suppress the frown her face desperately wanted to make so she just turned to look at her dress in the mirror again. What important business???

“Well, I shall take my leave as well, but first,” Damien said, softly flicking his hand, making Lily’s wedding gown disperse and reassemble onto a wooden garment hanger. He handed the wedding gown to Poppy.

“Keep this out of our lord’s sight,” he smirked. “Good day, ladies.”

It was just Lily, Poppy, and the other servant left now, and she curtsied to Lily and started to leave. Lily wanted to take advantage of the moment alone and called out to her.

“Wait! Can I ask you something please?” Lily stopped her. She looked surprised that anyone had even spoken to her.

“M-me?”

“Yes. I was wondering if you knew who Mr. Belgrave was?” Lily questioned.

“Of course. Everyone knows him, I believe.”

“Do you know anything about him?” Poppy jumped in, and the girl got nervous and shook her head vigorously.

“He is Lord Bramsford’s steward, that is all I know. Good day to you,” she said, curtsying again and running off. Poppy and Lily exchange looks.

“No one wants to say anything, which means he’s probably worse than we even know,” Poppy warned, covering Lily back up with the robe. “I think you should refrain from asking anyone else, as they may fear your intentions. Let’s get you back to your room so you can relax before dinner and then I’ll go make some inquiries alone.”

Oh right…dinner with Catharine tonight…yay.