𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 ✔

Chapter Eight

The very next morning, Devolle woke me with her soft voice and a gentle tap on my shoulder. She stood aside my bed with a kind smile, A cup of tea in her left hand and to my surprise, a dress I did not own in her right. The two of us argued about me not wanting to get out of bead for a good fifteen minutes before I gave in and reluctantly started my first day in the life of an upperclassman.

Never had I been one to dally in bed for too long, but after the nights rest, I had received, and the next few days I had ahead of me, I had all the reason in the world to justify me refusing to wake.

After I had my cup of tea, Devolle carefully laid out my schedule for the day. I watched as she softly brushed my hair, then braided it in several different sized braids, and finally after using many pins, all of my long brown hair had been secured top of my head. I never attempted to put my own hair up before, other than tying the hair that got in my face back, because I never really cared about my appearance, nor had I wanted to use mother's pins since they were one of the only things that I had left of her.

Next, she helped me remove my night gown, then pulled a smock over my head and started to put the dress on me piece by piece. It was a pale pink, square necked and bell sleeved dress with a corseted V-shaped bodice that needed to be laced up in the back. The full skirt nearly touched the floor and did not poof out much at all, which gave it a flatter appearance. It was much softer than the clothes I had worn previously, and I genuinely adored every aspect of it. Lastly, she helped me put on stockings that tied just above the knee with a pink ribbon and then slipped my shoes on me.

I studied myself in the mirror as Devolle talked, allowing her words to pass over my head with no attempt on my part to grasp them. I was astonished by my high-class transformation. It was rather unbelievable that the woman who looked back at me in the mirror was none other than myself. I had never once thought that I could have ever look that beautiful in my life, and it filled me with a confidence I never noticed I had lacked.

However wonderful the moment might have been, the intrusive thoughts rose back up in me and I had started to think of Bash. I wondered if how I looked then had been how he had imagined I'd look after he had liberated me from my unfortunate circumstances. Though, despite them ruining the moment, I found myself internally chuckling at the thought of Madame Fontaine ripping that chance away from him. She was, after all, the one who introduced me to the lifestyle of the wealthy and he was not involved, let alone present to even see the outcome.

"Mademoiselle, are you listening?" Devolle's soft voice snapped me out of thought.

"Hm?" I looked at her lost for a moment, then realized she had been talking to me for a while. "Oh, yes."

"Then if you are done admiring yourself, shall we make our way down to the informal dining room where the Marchioness is awaiting your presence. She dislikes eating breakfast late and you have much to do today." She smiled at me through the mirror.

I felt guilty for not listening to her. "I'm sorry, we can go down now."

My body still ached from the dance lessons from the previous day and knowing that there were still more to be had before I was moderately ready for the ball on Sunday only made it hurt worse.

As we made our way down the stairs, Devolle stopped midway and put out her arm as if she were silently telling me to wait. I wanted to ask her why, but she had a serious expression on her face and was clearly listening to or for something. After a moment she pointed to the entrance, touched her ear, and silently mouthed the word Listen.

"Excuse me Monsieur, but can you please state who you are and what business have you here?" The doorman spoke sternly through the small hole in the door, he dared not even open it as if he already knew whoever it was that stood on the other side. "One moment, I shall inform the Marchioness of your unexpected arrival. Please forgive me but you must remain outside."