Hidden Within The Flowers

Chapter 1

The ground shook as the carriage drove over the dirt roads in the countryside. The gaudy carriage bumbled along the path and the large family crest that was fashioned onto the side of the carriage looked as if it was going to break free and tumble away. The passengers were doing their best to keep the contents of their stomachs down, the man, Henri was the Earl of Arquette; he was the most sickly looking one out of the four passengers. The other passengers were women, the earl's wife, Juliette, whose beauty was ever-present after her many years of life, his eldest daughter Nicollete, whose bright green eyes sparkled in the sunlight and were complimented by her dark chocolate hair and pale skin, and lastly his younger daughter Adalene, with bright golden hair that fell in cascading waves and who bared similar eyes to her sister. The Arquette family was traveling to London for the upcoming social season. The Earl was a very proud man and wanted his family to continue to be held in the highest regard and that was why he was very adamant that Nicollette marry her first season, no matter what suitors showed interest. Julliette wanted nothing more than for her daughter to marry for love and to have the opportunity that she never had, but the Earl had made it clear that whoever he thought was best would be the one. The count and countess had fought many nights before their departure from the Arquette manor about the situation, but the Earl did not tolerate insubordination and landed a harsh slap upon Julliette's cheek the night before they left for London. 

The carriage ride had been tense between the family and filled with a hostile air, the bumps and cracks in the road did little to ease the tension. The silence was finally broken by Adalene "Will Olivier be joining us in London?" She asked her parents, not fully registering the tension in the carriage. Olivier was the eldest of the Arquette siblings and Henri's pride and joy and was heir to the Earldom. He had been away finishing his education at Oxford the past year and would soon take over as Earl after his father stepped down. Juliette let out a long sigh as she turned to face her green husband, he closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fists as they went over a large bump in the road. Juliette faced her daughters and opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the Earl "Olivier will be joining us in London, it is time he starts looking for a wife." his tone was a matter of fact one and left no room for discussion. 

The Arquette family finally arrived at their home in London late at night and were exhausted and exasperated from the long journey down to London.  Nicollette exited the carriage and looked up to the old stone home that she used to visit as a child, but it had been years since her family had last been there. The young girl nodded and smiled at the servants who were there to greet them, she quickly and gracefully made her way up to her room and readied herself for bed. That night Nicollette tossed and turned all night. The restless sleep left Nicollette with dark circles under her eyes and an unusually pale complexion, her mother nearly screamed when she saw her. Juliette could not stop muttering about how important a good night's sleep was the night before any big event, she was horrified that her daughter looked as if she had gotten no sleep the night before her debut into society. Nicollette did her best to ignore her mother's frantic worrying as her Lady's maid, Francine, applied some powder under her eyes to cover the circles and then waited patiently while they twisted and pulled her hair up into a neat updo. Juliette turned and looked at her daughter in the mirror of her vanity, she gasped at clutched her heart. "My dear you are breathtaking." She stated as tears started to well in her eyes. Nicollette met her mother's eyes in the mirror and smiled before she spoke "Mama, I am nervous." Juliette sighed and walked to her daughter, she laid a comforting hand upon the girl's shoulder and squeezed it. "As you should be, my dear." 

Nicollette and her family arrived at the palace for the debut of eligible young ladies into society. The room was bursting with young girls and their mothers, it was loud and filled with nervous energy. Nicollette kept her hands linked in front of her abdomen while her mother fussed over her dress, she was wearing a white gown, which was the social requirement, but it was adorned with gold lace in the shapes of beautiful flowers. Upon her neck sat her mother's emerald necklace which brought out the color in her eyes, her earrings were a matching pair that sparkled when the light hit them just right. Juliette could not stop gushing about how beautiful her daughter looked. Nicollette could feel the eyes of the other debutantes and mamas on her; they were all curious as to who the new girl was and were frustrated with the thought of more competition. 

Nicollette and her mother were approached by a kind-looking brunette woman and her beautiful daughter with chestnut hair. The older woman spoke first to the two "Hello, I am Violet  Bridgerton and this is my daughter Daphne." She greeted as she gestured towards her daughter. Nicollette smiled at the two graciously as Julliette responded 

"How lovely to meet you. I am Juliette Arquette and this is my daughter Nicollette." Violet's already big smile somehow grew even bigger as the countess introduced themselves. 

"I am truly delighted to have met you, Lady Arquette" Violet beamed. Julliette gave a little laugh and insisted that Violet call her by her first name. 

"This is Daphne's first season, is it yours as well?" Violet asked the green-eyed girl. Nicollette gave a polite nod, 

"Yes it is and I must admit I am a tad nervous." She said and notices how Daphne's smile grew in agreement. 

"Ah yes, it is quite a nerve-wracking time I'm afraid," Violet stated with a hint of sympathy in her voice. The girls and their mothers were soon after ushered to line up to be presented before the Queen. 

"Miss Prudence Featherington, Miss Phillippa Featherington, and Miss Penelope Featherington all presented by their mother, the Right Honourable Lady Featherington." The man's voice carried through the halls as the doors opened and the three redheaded girls tried squeezing out of them. Their entrance was hard for Nicollette and her mother to watch, as it lacked all poise and grace. The poor girls thought they were in the clear when they finally reached the Queen, but the fates had other ideas in mind. The Queen waved them away and just before they could leave without any further humiliation one of the taller girls fainted right before the Queen's feet. Nicollette gasped and covered her mouth with her hand as she watched the scene unfold, she tried to offer the short, slightly stout girl a look of sympathy, but it was never seen. Lady Featherington had a horrified expression on her face as she tried to collect her daughter up off the floor and usher the other two out of the room. To say that the Queen was not impressed would have been the understatement of the year. 

"Miss Nicollette Arquette, presented by her mother the Right Honorable Countess Arquette" Nicollette took a deep breath before walking through the doors. She kept her head held high and a polite smile upon her face. Nicollette walked as gracefully as she possibly could with all the nerves bubbling in her stomach. Juliette was beaming, as she followed her daughter down the aisle towards the Queen. Nicollette could feel all the eyes in the room on her as she stopped in front of the Queen. Her Majesty was wearing an unreadable expression, while Nicollette melted into her lowest curtsy with the utmost grace. Nicollette stayed in her crusty and waited for the Queen to address her. After what felt like an eternity to Nicollette and her mother, a smile crept onto the Queen's face and she muttered the word "beautiful". Nicollette couldn't help the bright smile from gracing her face at hearing the Queen's word. Nicollette and her mother were thrilled with the Queen's remarks and could not wait to go home and tell the Earl.

"Father, you would not believe what happened" Nicollette stated as she burst into her father's study. He looked up from the papers he was reading and gave a slight hum for her to continue. Nicollette's smile grew as her father showed interest in what she was going to say. "The Queen called me beautiful. Her Majesty herself!" She said bursting with joy. The Earl let a small smile grace his face at his daughter's excitement, 

"And what of the other ladies?" Henri asked his daughter. Nicollette's smile fell a little at the question. 

"Well..." she let out a sigh "the poor Featherington girls had a most horrendous display, one of them fainted!" The Earl's eyebrows barely raised in recognition as his eyes went back to his papers. "Daphne Bridgerton was declared flawless..." Nicollette mumbled and Henri's eyes shot up to meet her's, 

"You are telling me that you came in all excited that the Queen called you beautiful, but called another girl 'flawless'. My dear, you seem to be forgetting what this is all about." Henri said sternly and slowly watched as his daughter's eyes become dark and glossy. 

"You are supposed to ensnare the most eligible bachelor this season!" He almost shouted. "How do you expect to do that when there is a girl who has been deemed 'flawless' while you are just deemed 'beautiful'" The Earl's voice echoed throughout the house causing Julliette to sigh at her husband's choice of words. Julliette understood that he wanted his daughter to be well set up and to want for nothing, but she disagreed immensely with the way he went about saying so. Nicollette lowered her head and whispered,

 "I'm sorry father" and burst out of the room.