The Pearl Of Great Price

Chapter 21: Crush

It was one of those May days where everything was bright and beautiful. The flowers stood straighter, opening to the sun. The fields, meadows, and gardens are humming and awash in color. Spring is the season of redemption. This season of change makes everything seem possible. Life is warmer.

With this in mind, the mood inside the manor mimics the one outside, joyful and enthusiastic. The Hapus House is in full bloom. All the decorations and floral arrangements filled rooms with cheer. Mrs. Evans had been preparing for days, in advance, all sorts of treats and spreads of fine feasting foods. As she had a habit of saying lately, "I was born to do this."

As for Lady Enid, she has been directing the housemaids. They have cleaned everything from top to bottom. There's not a speck of dirt in sight, not that there was, to begin with, but now everything glimmers and shines a little more. Glyn has taken to refreshing all the servants on serving etiquette. The ball is the most alive the house has been in ages. None of it would have been possible without the two owners.

Mary and Charles greeted the day of the ball with eagerness. Usually, His Highness is slow to get up. He prefers lying in bed like a lazy dog lying by the fire, sort of like Duke with his paws in the air. Today, though, he got up before his wife. He's anxious to check all of the security measures. The guards have put new ones in place. Some he told his wife about, some he did not.

It started with a question two weeks ago, which he posed to the head guard, Jeffery. "What are all the things that could go wrong?" That was a loaded question. Many things could go wrong. A very detailed and lengthy list was compiled between the two of them. They began putting some of the ideas into place right away, the easier, less complex ones.

Jeffery has made it crystal clear that every guard must be alert, aware, able, and ready. The group of guards has been keen on practicing harder too. In the mornings, after he gets up, Charles trains with them. It's always good to keep fit and knowledgeable about fighting techniques. Plus, an added benefit is when his wife enjoys seeing his "strong, sweaty muscles," as she likes to say. From what the Duke's seen, all of the guards are prepared for the event.

The only question remains about who the spy is in their midst. Who forwarded information along for the ambush? If only he and Jeffery could nail this down, then he could rest easier. They both have ideas about it, but nothing definite. So the order of the day remains to protect the Duchess. This should not prove difficult, as Charles will be by her side all evening (even when she leaves to go to the bathroom).

In fact, he's already told her about that. She cut her cobalt eyes at him and stated, "The bathroom? Really? That's a little too much." He told her it was not and that she would have to live with him protecting her, even in the bathroom. Eventually, she got over it because it was non-negotiable.

So while Charles checked all the security measures, Mary continued to rest. When she finally did get out of bed, she dressed and broke her fast with Dot. Dot prattled on and on about what dress she should wear. It grated on the Duchess's nerves, but then everything grated on her nerves lately. Even her husband's snoring bothers her. It hasn't before, but now it does. So much so that she's taken to hitting him with a pillow, which he hates. But it's better than her yelling, "Just stop breathing!"

Then there was the time he asked if she could mend his shirt. Usually, this would not be a big deal, as she enjoys mending. However, Charles caught her on the wrong pregnancy day. She hates to admit it, but she felt a bit resentful to him about that. She wanted to say, "No! Mend the shirt yourself. I'm busy growing your child's eyeballs and big toes over here." Mary wished to say that but didn't. Instead, she gritted her teeth and took the stupid shirt to repair, though she did not smile about it like she usually does.