CHAPTER 5

Lady Eva Kingston’s wedding dress required the aid of three handmaidens and the dress maker to help her get into it correctly. As light as the crème silk and azure lace had originally been, the glowing crystals that had been sewn in added a significant amount of weight. The entire garment made her look almost ridiculously small, despite the fact that she was of an average size.

Once the last of the buttons was done up, one of the hand maidens went to the door of the bedroom and peaked out into the hall. “You may now enter, Your Grace.” She stepped aside and opened the door wide for Prince Barnaby, allowing him into the room as the remaining handmaidens and the dress maker knelt to the ground to spread the skirt of the dress out as much as possible. Once that was done and they helped Lady Eva spin on the model platform to face the Prince, all of the women in the room took deep curtsies to greet him. The Prince returned the bow to all the ladies before walking up to Lady Eva specifically, offering his hand to her. She took his offer and the couple bowed to one another as he kissed the back of her hand. “Lady Eva.”

“Your Grace.” The nobles straightened from their obligatory greeting with matching, white, beaming smiles. They were quite the interesting pair with their opposing heights and physical appearances. While Prince Barnaby had tried to share his latest economic discovery with his bride-to-be, it seems that she had an allergic reaction to it, barring her from ever taking part in the Sapphire Spirit ever again. Still, everyone who saw them together would always tilt their heads to the side in adoration and envy for such a relationship. The maids and dress maker were no exception to this.

Turning away from Lady Eva, Prince Barnaby gave all of his attention to the dress maker. “Bonjour Madame Eustis. Merci beaucoup d’être venu de cette façon.” He took Madame Eustis’ hand and pressed his forehead to the back of it, beaming up at the middle aged, married woman.

The greatest fashion designer that the Dove Galaxy had ever produced flushed as the third Royal she had ever met charmed her in her own language flawlessly. With a giggle, she curtsied to him a second time, saying, “L’honneur est pour moi, Votre Grâce. You have a beautiful bride who would look gorgeous in anything, I think.”

No one said anything until both Barnaby and Lady Eva chuckled and giggled at Madame Eustis’ compliment. Then they all giggled with them. “I think you are quite

correct Madame.” Turning to Lady Eva, Barnaby continued. “You look positively radiant, my lady. What do you think?”

Spinning and giggling like a little girl who just got her every wish granted, Lady Eva shinned brighter than the sun in that moment. “Oh, it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Are you sure it is not too much, Your Grace?”

Walking up to the platform, Barnaby looked down into the chocolate eyes of his bride. “Nothing is ever too much for you, my love.” They took each other’s hands and looked longingly into each other’s eyes. The only thing that brought the couple out of their entrancement with one another was Lady Eva, remembering that they were not alone in the room. She looked about the room at the audience before looking down at her feet with a deep blush on her olive face. Sensing her embarrassment, he caressed her cheek with his hand to calm and comfort her before turning to the ladies. “Ladies, I hope you would think me rude, but might I have a moment alone with my bride?” “Oh, of course! Of course, Your Grace! Our humblest apologies! En dehors, Dames!” Madame Eustis took the initiative to start hustling the maids out of the room, not unlike a mother duck trying to guide her ducklings to a fresh water pond. One of the maids started whining, saying she wanted to see what would happen until the others violently shushed her as they all piled out of the room. “We shall be here when you need us, oui?” Once Madame Eustis’ got a nod from the Prince, she quietly shut the door, leaving the happy couple together.

“Now tell the truth; what do you really think of the dress?” “It is the tackiest thing I think I’ve ever seen, and it looks like a circus tent on me.” Lady Eva started squirming around beneath the fabric, adjust it and trying unsuccessfully to find some level of comfort within it. “For Virgo’s Sake, it weighs a ton!”

“I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration.” Barnaby stepped away from Lady Eva to allow her to fidget around in the mass of fabric. “As much as I agree with you, this is a Royal Wedding. Everyone expects a modicum of extravagance for all of us.”

“Oh, please. How can that slut create anything even remotely acceptable?” “You must remember my dear; she’s from the Dove Galaxy. Their morals are a bit more–”

“Licentious? Promiscuous? Dissolute?” “I was going to say ‘tolerant’.”

“A woman who allows her husband to have a single mistress after she loses all desire to ever have relations is tolerant. An entire country who praises a courtesan and mistress to several men as a celebrity is licentious.” Lady Eva brushed all her ebony hair over to one shoulder and began to play with it and her facial features, thinking about how she could possibly wear her hair and make-up with her dress on the day of the wedding.

Prince Barnaby looked at his bride through the mirror and raised his eyebrow at her words. “You’re not jealous, are you, my Lady? I’ve never heard such aggressive words from you when referring to one woman.”

Frustrated, Lady Eva whipped around to look back at her future husband. “Can you honestly blame me Barnaby? She was drooling all over you. It was like you were a full seven-course banquet and she had been fasting for a year.”

“Eva–” “Don’t ‘Eva’ me. You provoked her; speaking in that hideous language of her.” “I was being polite.” “Then what did you say to her?” “I simply thanked her for making the journey. That is all.” “And what did she say?” “All she said was that it was her honor to be here and make a dress for the future Queen of the Hunter Galaxy.”

“That’s all?” Sighing, Barnaby walked up to Lady Eva and put his hands on her bare shoulders, rubbing them gently. When he walked up to her, Lady Eva snapped her head away from him, looking off to the side in passive aggression. “Eva. Look at me.” When she didn’t comply, Barnaby repeated his request as he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger. He turned her head back and up to him, making her look into his eyes. “That woman has nothing I want. All I could ever want is in this room.”

Barnaby could see the corners of Eva’s mouth twitch, though she fought it. “Come now. Give me a smile.” Lady Eva tried to pout to hold off the smile, but when Barnaby pressed his nose to hers and rubbed them together, she couldn’t keep the smile off her face or the giggle in her throat. The happy couple laughed together as they wrapped their arms around one another, kissing one another deeply.

When the kiss finally broke, Lady Eva pressed her forehead to Barnaby’s. “Is there something else you need, my love?”

Chuckling, Barnaby asked, “How do you always know?” “It is called woman’s intuition. Is everything on schedule?” “Yes, but she’s running out of your great creation.” Rolling her eyes, Eva said, “That’s because I am running low on my ingredients.” “Why didn’t you say so?” “You have enough on your plate as it is, so I simply told one of the servants to add my supplies to list of requirements. Does she have enough to last her until tomorrow evening?”

“Yes, Etta warned her yesterday when there was enough left for three days.” “Very well, that should be just enough time to get the supplies and make a new batch. Is that imbecile who calls himself an Apothecary still trying to figure out the recipe?”

Chuckling, Barnaby said, “I think he has moved on to trying to figure out who our dear ‘Apothecary Tanko’ is.”

Lady Eva scoffed. “That will be the day.” Chuckling again, Barnaby gave his bride another deep kiss. When they broke the kiss, he said, “I’m afraid I must cut my time with you short, my dear.”

Eva gave a disappointed sigh accompanied with an understanding nod. “I know, my love. Duty to calls.”

Barnaby lifted her chin to look at him again. “Keep your chin up. Take comfort in the fact that, in one week’s time, I shall be all yours. I know I will.” With blushing cheeks, Lady Eva slowly and hesitantly released her fiancé’s hand as he walked away from her, never taking his eyes off her. Just before he opened the door, he blew her a final kiss that she reciprocated. The maids and dress maker parted for Barnaby as he left the room, thanking the ladies for the privacy and the dress maker for her work and time. He left them all piling back into the room, giggling.

As Prince Barnaby Oldfield walked away, he slipped a silk handkerchief from the breast pocket of his jacket. He violently whipped his lips, and sneered in disgust at the lip-stain residue that Lady Eva’s kiss had left behind. “Stupid woman.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 6