After I’ve scrubbed my body, I shut off the water and grab my towel. I’m getting ahead of myself. I’m not pregnant, and who knows if I will be any time soon. Bodies are wild. Hopefully, mine takes a breathbefore anything happens. I wasn’t kidding when I told Maeve that there was a lot on my plate.
I dry off and busy myself in the bathroom with brushing my teeth, skincare, and drying my hair so that it falls in a dark, glossy bouncy blowout. I don’t do my makeup yet because I don’t know what Maeve will have me wearing.
With nothing left to do that will keep me out of my head and stop me from worrying about problems I shouldn’t be thinking about yet, I pull my robe back on and head into the bedroom to see what I’ll be wearing.
“Oh, I love your hair like this,” Maeve says, smiling at me.
“Thanks,” I whisper self-consciously.
“None of that now,” she says. “We have plenty to do and you are too beautiful and much too smart to be shy like that.”
“Okay.”
“I’ve pulled a few options for you,” she says, showing me the outfits she has hanging on the brass rack she styles me from. “Nothing too fussy today. We have a lovely pink shirt dress, a brown silk blouse and a brown tweed skirt, or this blue dress with a bow at the waist.”
“We’re really feeling bows this month,” I mutter and she smiles.
“I guess we are,” she laughs. “You’re young and vibrant, they show youth and femininity. Let’s let them think you’re soft and sweet like a kitten and then youcan show them your claws after the coronation.”
“Ease them into it?” I ask.
“Exactly.”
“Well then,” I take a deep breath. “Which one is your favorite for today?”
“I like the brown, but I think it’s too serious for a trip to an art museum,” she begins. “The pink is a little too casual for the unveiling of your first royal portrait. So, the blue.”
“The blue it is,” I reply. “I’ll be right back.”
I quickly make my way back into the bathroom to dust my face in soft beiges and pinks before heading into the dressing room to pull on my bra, panties, and stockings. Maeve will have shoes pulled to go with the dress, so I head back out and slide into the dress when she hands it to me. It has long bloused sleeves that taper into cuffed wrists, which she helps me button after she zips up the back. The high neckline and hem that falls just below my knees keep the dress modest, but the large matching bow on the front of the belt pulls the heavier material into my waist, hinting at my curves.
“I considered either the nude or black heels, but then I thought navy suede would pop against the light blue of the wool dress,” she says, and I love the idea instantly.
“I love it.”
“I thought you would,” she says, handing me the heels which I slip onto my feet.
I hook the gold heart earrings that Rhys insists Iwear even though we both know he has other means of tracking me in case of an emergency. Still, I prefer not to worry my new husband without cause. “Last, a navy coat to keep you warm.”
“You’re the best,” I tell Maeve, popping a quick kiss on her cheek and surprising her. “What time is Leo coming for me?”
“He’ll be here after I give you your surprise,” she says. “It should be here now… or I should say…she.”
“What?” I ask as the main door swings open.
Dahlia shouts, “Surprise!”
“What’s all this about?” I ask.
“Rhys thought you could use a friendly face with you on your first engagement after the wedding,” Maeve says.
“And I miss you,” Dahlia adds. “We get to lunch and do all the fun things. Maybe even a bit of shopping if we’re good.”
“I love that,” I tell her, not having the heart to admit that I’d rather be waterboarded than shop. “I’ve missed you too.”
“Besides,” she says with a knowing twinkle in her eye. “There’s a new Versace line out.”
“Lovely.”