I will probably posting one or more parts a day until next week. I want to get as much posted as i can before i leave for Europe…
Part 5
Henry began to wonder if he would ever make it into the dorm let alone to his sister’s room. Marguerite was rambling on to him about how she could play the piano like a professional. Henry would just simply nod every now and then and that would keep her happy. His eyes drifted up towards the door to the dorms where he saw a beautiful young lady coming towards him. Her long brown hair was cascading down here back. She had a figure that any woman would be jealous of.
He felt as if he was instantly in love with her. He had never been a believer of love at first sight, but his mind was starting to change. She was his Venus. As she got closer, she started to seem strangely familiar to him. It was not until she said hello that he recognized her. He quickly tried to push away all the feelings of lust that had just came into his head. Without realizing it, he cut of Marguerite in mid-sentence. “Danielle, you look so grown up. At first, I did not recognize you.” A blush had formed on his cheeks.
This brought a grin to her face. “I really haven’t changed that much have I?”
“To you, it might not seem like much, but I have not seen you in four and a half months.” Marguerite clears her throat. Henry glares at her, “If you will excuse me miss, I need to take home my sister. Although, I am afraid I will have to keep a stick nearby in order to beat off all the suitors she is going to have.” Danielle playfully hit his arms. “I only speak the truth, Danielle. You shall see what I mean once we arrive home. Shall we?” He makes a jester towards the carriage. Danielle starts to get in when she finds Henry’s arm helping her in. She could not help but to smile.
A moment later Henry was sitting across for her. They had now started their long journey home. Danielle smiled at her brother, “What is it that provoked you to come and pick me up. All of the other years I have done fine traveling alone. Well, I was as alone as a princess could be,” she jesters towards the twelve guardsmen riding along side the carriage.
“I decided that it would be a nice surprise. I am sure that you do get a little lonely traveling all this way by yourself. I worked my magic and convinced father to let me escort you back home. You know he missed you.”
Danielle turned towards the window. “He has no right to miss me; he is the one who sent me away. I shall never forgive him for that.”
“He was only doing it to help you.”
“More like to tame me! He would never except the fact that I did not want to become a trophy. I think he would be pleased if when I came back home he found me to be a silly girl whose only cares were being fashionable and well married. I will not be that girl!”
“I must say that I for one am glad of it. There are already too many girls that are that type. The palace could use a few more independent-thinking women like you. As independent as you are, I am sure that one day you do want to get married, right?”
“Why do you ask? Has father already started picking people?” Henry went silent, as did Danielle. For the rest of the trip, they avoided talking about Francis. No matter what was said about him Henry knew Danielle would become upset by it.
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When they arrived home, Marie was eagerly awaiting them. Henry stepped out first, and then handed out his sister. Marie immediately embraced her. “My dear child. How much I have missed you.” She pulled away from Danielle to have a look at her. “My dear, you have grown to be a regular beauty. You shall shine tonight at the ball.”
Henry left to tell his father of their arrival, and the ladies had nice little chat. They had plenty to catch up on, and they talked for a good half an hour. The only thing that stopped them was Danielle trying to hide a yawn, but not having much success doing so. “Here I am talking you away, and you are hardly able to stay awake. Go and get some rest you shall need it for tonight.” Danielle went eagerly to her room, and fell asleep almost immediately.
While this was going on, Henry was ‘talking’ with his father. “Father, you should have been there to greet her!”
Francis shrugged, “You know very well that she didn’t want me there. All I have ever wanted is for her to be a fashionable young lady, and all she has ever wanted is to be rebel. I am beginning to think that she is starting to argue just for the sake of arguing.”
“Father, you act as if you two are constantly bickering. The truth is that you have had a few fights, but nothing that can not be fixed with ease. If you had been there to greet her, it would have been a forward step. Besides, you should see her now. She left here a little girl and has returned a beauty. If she wasn’t my sister, I would probably chase after her.”
They chatted a little big longer when there was a knock on the door. Marie enters the room. She immediately starts talking, “Ah, so this is were you ran off to Henry. Danielle is tried from her trip I sent her up to bed.” She turns to her husband, “She inquired after were you were.”
“Do not lie to me Marie.” He turns to his son, “Will you excuse us, I would like to have a little chat with your mother.” Henry nods and leaves the room. Francis turns to his wife, “The strangest idea came to me by something that Henry told me.”
Marie was use to the hearing strange ideas from her husband by now, so she took a seat in a chair and prepared herself for whatever it should be this time. “What is it this time?
“I never would have thought of this myself, but now I can not stop thinking about it. You know as well as I do that in a year we will have to tell Danielle and the world who she really is. Actually, it is more of who she is not because we do not really know who she is. Well, back to the point, Henry commented that if she weren’t his sister she would probably be someone who he would be interested in. With any other girl, we would never be sure that she was raised right but with Danielle we were there to see her grow up. What do you think?”
“I think that you should let the children choose for themselves, and besides when did we decided that the whole world would be informed that our child is not ours?” Marie was displeased. For years, Francis had been making decisions with out ask for her opinion. These decisions tended to have a major effect on her life, and she was sick of it.
“That is a totally different issue. I see now that I should not have consulted you on any of this. You are growing to be more like your daughter by the day. Both of you are becoming strong minded, and both of you seem to live to oppose my opinions. I have talk to you long enough, you may leave.”
“I am glad that I have your permission to leave!” Marie stomps out of the slamming the door behind her. Things between her and Francis were now long beyond hope. The only thing she could wish for was that they did not fight too much in front of the children.
An hour and a half-later Marie woke up Danielle. “I don’t think I told you earlier, but happy sixteenth birthday, my child. I have something for you.” From behind her back, she takes out a box. Danielle eagerly pulls the ribbon off and opens the lid.
Inside was a beautiful ball gown. Danielle held it up to herself and did a twirl. “It’s beautiful.” And that it was. The dress was ice blue and it sort of had a sparkle to it. “Thank you so much, Mother.”
Marie smiled, “I had to have the seamstress make some last minute adjustments, but I think it should look just lovely on you. Well, I must go prepare for the ball and I suggest you do the same.”
Danielle nodded, and her mother was gone. Danielle would have to admit that it was nice to have a new gown. At school, everyone wore the same plain one. Something else she would have to admit was that it was nice to know that she had a mother near by in case she ever needed her.