Chapter 103: the day before IV

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: the day before IV

The remainder of the morning passed with easy laughter and quiet conversation.

One decision naturally led to the next.

Shoes were compared before final selections were made.

Evening bags were exchanged, then exchanged again.

A pair of gloves disappeared beneath a tray of hair ornaments, prompting Claire to insist someone had misplaced them, only to discover moments later that they had been sitting directly in front of her all along.

The discovery earned no shortage of amusement.

"I maintain," Claire declared with complete dignity, "that someone moved them."

"No one moved them," Amelia laughed.

"You simply weren’t looking."

"I was looking."

"You were talking."

"...Those are two entirely different activities."

Even Eleanor laughed at that.

As the morning wore on, hairstyles were pinned, loosened, and adjusted until everyone was satisfied. Makeup artists quietly discussed shades with their respective ladies while jewelers made the smallest adjustments to ensure every piece complemented the final ensemble.

Every now and then, one of the girls wandered away from her own preparations to comment on someone else’s.

"Claire."

Vivienne glanced sideways without moving her head as another curl was carefully arranged.

"Hm?"

"You’ve been over here three times already."

Claire looked entirely unapologetic.

"I like seeing everyone’s progress."

"You like supervising everyone’s progress," Amelia corrected.

"I call it helping."

"I call it distracting your stylist," Mrs. Aldridge replied with practiced patience.

The room dissolved into laughter once more.

--

Before long, luncheon was announced.

The girls gathered in the adjoining dining room, grateful for the chance to stretch their legs after spending most of the morning in preparation.

Conversation flowed as easily as ever.

Sometimes they spoke about tomorrow’s ball.

Sometimes about university.

Sometimes about nothing at all.

By the time they returned to the salon, only the final confirmations remained.

With every decision settled, the professionals carefully documented the completed styling.

Hairstyles were photographed from several angles so they could be recreated the following afternoon.

Cosmetic shades were noted.

Jewelry was returned to its labeled velvet cases.

Shoes were paired with their matching evening bags.

Each gown was inspected one final time before being carefully returned to its protective garment cover.

Every accessory, every ornament, and every finishing touch was checked against the day’s records.

Tomorrow, there would be no uncertainty.

Every member of the styling teams already knew exactly what they would do.

It was then that the salon doors opened quietly once more.

The Duchess stepped inside.

Conversation softened almost instinctively.

She smiled warmly.

"Please."

"Don’t let me interrupt."

"I merely wished to see how everything had turned out."

She moved leisurely through the salon.

She stopped before Claire first.

A pleased smile crossed her face.

"Claire, you look lovely."

Claire smiled.

"Thank you, Your Grace."

The Duchess turned to Amelia.

"The pearls suit you beautifully, Amelia."

"I’m glad you think so," Amelia replied with a smile.

Finally, she looked toward Eleanor.

"You look very elegant, Eleanor."

"Thank you, Your Grace."

Then...

She stopped before Vivienne.

For a long moment, she simply looked.

The emerald gown.

The softly arranged hair.

The diamond earrings catching the afternoon light.

The quiet confidence in her daughter’s eyes.

Vivienne smiled.

"Mother?"

The Duchess’s expression softened.

"My little girl..."

A quiet laugh escaped her.

"When did you become such a lovely young lady?"

A faint blush colored Vivienne’s cheeks.

"Mother..."

The Duchess stepped closer and gently smoothed a loose strand of hair beside her temple.

"There."

"Perfect."

She admired her daughter for another moment before smiling wistfully.

"Your father is going to regret missing today."

She gave a small shake of her head.

"He insisted his trip would only be a short one."

"What unfortunate timing."

Vivienne smiled.

"I’m sure he’ll want to know how today went."

"He certainly will."

The Duchess paused before another thought came to her.

"Oh."

"We should take photographs."

The girls looked toward her.

"Today?" Claire asked.

"Why not?" the Duchess replied warmly.

"You’re all here together, and you’ve spent the entire day preparing."

She smiled fondly at Vivienne.

"At least this way, your father will be able to see what he missed."

Vivienne’s expression brightened.

"I like that idea."

"So do I," Amelia agreed.

Claire laughed.

"I was hoping someone would suggest it."

Eleanor nodded.

"It would make a wonderful keepsake."

The Duchess turned toward one of the attendants.

"Would you ask someone to bring the camera, please?"

"At once, Your Grace."

--

A few minutes later, the four young ladies stood together before the French windows, where the afternoon light poured gently into the salon.

The household photographer carefully adjusted the camera before stepping back.

"If you’ll all look this way, ladies."

Claire immediately linked arms with Vivienne.

Amelia laughed.

"You weren’t told to move."

"I improved the composition."

"So that’s what we’re calling it now?"

Even Eleanor smiled as she stepped a little closer.

"I believe everyone’s ready," the photographer said.

The shutter clicked.

Once.

Then again.

Another photograph followed after Claire whispered something that sent the other three into laughter.

One with the Duchess joining them.

Another of Vivienne standing beside her mother.

And finally, one last photograph of the four friends together.

By the time the camera was lowered, everyone had forgotten they were posing at all.

The photographs were no longer simply records of the day.

They had become part of it.

--

Satisfied nods passed quietly between the professionals.

Everything was ready.

The gowns were carefully secured inside their garment bags.

Jewelry cases were closed.

Notes were gathered.

One by one, the styling teams packed everything that would be brought to Rosemont Hall the following afternoon.

Claire stretched her arms overhead.

"I never imagined making decisions could be so exhausting."

"You changed your mind often enough," Amelia teased.

"I refined my decisions."

"You changed your mind."

Claire sighed dramatically.

"...Fine."

"I changed my mind."

Eleanor smiled.

"At least we’ve finished."

Vivienne looked around the salon one last time.

Everything had finally been decided.

The gowns.

The jewelry.

The hairstyles.

Even the smallest finishing touches.

Tomorrow, there would be nothing left to choose.

All that remained...

...was to enjoy their first Founders’ Ball.

--