She ehe room with her head held high, one hand ping her skirt. It was a rather grand room for an afternoon tea. While not the kind of opulence present at the Royal Pace, it was the epitome of what the nobility enjoyed iownhouses around the capital, floor and furniture made of hardwood from distant nds, enhanced with a fine cquer that gave it such a sheen; the furniture was further upholstered with fn fabrieatly sewn, tassels dangling. Numerous ndscapes by painters of renown occupied apered walls, the repeating design vivid and intricate. Upon the floor y fine rugs of exotic design and upoables thick cloths with mismatched tea cups, which showed the host had, at a g least seven distinct sets of such quality that they could be served to guests.

  Apanying the furniture was the uests. Nine of them there, and she made the tenth, with the host for eleven in total. A familiar number from her time living in the capital. Of course, not every event could be attended by every one of them; however, for the most part, their events were anised suffitly in advahat any other invitation could be deed.

  All that said, it would be wrong to say she sidered them friends.

  “Announg uest of honour, tess Augstadt!” today’s host—Isabelle—said, raising an arm in a wave as she walked in with Julia.

  The uests politely cpped, smiling.

  “e now, there is o give me such honours,” Julia said with a ugh, settling into a smile of her own.

  “Oh of course there is! When we heard the news, we knew we had te something to cheer you up,” Isabelle said.

  Olivia chimed i. “That is precisely it! Why, if that happeo me, I do not think I could bear to ever leave my quarters,” she said, eyes so very full of .

  With a tittering ugh, Julia accepted Isabelle’s offer of a seat beside the head of the table. “Knowing your quarters, I am rather surprised we ever see you,” she said, smile sweet.

  Although Olivia couldn’t say why, she felt something unfortable about Julia’s retort. Uo pinpoint it, she kept to smiling and said nothing, leaving this event to the others.

  “Well, regardless of that matter, we are now all here, so please, do eat,” Isabelle said, raising her hands to give a single cp.

  The maids flooded in a moment ter, setting the table with snacks. There was nothing particurly ostentatious about the food at a g the tre, a ly arranged circle of white bread sandwiches, cut into fingers, sat upon a yered dispy, their only filling butter. Beside them, a pile of round crackers had been spread in a circle oe, three small bowls of “toppings” in the middle, each with a small spoon; while not obvious at a go those who did not frequent such affairs, two of the three fvours were of shrimp and anchovy, an usual taste this far innd, while the st was of truffles, something which rarely graced the tables of even the peers. Beside that pte was a board of cheeses, already cut into suitable slices for pg directly on the crackers.

  That made up the savoury s. Of those sweet, there were, of course, fresh ses, plete with two jams and clotted-cream. The jams, one was of a fn fruit and the other, Isabelle announced with barely-cealed glee, had been a present to her father from the King.

  Su annou was followed by an apologetic smile to Julia.

  A mix of feeries surrouhe ses, some those served in the capital and some from the eastern parts of the try where Isabelle’s house had first rose to prominence, only i geions solidating power more trally as another branch of the family took over their eastern holdings.

  Julia was quite aware of such matters.

  Once Isabelle’s entary on the food reached an end, the maids began to pour tea; the guests took off their gloves and pced their napkins on their ps. Suacks as these, they were taken aen by hand. It was on sehat every dy, before putting on her gloves, should wash her hands that they stay until ready to eat. That was not to say the table cked cutlery, for the matter of ses was ohat every little girl of good standing would be traio mah elegance.

  Edith had a nibble of her sandwich, then turo the head of the table, c her mouth as she swallowed the morsel. “Still, I must say, it is the most dreadful news,” she said, looking at Julia with such pity.

  “That it is,” Julia replied; however, what she agreed with rather did not match the look of pity she returo Edith.

  Olivia not the only oo be uled by Julia at such times, Edith swallowed the follow-up she had pnned, yet was more brazen, unwilling to accept the matter without any frontation. “Why is it that you would look at me as if I am the ohout a fiancé?” she asked lightly, ending in a titter.

  “Well, one has to wonder what it means that, of all men in this try, the Prince see fit to annul a betrothal made between our fathers,” Julia said.

  As she listened and then spoke, she split the se ly in two, leaving her knife on the side of her pte, thehe serving spoon to add a blob of cream onto her pte, using her own spoon to spread it onto the se halves. Finished with both preparing her se and speaking, she raised the snack to her mouth, having only a nibble of it.

  With Edith sidering Julia’s respo was Beatrice who spoke , her delicate clothing and youthful personality often the oo ahe rhetorical. “e now, what does it mean?”

  So the gazes at the table once more found Julia. “What it means, I suppose, is that people these days take less seriously matters of the church. For such vows are not made to king or try, are they?” She paused there to take a sip of tea, only to frown, putting it back down. “The tea is dreadful.”

  Isabelle couldn’t resist, immediately saying, “How dare one snder my hospitality! And do not think you sweep aside the other matter either.”

  “It is a truth,” Julia said in answer, staring down at the drink. “I would have the housekeeper audited, that she is not purchasing a lesser tea and blending it with the good. If not her, then I would suggest having someone of trust, such as the butler, oversee the maids who hahe tea, that none of them are sing it with iion to sell it.”

  Although keenly aware she was being distracted from the other matter, Isabelle could not help but listen. For all that went oween them, she had yet to be misled by Julia’s wisdom.

  “That is that,” she said softly, then found her voice to say, “but why bring the churto this? Whatever reason Prince Hector found is betweewo of you alone.”

  Julia put her saucer with the tea cup to the side. Raising her gaze, she ted more than just ten others in her audience.

  “When I say this was a matter arranged by our fathers, of course it is that we underwent the rites of betrothal, which are to be as inseparable as the rites of marriage. Prince Heay feel that I am someone who may be bullied, without a father nor beor to objey behalf….”

  Her silence lingered for a sed before she tinued.

  “The matter of divorce is one reserved for the church to oversee. That he sees fit to usurp such a power, I hope that others do not follow suit, for which of you is so secure in her self and her suitor that she would not worry? That if she not deliver an heir within a time, he would not find someone else with youth? Or if another dy of better es should appear?”

  It was not an easy question for any to ahese dies ones who had spent little time with the ohey would marry. So, if such a future did e to pass, where did that leave them? Of the two in a marriage, it was certainly not the man who would struggle to marry once more.

  However, not all were focused on such matters, Elisabeth chilled by the first half of what Julia had said. Whispering, she said, “Such words spoken of the Prince, we could be brought before the King!”

  “Why would His Royal Majesty bring me before the King’s Bench to fess his son’s wrongdoing? Never mind that they might find the King himself plicit,” Julia said, almost ughing as she spoke. “If there truly was grounds for divorce, would it not be known by now? As, all I do is keep the peace—lest I enter an unfortunate act.”

  As if to make up for the bitter words she had spoken, she had another nibble of her se. Silence followed. It was not that no one had thoughts they wished to speak, but this matter was one more serious than any ko handle, everiowing this went beyond her supposed y.

  While Julia could have broken the silence herself, she saw no need. After all, it was nearly time, so she took the moment to nibble some more at her se.

  Sure enough, the door opened within the minute.

  “Isabelle, my dear, I heard there are guests!”

  Standing up, Isabelle raised her skirt as she hurried over. “Papa! Please, there is no need. It is simply us dies having a tea party. And back so soon—did something happen?” she asked, uo keep her voice from filling the room.

  Smiles returo the uests, especially as her father gnced over them. “Let us not speak of such matters in public,” he whispered to her, theured at the guests. “While I would not ordinarily intrude, I have been informed there is a tess Augstadt in attendand it wouldn’t do for one of my standing to not greet his peer.”

  Julia did not seem surprised to be picked out, already standing up, her napki on her seat. In measured strides, she walked over to him and curtseyed. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Yrace,” she said, softly smiling.

  “Oh, why must you two act as if she hasn’t visited so often before?” Isabelle said, as close to huffing as she dared in her father’s presence.

  However, the duke simply ughed at his daughter’s antics. “We do try to keep such matters from interfering with Our Ladies’ lives. Unfortunately, there are times when responsibility falls onto a woman’s shoulders, and I must respect the responsibility all the same.”

  Pausing there, he turo Julia aurned her smile.

  “My Lady, I hope you find our hospitality suitable,” he said.

  “As always, it is impeccable, Yrace,” she said, bowing her head.

  He nodded along, smile wider for what he heard. “Wonderful. Then, I shall be on my way,” he said, turning with a small wave.

  Isabelle followed him out the room to say her goodbye, returning a moment ter, in time to walk Julia back to the table—as if afraid her guest might excuse herself too.

  The earlier matter put aside by the interruption, Isabelle led the versation to other topics, which so happeo not particurly include Julia. Discussions of the fashions at various ret events, whispered rumours of the capital’s happenings, even toug on bits of learning, ret years seeing worth in having a wife knowledgeable in some philosophy. After all, running a home and running a fief, it was said, was simply a matter of scale.

  That no one directly addressed Julia did not mean she did not involve herself. Especially wheopic turo rulership, she quite often interjected, pig at the formal arguments others put forth, which often ended in herself being challenged oter and so taking the position of the defender, putting forth her own argument and fending off criticisms.

  Such discussions only sted as long as there was food beien, though. Oheir ptes remaiy, Isabelle had the maids tidy up, moving on to other activities. A light meal, music followed and those with talents showed off their practised pieces on the piano. That naturally transitioo dang, others taking turns to also sing poems or py an apa on the harp.

  It was a more did affair than a ball, yet did not ck elegance. If anything, without such pressures upohere was a more sincere elegao their smiles, to their turns, how their skirts could so beautifully flutter, not keeping their movements so carefully restrained. For a short while, there were no suitors, no fathers, no priests, nor brothers. They danced and they cpped a beat, the piano pyed however they wished, voices full of cheer.

  In the midst of it all, Julia often found herself tapping at the keys. She could py with her head turned right around, watg over the others with a smile, always knowing which song to py , whether to py it high or low, where to improvise, at times pying the simple notes as written, other times pying in chords.

  There had been o learn the piano, her father had long ago told her. Oh how she had struggled, her fingers stiff from holding books and mind so sensitive to loud sounds, and he had held her close, rubbing her back, tellihat such a talent had its use in finding a husband, but that she already had a wonderful fiancé who could hire the fi pianists.

  However, her mother had written a single line about hoping to one day teach her children to py the piano, so of course little Julia had to learn.

  She had yet to find something that she could not aplish so long as she persevered. That was not to say she had mastered everything, but that, until the day came that she was incapable, she had no iion of abandoning something she thought worth pursuing.

  So the music pyed, the dies danced, and aful day passed.