Her mother opened her mouth to speak, but Diana continued, pretending she hadn’t noticed.
“A full skirt would be lovely to go along with it. And Ishallneed a veil. Which type of lace would be the best option for that?” she asked, deferring to the better judgment of the modiste, who, again, looked uncomfortable.
“Well, a slightly finer lace is traditional. And it is more comfortable, My Lady. You shall be able to see through it. However, there are slightly different designs if you would like.” The modiste glanced at her assistant. “Where are those lace samples?” she asked abruptly.
The girl quickly rushed about, looking for… Well, Diana knew not what until the girl placed a small book before her with scraps of lace in it.
“Here you are, My Lady. There are several here that would be lovely for a wedding. This is one of my favorites.” The assistant flipped to a sample toward the middle of the book.
“She did not ask for your choice,” the modiste hissed.
“Well, she could use a little advice that isn’t being forced upon her,” the assistant retorted, which only served to make the modiste more frantic and the Countess furious.
“Why! I am hermother.I am the one she should be turning to for advice in this situation. She does not need the likes of you telling her what to choose, when she will not even take advice from her own mother.”
“Begging your pardon, My Lady. I meant no disrespect,” the girl hurried to say, bowing her head.
Diana struggled to hide her smile. “I do thank you for your advice. And it is a great help to me,” she offered, looking over the samples.
By the time they had finally decided on the fabrics and the design of the dress, it was getting late. The modiste and her assistant left, and the rest settled in for tea. “What shall you do for the ball?” Arabella asked.
“And the wedding breakfast,” Valery added.
“We shall have a large ball, of course,” the Countess announced. “The wedding of a duke shall be a large affair, and we shall ensure that the ball reflects that. An orchestra?—”
“Mother, I do believe she was asking whatmythoughts were,” Diana pointed out, trying to be as polite as possible.
“Yes, but you have never had to plan such an event. I shall take care of this.”
“No,” Diana insisted.
All of them seemed surprised by her statement. Marigold’s eyes widening in surprise as she glanced between their mother and Diana. Arabella’s mouth actually dropped open in her shock, though she quickly covered it by selecting a new pastry to eat instead.
Their mother, however, looked first shocked and then angry, her eyes widening and then narrowing, even as her lips pressed together tightly.
“I beg your pardon?” the Countess blurted out.
Diana held her head up. “No, Mother. I shall plan the ball and the wedding breakfast myself. I have given it some thought.” Though not a great deal if she were being honest. This was all still quite new to her. “I would like to have a large ball and invite all of our friends and family as well as many of the duchy’s residents. After all, their Duke shall be wed, and they should all be invited to attend.”
“Yes, of course.” The Countess agreed on this point, at least. “And we shall ensure that the most important of those shall also be invited to the wedding breakfast.”
“I believe I should like to have my closest family and friends for the wedding breakfast,” Diana replied instead.
Her mother stared at her in shock. “There is a certain way that things are done?—”
“We are not required to adhere to convention,” Diana replied.
This time, her mother gasped. “Diana?—”
“I shall carry out my wedding in my own way,” Diana insisted. “You are allowed to share your opinions. However, it is my wedding, and I shall have the final say.”
With that, she considered the matter settled, and apparently, the finality of her tone startled her mother so much that she simply stared at her, wide-eyed, her mouth slightly agape. A fact that also startled her sisters, who were staring at her with something akin to awe.
Her wedding. A duchess. Could Diana ever have imagined such things? Even when she was younger than Arabella, and her own romantic notions were in full force, she had never dreamed that a duke would someday be interested in her.
But he’s not interested in you,a voice in her head reminded her.He’s looking for a bride, and anyone will do.
With a sigh, she tried to tune into what her mother was now saying, clearly having recovered from her shock. Somethingabout decorating the ballroom and who she would have stand beside her at the ceremony.
