Not to mention, the mere process of getting into her wedding gown was being done in the slowest, most painstaking way possible.
Daisy opened the door, and when she saw who it was, said, “You may not come in, Your Grace. Lady Adele is dressing for the wedding. It is bad luck to see her now.”
So it was Hugh. Adele wanted to see him but looked down at her half-dressed body and thought better of it. She slid a little deeper into the room so that she would not be in Hugh’s line of sight through the half-open door.
She heard him sigh. “Very well. This is a gift for her. I leave it up to her if she wants to wear it or not, but please give it to her now.”
“Of course, Your Grace. She will see you at the church shortly.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
She heard his footsteps retreating down the hall and Daisy close the door. Daisy brought Adele a large jewelry box, which Adele opened immediately.
She gasped. Inside was the most beautiful emerald necklace she had ever seen. “This must have cost him a fortune,” Adele said. Daisy was the only one in the room, but Adele had said it to herself as much as anyone. “I cannot possibly wear this.”
“It will look lovely with the yellow gown, my lady.”
“Do you think I should wear it?”
“I think it was a valuable gift from the man about to be your husband. Wearing it would honor him.”
“It is so much. I’ve never worn anything like this.”
Daisy took the necklace from Adele, removed it from its box, and then draped it around Adele’s neck. “This will look lovely.”
“But—”
“You are about to be a duchess, my lady. You should look like a duchess.”
“So people keep saying.”
Daisy told Adele to sit in front of the vanity and carefully combed her hair. After she pinned Adele’s hair up with soft tendrils to frame her face, she picked the necklace back up and fastened it around Adele’s neck. Adele gazed at her reflection in the mirror and admired it, thinking she did look quite like a duchess.
There was another knock at the door. “What now?” asked Adele with a sigh.
Daisy went to the door, and this time it was the dowager, whom Daisy let in. Adele and the dowager had made some sort of peace in the last few days, although Adele did not much trusther. Helena seemed more resigned to Adele’s presence than accepting.
“I want to give you something,” said Helena, holding up a small box. “My, that is a breathtaking emerald.”
“A gift from your son,” Adele said.
Helena nodded. “Indeed. He has always had good taste. Anyway, I wanted you to have something. This has been passed down through a few generations of Duchesses of Swynford. I last wore it to Princess Charlotte’s wedding.”
Adele took the box and took a deep breath. Inside was a tiara affixed with diamonds. “This is lovely,” Adele said. “But I could not possibly—”
“You shall. It is tradition. Daisy, let us help Lady Adele into her gown so that she might see the complete picture.”
And so Adele stood in the center of the room in only her many layers of undergarments as Helena Baxter, the Dowager Duchess of Swynford, and Daisy, the lady’s maid Adele had hired two weeks before, lifted the gown Madame Auguste had made for her and slid it over head. Then they both insisted Adele sit carefully back down so as not to wrinkle her dress, because Adele was so tall. They carefully worked together to place the tiara on Adele’s head and pin it in place. Daisy handed Adele a pair of white lace gloves, so Adele pulled those on, too.
She almost did not recognize herself in the mirror. In her mind, she was Adele Paulson, a spinster and paid companion, a plain girl with few expectations, but the woman looking back was the future Duchess of Swynford.
Daisy helped Adele stand back up. Helena gave Adele a long appraising look. “Yes. You look lovely, my dear. Appropriate.”
“Like a duchess?” Adele asked.
“Yes. I thought your appearance would be vastly improved once we got you out of those dull muslin dresses and gave your hair a less severe style. Daisy shall style your hair every morningfrom now on. Oh, one more thing.” Helena walked over to the table and picked up the diamond earbobs Adele had left there. She helped Adele put those on, too. “Perfect.”
Adele sighed. “Your Grace, I do hope we can grow to respect and even be fond of each other. It was never my intention—”
