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THEO
Ifound myself thoroughly enjoying my time with Emilie. Her day off yesterday seemed to be exactly what she needed. I was glad she found her confidence again. She seemed to be enjoying herself, and that was all I really cared about. I wanted her to get out of her own head.
As we exited the stadium, Emilie’s radiant smile lit up the day even more. “That was fun,” she said. “I really had fun.”
I nodded, a grin spreading across my face. “It was.”
Our light banter continued as we made our way to the car. “What are you wearing tonight?” I asked her.
She smiled. “It’s a surprise.”
“Half the fun of these things is getting to see you in your dress,” I told her. “You’re beautiful and elegant.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” she said, laughing.
I leaned back and mentally prepared myself for the late night surrounded by not just the participants in the Wed season, but the parents. The puppet masters. They were the ones dictating who married whom. They were the ones in power who made matches that would affect the future. The parents were going to be watching our every move. Everyone was going to be under a magnifying glass.
Lady Hamilton would be watching closely as well. If she picked up on any hints a match was falling apart, she was going to swoop in and work her magic. Her reputation for orchestrating connections between those that seemed to be struggling was legendary. Some people called her Cupid. I hoped she didn’t see anything between Emilie and me. I didn’t want to kid myself into thinking everything was rosy if it wasn’t.
The car dropped us off at our respective houses. The moment I walked through the door, it was a lot of craziness. My mom’s glam squad had taken over the living room. Victoria was running around trying to direct traffic.
“You’ll want to stay out of the way,” Dad said as he walked by. “Just stay out of the way and whatever you do, don’t have an opinion. Walk away. Don’t agree and don’t disagree. Just walk away.”
“Thanks,” I said, laughing.
I made my way upstairs to ride out the chaos. I supposed guys were pretty lucky. We shaved and threw on a suit. Girls had to go through an entire transformation. Hair, makeup, nails, dress, shoes, and accessories. I couldn’t even imagine the amount of work that went into it. But then again, the end result was always worth it. Seeing Emilie in her dress was going to be the highlight of the night for me.
I decided to take a quick shower to wash off the heat of the day. As I stood under the warm water, my mind wandered to Emilie. I couldn’t help but think about how gorgeous she was going to look tonight. I wondered what color dress she was going to wear. Green, maybe? It would highlight her eyes and fair complexion. I noticed her tendency to wear something pink all the time. What would it be tonight?
I walked downstairs and found my father sitting in one of the chairs in the foyer. “You might want to go without us. We could be here a while.”
“Mom’s not down yet?”
He gave me a dry look. “No. She said five minutes fifteen minutes ago.”
“Quit complaining,” Mom said as she walked downstairs. “I’m ready.”
“You look beautiful, Mom.”
“Thank you.”
My father went right to her and kissed her cheek. “Stunning, my love.”
As we piled into the car, I couldn’t help but notice how pretty my mom was. I knew that my dad couldn’t take his eyes off her. They were so in love. I wanted that as well.
As we drove toward Lady Hamilton’s estate, I thought of Emilie again. I hoped Emilie and I would be going to the dinner with our first child in the Wed season one day. I wanted to be one of those couples that made it.
We arrived at the estate among a long line of limousines and town cars. Each one pulled to a stop and women in gorgeous gowns got out and took their turn on the red carpet.
When it was our turn, Dad took Mom’s hand and led her inside with me behind them. Arriving at Lady Hamilton’s dinner party felt like stepping into a world of opulence and elegance. The grand hall was filled with men and women in their best dress, drinking champagne and mingling under the soft glow of the chandeliers. The lively orchestra was set up in the ballroom playing classical melodies that echoed throughout the room. It wasn’t hard to imagine men and women doing exactly this in exactly the same place two hundred years ago. Some things never changed.
My family and I were greeted with gracious smiles and nods from fellow attendees as we entered. We mingled briefly while waiting for Emilie’s family to arrive, exchanging pleasantries with familiar faces from the society.
I felt a mix of excitement and apprehension as I waited for Emilie. The participants in the season had that awkward look on their faces. The Wed season was unlike anything I had ever experienced. In this world of wealthy, powerful elites, everyone present was seeking something valuable from their matches. The parents were the ones who had carefully selected those matches in the first place.
Sadly, it didn’t appear they cared how mismatched some of the couples were. I felt bad when I saw them trying to struggle to smile and put on brave faces for their parents.
I was damn lucky I got along with Emilie. Not just got along, we were partners. We cared about each other. We were good.
