Je T'aime.

XXXIV. Antonia's Tea Party

A bright ray of sunshine woke me up by hitting me directly in the eye. Slowly, I pushed myself up. My head was pounding. Somehow, I had fallen asleep on the chaise in my sitting room. I brushed a piece of greasy hair from my face. There was a wet spot on the chaise where I had drooled in my sleep. I tried to wipe it off with no avail, and resorted to covering it with a pillow.

I glanced around the room. It was soaked in golden morning light, which usually didn't come until ten. On the sofa lay Isabella, dead asleep, turned on her side away from me. She was in her stays and petticoats, her costume garments tossed on the floor. Her shoes were kicked off, still remaining upturned, by the door.

I didn't even remember falling asleep in here. I remembered the carriage ride home, but that was about it. Isabella had dozed off on my lap while the bumpiness of the ride restricted me from getting any rest. My feet still hurt, maybe even worse than the night before. The door from the sitting room to my bedchamber was open, which was closed when we left for the masquerade.

I crept over to where Isabella slept, and noticed that her face was dewy with sweat. I brushed away her hair from the back of her neck in order to cool her down a little. I stood, readjusting myself to account for some dizziness, and opened the windows in my bedchamber. The sound of a calling songbird came into the room with the breeze.

I heard the rustling of fabric as Isabella rolled over, blinking harshly in the sun as I had done. I took a side-step so that my shadow kept the light out of her eyes. She looked at me, her lips curling into the slightest smile, before she put her head back on the pillow again. I came beside the sofa and kneeled on the floor before her, blocking the sun with my head. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

"What time is it?" she whispered hoarsely, her voice breaking through a period of stagnancy.

I glanced over at the clock. "About ten or so."

Isabella groaned as she pushed herself into a seated position. "Does your head hurt as much as mine does?"

"Mmm-hmm," I replied. I moved to try and tame the matted chocolate curls that were out of control atop Isabella's head. "Your hair is a mess."

"Why'd we stay out that late?"

"Because it was fun."

Isabella smiled, remembering the night before. "Yeah, it was fun," she licked her thumb and ran it over the corner of my mouth, clearing whatever was on my face. "You don't look too grand yourself."

"Go back to your apartments and get cleaned up. Joseph's already been up for a few hours now. I'll meet you downstairs."

Lethargically, Isabella stood and returned to her apartments. I took a look at myself in the mirror, and was just a bit repulsed at the reflection that looked back at me. This was going to take a while.

I ran myself over with a wet washcloth to freshen up my skin, and applied some scented oils to my hair. I pinned my hair up away from my neck and secured it with a lacy cap; I wasn't in the mood for pretty hairstyles. Though the temperature outside was about average for mid-March, though with the strange heat that I was feeling, I put on a white dress screen-printed with images of blue florals and birds.

I went downstairs to the drawing room, where Isabella was already seated on the floor with Antonia and Carolina. "What are you ladies up to?"

The three of them turned around, beaming smiles spreading across their faces. I could see dolls and other toys around a low children's tables. Even one of Ferdinand's toy soldiers had a place. "A tea party!"

"I don't see any tea," I replied jokingly. "What's a tea party without tea?"

Isabella rolled her eyes, a smile appearing behind the annoyance. "It's coming."