Lèse-majesté

Part 12

Chapter 11

"Are you ready Miss?" Atali asked as she stood with Astrid in front of the ornate double doors that led to the ballroom. The day had been trying to say the least. The morning formalities she had to go through when the bureaucrat visited, involved her own father glaring at her as the mantle was passed on. The family signet ring on her finger, denoting her new status in High Society, gleamed in the lamplight as she stood ready. Her father would already be in the ballroom, schmoozing with the other nobles, trying to keep their favor since he had now lost his position and power over the household.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Astrid muttered as she straightened her back before motioning to the knights at each side of the doors to open it. An elderly man stood at the ready on the other side and as Astrid stepped through the doorway her presence was announced to the hall by his surprising booming voice. "Presenting Her Ladyship Astrid Maria Julietta Hofferson, Marchioness of House Hofferson!"

The guests clapped as Astrid descended the stairs while holding one side of her long skirt so she would not step on it and trip while her other light blue satin-gloved hand was on the marble railing. Once at the bottom of the stairs her father approached and held out his arm as if to escort her but she noticed the twitch of brows in momentary confusion.

"What are you wearing?" The man whispered a bit angrily but still put on a pleasant appearance to the guests, pretending to play the happy supporting father.

"A dress. It is what one typically wears to such occasions," Astrid deadpanned as she too gave a smile to the crowd that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"The others will be appearing momentarily. You stay here. There are some people that I need to introduce you to." Samuel said as he let go of his daughter's arm and hurried back to the stairs. Astrid actually snorted if her father thought she would stay still. She had guests to greet herself without his interference. There were people she actually wanted to talk to so she looked around the room and then she smiled when she spotted Lady Heather amongst the crowd. But before she could take a step in Heather's direction there was an audible gasp from the guests. Astrid turned to look at the balcony she had descended to see her Stepmother, dressed in a dark green and black gown with a somewhat revealing neckline, Edwin, in his black tuxedo looking prim and proper but like he wanted to be anywhere else but there, and Rosalinda wearing a very extravagant dress. A white dress at that. It was just as Astrid thought, Rosalinda wanted to upstage her but it wouldn't go the way the girl planned. Already murmurs of shock and surprise were being uttered in the ballroom and Astrid caught some of what was being said.

"Is that girl insane?!"

"She's a Noble, she should know better!"

"The absolute audacity! To wear white to her own sister's Coming-of-Age!"

"This callous behaviour, if she wasn't part of the Marquis household I would never even associate with her,"

Samuel seemed to be seething and this time he wasn't hiding it for propriety. He pulled Rosalinda aside in an alcove and proceeded to speak with her. Astrid couldn't hear what was being said by either party but gone was Esmeralda's haughty gaze as she took in her husband's demeanor. Especially once Rosalinda gestured towards her mother.

"I can't believe the sheer audacity of her," Lady Heather said as she came to stand next to Astrid. She looked at what Astrid was dressed in and connected the dots quite easily. "But you already knew that, didn't you Marchioness Hofferson."

"What happened to calling me by my first name Heather?" Astrid quirked a brow.

"I am simply following social etiquette." Heather replied as she folded her lace fan. "You are now officially a rank higher than my House. Normally the sister of an Earl has no social standing to even talk to a Marchioness."