Tudor Roses & Romance

Chapter 9: Messy

In life, there are messes, disasters, screwups, and then there are fusterclucks. Those are the worst of the worst and are usually unavoidable. They happen at will to even the best of people. But just like any fire, flood, or other natural disaster, there's much to learn from them. So we can respond to the next one better. For every fustercluck, there is an opportunity awaiting.

Fortunately, the master of messes knew what to do to get out of the gargantuan fustercluck found at his feet--- well, his ballroom. After the police had escorted the crying, shrieking girls out of the palace, the King announced, "That concludes tonight's dramatic portion of the evening. Now for a return to our regular schedule of events. The dance floor is available, and the bar is open for business! Let's eat, drink, and make merry! Enjoy yourselves!"

The room erupted into applause, the music restarted, and people resumed dancing as if nothing unusual had happened. Then Henry looked sternly at Charles and gathered his men for a meeting of the minds. The Duke swept Mary off to the side of the room. They held hands and talked in hushed tones. Not wanting to explain in a room full of people, especially nosy ones, Charles told her, "Your father is waiting to yell at me. I need to clarify things with him. Don't leave. I'll find you when I return, and we'll go somewhere quiet. I'll tell you everything then."

Mary nodded her consent and tried to encourage him with a warm smile. She squeezed his hand lightly before he left. Then her two best friends found her. Fiona and Ginger couldn't believe what had happened. Their eyes were wide with wonder, yet their faces told another story. They looked positively gleeful. Fiona declared, "Today, the karma van finally delivered like your flowers earlier."

Ginger agreed, "I'm just glad we were able to be here for it. And it was hilarious! Did you see their faces? I thought that was laughable enough, but they outdid themselves with the screaming! We were ringside for the whole thing and didn't have to pay to see it. Catherine created drama wherever she went, and now she deserves every bit of the karma."

Mary laughed at those words, as Fiona added, "I've never enjoyed royal ball more in my life. Even Culpeper can't ruin it with his dodgy stares and stuffiness." The girl's eyes wandered over to the blue-eyed man and instantly averted her hazel ones. She caught him looking at her and denied how it set her aflame.

Before speaking, Ginger twined her head this way and that. Nosy listeners need not apply. She talked in whispered tones directed to the Princess. "Alright, you, spill. What's up with you and Charles Brandon? After all, what's the point of anything if you can't be honest with your best friends? We critique our ugly selfies before posting; this is like that, except it's with the handsome Duke instead."

Then Fiona's eyes snapped back to her friends. They became prominent, and she proclaimed, "Oh my gosh, I was just thinking that same thing! You read my mind! I want to know about this Duke situation too. The three of us are like glue. Well, maybe not regular glue, more like glitter glue. But the point is, we stick together through thick and thin. So, spill."

That was the thing about best friends. They're close as sisters and similar to treasured family members. And just like them, they can piss you off and make you cry in the span of a single moment. Like any lover, they can also break your heart, but in the end, they're there by your side when the chips are down. But what best friends do best is hold a mirror up to your heart, even when you don't want it.

Mary knew she would have to give them something, or they'd never leave it alone. So, she told them, "We're taking things slow. He's not really with her, if that's what you're wondering. Like many things, the public persona is one thing, and reality is another. But Charles makes me smile and feel a lot of stuff I've never felt before. I didn't plan to fall for him, but here I am, tumbling into something I've never had."