The Crimson Bride

Chapter 10: Margo

After that day, Margo's involvement in the wedding preparations were much more extensive than she expected. She made decisions that didn't seem right for a bridesmaid, much less a stranger, should get a say in.

She decided from color samples, look through flower selections and other such things that would normally be the bride's portion of the work. Uncle Charles had insisted that the bride was rather shy and indecisive, so she was allowing her maids of honor vote for what they wanted.

It was rather unorthodox, but Margo had to admit she was grateful for being busy. After she had met Deacon in the maze, she didn't know how to handle the possibility that he was attracted to her. So, she was planning on avoiding him for the time being until she could sort out her own feelings. The wedding planning gave her the perfect excuse to do it.

Of course, this didn't stop Deacon from leaving a rose for her in her room every night when she would return from an extensive day. It was thoughtful and almost provoked her into thinking about their secret meeting. He was quite a cunning man, she had to admit.

After about a week of being there, it was finally the night that Margo would be meeting the other maids of honor. It was a bit odd to her that the bride would have more than one, and even include a complete stranger among them. It wasn't her place to argue though. It wasn't her wedding.

Margo had more things to worry about anyway, like meeting the other families that were affiliated with the Freemans and Sinclairs.

It made her more nervous than ever that she would be required to mingle with more high society types. It was one thing being around the Freemans, they were her family, but to the other clans she was a complete stranger.

It was quite a bit of pressure and Margo could barely finish her breakfast before excusing herself.

She returned to her room to try to find a way to calm her nerves when she noticed a dress hanging on the full-length mirror. It was a well-made dark violet tea-length dress with floral and butterfly details stitched in with silver thread. Under the dress were black strapped short heels.

After taking in all the lovely details of the dress, Margo noticed a small note was attached.

"Dear Margo,

I wish to request that you will wear this dress to the party tonight. I hope the color and design is to your liking. I tried to keep your interest in mind while also choosing something that would bring out your vibrant eyes.

-Deacon"

Margo couldn't help but grin as she read the note. She had no clue what could possess such a man to take an interest in her. Not that she was complaining, she enjoyed his gifts.

She decided to call Jessica and showed her the dress.

"Oooh, girl, this guy is down bad. Stop avoiding him and become a couple already."

Margo rolled her eyes and laughed at the comment. She could always count on Jessica to be her hype woman, and she would lift her friend up just as much if she ever found someone she was interested in.

"I know I should...I just...I don't know. No one has ever made me feel this beautiful before, but I'm only here for two more weeks. Even if he has the money to come see me, it'll just be a reminder that we're from completely different worlds. It's just a complicated, mixed-up feeling..."

After talking a bit with Jessica, she let out a sigh as she set her phone down on the vanity before proceeding to try the dress. It suited Margo quite nicely, accentuating the right curves without bringing attention to the parts of her body that she was insecure about.

As she was admiring herself in the mirror, she heard the door knock. Thinking it was Deloris, she answered and was completely dumbstruck by who it actually was.

Two unbelievably gorgeous women stood there before her.

The shorter woman had lovely golden locks fashioned in a Dutch cut and honey brown doe eyes. The maroon-colored cocktail dress she wore was very 20s inspired with the black and gold beading and tassels, but instead of the square silhouette of that time, it hugged her slim figure giving her a sexy vibe that didn't conflict with her soft features. In her hands was what looked like a handbag or makeup kit.

The taller of the two was a curvaceous, mature looking woman with dark brunette hair that reached her lower back and deep brown eyes that looked almost black. She wore a black slip dress with gold details that allowed for quite a bit of cleavage and a slit that showed off her long legs. It took everything Margo had not to stare too obviously as the bronzed beauty was leaning on the doorframe.

"My goodness! Deacon wasn't lying when he said that she would be just darling." The blonde spoke in a bubbly and inviting voice.

Before Margo could reply, the taller one cupped her chin so that they were staring eye to eye. She would have melted into the woman's grasp if she didn't feel like she was being evaluated by a predator with the other's steel gaze.

"She has lovely eyes. A much more vibrant blue than Deacon's. More like the deep ocean than ice. Deacon made a good decision for the color of the dress. Cool colors suit those calming pools and pale complexion more than warm colors would have."

Margo felt her cheeks become warm from the brunette's compliments. Her chin was soon released, and the two girls invited themselves into her room before she could even say anything to them.

"Uh...um, excuse me, but who are you two?" Margo shook her head and finally found her voice again. The taller one turned to her while the other set up her various cosmetics on the vanity.

"Of course, how rude of us. I'm Sorina Manuel and this is Alice Warren. We are the maids of honor. You are Margo, correct? We're here to help you with your makeup and hair before the party. It was Alice's idea. She loves doing people up."

Margo was speechless as Sorina explained concisely who they were and why they had barged into her room. "I... Yes, I'm Margo. It's nice to meet you both. I take it Deacon told you about me?"

"Oh yes, it's been a while since Deacon so excitedly talked to us about another person. It got us both curious as to who could bring such a bright expression to his face." The blonde, Alice, spoke up as she was finished laying out her makeup. "I simply couldn't wait until the party to meet you."

"So, you two are close to Deacon?" Margo could feel her insecurities rise up as she spoke. If Deacon was close to these kinds of gorgeous women, then there was no way he could be attracted to her.

"In a way, I suppose," Sorina caught on to Margo's sheepishness and approached her. She slid her hands onto the girl's shoulders and guided her to the stool at the vanity, which had brand-new mirrors in place. "If you'd like, we can help you catch his attention more than you already do." A shiver ran down Margo's spine as she felt Sorina's breath against her ear.

Alice gave her an inviting smile as she picked up the foundation. "Honestly, she doesn't need much done. A flattering eyeshadow to make her eyes pop and a bit of blush should do the trick. Her lips are already full and such a lush color."

Hearing such compliments from such picturesque and confident women made Margo's head swim. It took everything she had not to faint from how hot her face felt. Sorina then began gathering her hair, examining the length and texture.

"A simple bun with some flowers would be good. We can spray back the strays."

Giving up on trying to get any kind of word in, Margo simply took a breath to calm her racing heart and allowed the girls to do as they pleased. It felt nice being doted on by such beautiful women anyway.