A Dove's Tale

Chapter 190

Chevalier insisted I stay in our room the rest of that day, and he wouldn't let me leave the palace for the remainder of our week in Benitoite. I did as he ordered, although I felt fine with the new medicine keeping my nausea at bay. He had already been worried about me before that near-fainting episode. If I could do anything to put his mind at ease, I would do it. Even if that meant letting him put me under house arrest in a foreign country.

There were worse ways to spend a vacation than living in pampered luxury.

And there were unexpected benefits. The doctor had been studying women's health, preparing for this eventuality, and he'd read some new medical literature that suggested corsets could contribute to problems during pregnancy. So, no more corsets. I couldn't complain about that.

Then came our return trip to Rhodolite. Chevalier wouldn't allow anybody else in our carriage, in case I needed to lie down, and he made me sit in his lap to cushion me from any jostling if the carriage hit a rough section in the road. That was embarrassing at first, but it was a rather cozy arrangement after I got used to it. I decided to view it as extra time to cuddle, especially since he also instructed the driver to go slower than usual.

Thus, it took us twice as long to get home, extending our weeklong vacation to nearly a full two weeks, and when we finally arrived, I discovered our room had a brand new balcony. He'd ordered its construction while we were gone.

Then he put me under house arrest again.

The next few months promised to be very, very long.

"Oh, goodie, you're letting me out for Luke and Arianna's engagement ball."

Melanie giggled as she pulled the laces of my dress taut. For the past week, I'd been stuck in my room, resting and recuperating from a trip where all I could do was rest, and I was going stir crazy.

"Not so tight," Chevalier instructed from his self-imposed supervisory position, leaning against the wall next to the mirror with his arms crossed over his chest and his piercing blue eyes trained eye on me.

"It's fine, Melanie. Go sit down, Chevalier. Your hovering is making her nervous."

He frowned, but he moved a few feet away and sat at his writing desk, still staring at me. "I don't need you fainting again."

"I didn't actually faint. And this dress isn't nearly as tight as the one I wore at Belle's wedding."

"Which may have been why you got light-headed."

"That and skipping breakfast, which I did not do today. Melanie can attest that I cleaned my plate for breakfast and lunch."

She and I went to the vanity, where I sat down and she reached for my hairbrush and hairpins. "Will you be needing me to bring supper as well?"

"Yes," Chevalier answered for me.

My heart sank. That meant he wouldn't let me stay at the ball for long. Although maybe that was just as well, since I wouldn't be doing any dancing. The prospect of sitting around and watching everybody else have fun didn't thrill me.

I clenched my fingers into my skirt and focused on Melanie as she styled my hair in the mirror. She'd told me before that she practiced on her little sister's hair because it was the same texture as mine, and she was already as good as Theresa had been.

Well, even if I couldn't do anything, I would look good.

"Jin and Theresa's engagement ceremony is tomorrow," Chevalier said.

"Really?" I met his eyes in the mirror, my gloom vanishing in an instant. "When did this happen?"

The hint of a smile appeared on his lips. "Just before Belle's wedding."