Doe (#Wattys2016)

Chapter Forty-Five

Francis woke on the day of her birthday to breakfast in bed. On the tray, alongside her breakfast, was a card from her father and Lady Cecil; a scarlet poinsettia was pressed on to it, the red of its petals was bled into the porous card.

She came downstairs to find them waiting for her. Lord Cecil toasted her with champagne, which they drank though it was only eight o'clock in the morning. A manservant came in with a basket and inside was a cream kitten with a diamond bracelet for a collar. Francis exclaimed her gratitude, kissing her father and her step-mother on the cheek. Lady Cecil actually smiled at her. She spent the rest of the morning playing with the kitten and helping to prepare for the party later that evening, Nona had sent a full portfolio over, with all their ideas laid out in perfect organisation.

Dechuange arrived at lunchtime with a motorcar brought especially for her, it was filled with extra presents.

"I'm going to drop you at your mother's." he told her, "and then I'll pick you up at five so you can get ready."

"But there is still so much to do," she protested.

"The Cecils have it covered. Come and see your family."

She looked at him in surprise.

At her mother's she received the biggest surprise; the house was crammed full with all her friends from The Lab. She spotted Doe and ran over to her, crying her eyes out, everyone rolled their eyes at her and laughed. The afternoon was spent with all of them playing games, telling jokes and reminiscing. As the house was soon to be empty Harri had the idea of leaving messages for the next inhabitant. They wrote on the walls and things with anything they could find, scribbling messages of encouragement and welcome and memories they had shared in the house. Lucia's message was etched in the beam above the window.

'We made it'

That evening Francis dressed in her cloth of night sky. She smiled to see that she had not made up, in time between last seeing it, how beautiful it was. She looked at herself in the mirror as the maid finished fixing her hair, cascading down one shoulder in a waterfall of rich curls, to reveal a single diamond hung from her ear to her bare neck like a tear. This was the day she had been so excited for, for so long but now that it had come she felt a strange indifference to it, which made her laugh. This was just another day and another party, something that was no longer important to her.

She came downstairs and her parents and fiancé exclaimed at her beauty. She knew they meant it as even Lady Cecil nodded.

"You should wait upstairs a little longer!" Lord Cecil exclaimed excitedly, "And make that sort of entrance again when they are all here."

She laughed but did as she was told, Dechuange accompanying her.

"I feel like I want to mess you up, you seem so perfect," Dechuange smiled at her.

She played with the kitten, careful not to hook its claws in her dress, but then almost feeling tempted herself. She watched the clock, feeling every second that ticked by, she grew impatient, listening to the house grow busy. The praises and shouts of laughter at how the house had been transformed into a winter wonderland reached them and she so wanted to join in the fun.

"What if they don't come," escaped her lips.

"Of course, he will," Dechuange laughed, teasing the cat himself now.

"I should go down. It's so pretentious." She fidgeted.

"No. It's your debut into society. You're a woman now and people should pay attention," Dechuange told her kindly, "This is your party."