Three Peach Roses

Bravery

Chapter 3

The room they had been given was of a good size and was furnished comfortably with a big wooden bed and small dressing and washing room.

"We must unpack and bathe quickly." Mahogany ordered, opening up wooden chests and pacing around. Marianne sat awkwardly on the bed, hunched over so her curly, caramel hair enveloped her face and covered her tears. Magnolia noticed her sister's sadness and glided over, cupping her sister's face gently and lifting it.

"Anny, we must do this. We must do this for our family." Tears leaked down Marianne's pale cheeks.

"Maggy I cannot. This just feels all wrong."

Mahogany stood slowly from where she had been bent over, searching through her trunk.

"Marianne. You are a Devereaux girl. You are more than that too. You have French blood from our Father's Mother running through you. Marguerite Devereaux used her dark charm to enter the Royal Family when she had nothing. You have Italian and Roman blood from our Mother, the blood of Venus and Diana. You have to be brave and ruthless like them. This is what you were born to do, my sister. This is who you are."

Marianne cried still. "I wish I could Mahogany, but I don't know how." In truth, Marianne felt nothing from Marguerite, Diana or Venus. She felt shy, awkward and timid.

"You will learn." Mahogany said curtly. "And you will learn quickly." Magnolia stroked Marianne's face softly

"We will teach you, and you will pick things up from court. Don't worry." Mahogany sighed

"Magnolia, help her bathe and get her ready. Marianne, please. Bravery."

The Grand Dining Hall was lit by the soft glow of the sunset. The set up of the Hall was very important. King Dimitri sat at the centre of the Royal Table at the back of the Hall which was placed on a slightly elevated level. The seats around him were reserved for his close friends, his mistress and her ladies. She was called 'The Favourite' by the other women of Court as she was treated rather as if she were his Queen. His current favourite was a Noble woman from the Muscov Family- Olga. The Muscov Family absolutely despised the Devereaux Family because of their mixed heritage.

The rest of the dining Hall was set out with tables getting further and further away form the King's Table. The people sat closer to the King were more important.

"Why do we have to sit at the very back?" Magnolia hissed to her sisters as their lowly table was passed the last cuts of meat which were cold. Mahogany placed her hand of Magnolia's arm.

"Patience, sister." She muttered. Magnolia was surprised, Mahogany was the least patient person she knew and the pressure from their family meant they didn't have much time.

"It must happen quickly but not straight away!" Mahogany explained, amused by her sister's shocked expression.

A group of young women, sat near to the sisters, noticed them.

"Hello there!" The group leader, Valentina, said. She was a kind and pretty girl and was relatively new at court.

"Hello." Magnolia replied, smiling.

"I'm Valentina Fodorov" she said "and these are my two cousins, Natalya and Natasha Fodorov and my sister, Anzhelika. Are you new in court?" Valentina asked.

"Yes we have just arrived today I am Mahogany Devereaux and these are my sisters, Magnolia and Marianne." The girls' eyes widened.

"Devereaux?" Anzhelika gasped. The sisters knew they would get this reaction. After their family lost the civial war everyone had heard of them. Luckily, they weren't hated by the Fodorov Family, who they had previously gotten along well with.

"Yes." Mahogany answered bluntly.

Olga laughed loudly from the Royal Table and stroked King Dimitri's arm. Natalya and Natasha sighed in disgust. They absolutely hated Olga and the Muscov Family.

"What's she like?" Magnolia whispered to Natalya.

"Awful. She is as lowly as a whore but acts like a Queen." Natalya spat, her voice dripping with hatred.

"Their whole is family is like that. Her sister, Aleksandra, ordered me to go and collect her letters yesterday, as she was lady-in-waiting!" Natasha chipped in.

"Everyone knows Aleksandra is an uneducated slut." Anzhelika said. She glanced over her shoulder then leaned towards the sisters. "She wanted to bed the King herself but he didn't want her. She had Sir Thomas Mikhailov, the King's closest friend, out in the open during a hunt in the woods. Imagine! Just like a common servant girl! Of course the King wouldn't touch her after that, so Olga did instead." She gossiped. The sisters were an appreciative audience and gasped.

"The Muscov Family have always been completely vile." Magnolia said, acidly. Valentina giggled and nodded.

"Yes! We are going for a walk in the garden after dinner. Would you care to join us?" Valentina asked. Mahogany nodded enthusiastically and smiled.

"That would be wonderful. Thank you."

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