It was midday when the royal errand boy arrived at the manor, the Baroness greeting the man as he rung the bell. Irina knew the boy well, having used her female charms and fortune many times before to make the boy keep her informed on large business regarding the crown. The boy handed her a letter which proved to be an invitation.
To the Baroness Irina Grigoryevna & the Ladies of the house.
His Royal Majesty, By the grace of God, the most excellent and great sovereign Emperor Pyotr Alekseevich the ruler of all of Russia,
cordially invites you to a masque ball
in honour of the return of Monsieur Louis Caravaque
to be held in four days time.
The letter greatly peaked the Baroness's interest, it being a possible chance of her daughter winning the favour of The Grand Duchess Yekaterina who would most certainly be in attendance.
"What news of the engagement?" Irina probed.
"Canceled. At least until further notice. If one is to believe the rumors, The Grand Duchess must find herself a bride before that very night in order to escape the clutches of French court." The errand boy told her.
"Well, that does not give us much time, but it is certainly better than the previous prospects. Still, I shall require your help once more. I shall need to know who the competition is, every move The Grand Duchess makes, her agenda, and any other tidbits you might dig up." The woman told the man as she slipped silver coins into his hands. The man looked around for a moment to make sure no one could hear them before leaning in to whisper in the Baroness's ear.
"She is playing tennis with Alexis Shubin tomorrow at the market at noon."
The Baroness carressed the boy's skin, her delicate hands moving purposefully slow, granting the boy female touch that he had never felt and toying with the man's emotion.
"A skin of such elegance, concealing such ruthlessness. I have grown rather fond of our little intrigues, surely by now you must know that." Irina said, her voice flirtatious. The woman was ruthless when it came to getting her daughter on the throne and if flirting with a naive errand boy would get her there, then that is what the noble woman would do.
"I am having an inkling, my Lady." The boy replied with a smirk.
"When my daughter is Empress of Russia, perhaps we shall come to a new arrangement." The Baroness told him before stepping back inside the house. It was a cruel trick, but not an uncommon one for people of her station. Using bribes and charms to rise in position was a common scheme and the Baroness was skilled at it.
As soon as the Baroness had informed her daughters of the masque, she and Violet got to work to find an appropriate dress for the occasion, knowing it would have to be the most stunning gown in order to pull the focus of The Grand Duchess. For now however, Violet had rejected every single option.
"What's wrong with this one?" Irina asked her daughter as she held up a discarded red velvet dress.
"It's red." The girl replied.
"Well, Yekaterina loves red." Her mother responded not seeing the problem.
"Exactly, so there will be at least fifty other girls wearing the exact same color." Violet told her mother.
YOU ARE READING
Ever After ✔~ trixya
Fanfiction"Her name was Beatrice Mattel. And this, was her glass slipper. Perhaps you will allow me to set the record straight?" The Grand Duchess says as she picks a beautiful shoe out of the silver box. "Then it's true? The story?" The writer enquires. "Yes...
