Madame Antroi recorded the selected gowns in her ledger.
Though ‘selected’ was rather a generous way to put it. It had been less a selection and more a matter of having one of everything she’d brought along made into a full garment.
‘Wait. I could just pay for them myself.’
“Madame Antroi.”
“Yes, my lady? Is there another design you’d like to add?”
“…No, that’s not it. I was wondering — these gowns will be billed to my personal allowance, won’t they?”
Kael had mentioned paying in advance, but that might have been a well-intentioned fiction to ensure I actually chose something.
Thinking back to how things worked at home, my mother’s dresses and jewelry had always been charged to her personal allowance.
“Actually, no. His Grace has already paid in full. And between you and me — what you’ve chosen today doesn’t even come close to the total he paid. So I’ll be making another visit before the season turns, to show you more.”
Madame Antroi said this with the expression of a woman who had never been happier.
I chose my next words carefully.
“Would it be possible to change the payment method? I’d like it charged to my personal allowance instead of His Grace’s account…”
“Oh, I’m afraid the receipts have already been processed. By now they’ve likely been delivered to the duke as well.”
“I…see.”
I pressed my tongue to my lip. ‘Being extravagant is harder than it looks.’
“I don’t usually say things like this — not even as a formality.”
“Pardon?”
“You’re frugal too, aren’t you? If I were in your position — a wealthy fiancé buying me dozens of beautiful gowns without batting an eye — I’d have lost my head with delight.”
‘That may well be true, but—’
‘I need to be spending money extravagantly right now.’
“You’re a remarkably rare sort of young lady, my lady. Emily, you must consider yourself very lucky to serve someone like this. Better than winning a lottery, I’d say.”
“I do. I’m grateful every day I come to work. As long as I’m in service, I have absolutely no intention of ever leaving our young lady’s side.”
Emily and Madame Antroi even exchanged contact information before parting.
“While I was working today, I thought of a design beyond the test dresses — something that would suit Ivelina perfectly. I’ll have it made alongside the rest of your order.”
“Oh, really? Could I at least pay for that one with my allowance—”
“It’s a gift! And I’ll send along a few changes of clothes for Emily as well. Also a gift, of course.”
A cheerful wink, and then Madame Antroi swept out of the room like a gust of wind, declaring she needed to get to work immediately.
Three hours had passed and I had not spent a single coin.
* * *
“This won’t do. Let’s go straight to a jeweler. We need to spend money ‘now!'”
“Good thinking. The dressmaker plan has slipped away from us — let’s try jewelry next.”
“Yes. Let’s hurry!”
“There’s a jeweler in the capital’s main square called Colton & Sons. The owner is apparently quite particular — only deals in the finest quality gems. Shall we try there? The prices are sure to be steep.”
“Perfect! Let’s start there!”
There was no need to freshen up. Madame Antroi’s assistant had already styled me head to toe during the fitting — apparently in quite high spirits, because she had given me a full, elaborate look.
Just as I threw open the bedroom door to leave—
‘Knock, knock.’
Another knock. The door swung open to reveal Hugo — and beside him, a man who appeared to be in his fifties.
“My lady, this is your last appointment of the day. His Grace sends his apologies for not being able to accompany you himself — he’s tied up with business matters.”
Hugo said this with an expression of genuine regret, his eyes drooping with sympathy.
“Please tell him there’s absolutely nothing to apologize for! What is this last appointment? I was just on my way out — I wanted to get to the jeweler before they close—”
“How do you do, my lady. I’m Colton — of Colton & Sons.”
‘…Excuse me.’
* * *
In the annex, at the center of the room where I was staying, there stood a large white rectangular table.
It was now covered, end to end, in jewel cases. So many that counting them all would have been a challenge.
Dozens of gems glittered and blazed before my eyes, each one demanding to be noticed, each one radiating its own particular light.
“This one is aquamarine. This one, topaz. Over here, ruby… that hair pin there is carved from obsidian… and this is a diamond set. That one is blue diamond. And this last one — a full jewelry set in pink diamond.”
The diamond has to be the most expensive.
“I’ll take this one.”
I pointed without hesitation to the diamond set, silently hoping it would cost a fortune.
“Please choose one more.”
“I — another one?”
“Yes.”
Colton had the look of a man who would be quite at home scowling, and his expression grew even more forbidding as he pressed me to choose again.
I glanced at Emily, who was standing against the wall. She gave a small, quiet nod. ‘Go on.’
‘Fine. You think I can’t?’
I picked the blue diamond next. I’ll take only the most expensive ones — see if I don’t.
“This. Blue diamond for my second choice.”
“Heh heh. One more, if you please.”
Colton let out a laugh that didn’t quite suit his face — jolly and somehow ominous at the same time — and pressed me again.
‘Oh, you think I can’t, do you?’
“Pink diamond.”
“Ah — Ivelina has a fondness for diamonds, I see.”
“Of course. They’re the most beautiful and the most expensive.”
“Indeed, I’ve heard you have quite the discerning eye, and I can see it’s true. You’ve picked out my most prized pieces without any hesitation.”
“Wherever on earth did you hear that?”
“I happened to run into Madame Antroi just as I was arriving at the estate. She’s a rather exacting woman herself, but the way she spoke of you — well, the praise was something else.”
‘Wonderful.’
“That brings me to my next question — would you like to choose one more?”
“How many am I supposed to pick?”
“Hmm. Now, this is a bit of a secret.”
Colton’s expression turned solemn. He stroked his beard thoughtfully, then raised one finger with the gravitas of a private detective about to deliver a crucial revelation.
“The truth is — every last piece on this table is yours. I merely wanted to know your preferences. For future reference, you understand.”
‘I’m sorry?’
“…Wait. Everything on this table is ‘mine?'”
“Yes. All of it belongs to you now. His Grace purchased every piece.”
I felt an almost irresistible urge to splash cold water on my face.
“Ha! In all my years, I’ve seen a great many couples, my lady.”
I had no energy left to respond. I felt vaguely indignant — a flush of heat rising somewhere behind my forehead.
“But a man this free with his money for his fiancée? First time in my life. Buying everything in my entire collection in one go — really, I never. ‘Woo.'”
‘Sir. Are you teasing me right now?’
This was genuinely absurd. If he was going to do all this, why had he bothered giving me a personal allowance at all? Was there anywhere left for me to actually spend money?
“You know, it’s funny — when customers come into my shop, they tend to follow the same script every time. The man starts off magnanimously: ”Darling, just pick whatever you like!” Very gallant. And so the woman picks something. And naturally, the prettier a gem is, the more it tends to cost. People’s taste is people’s taste.”
Colton glanced between me and Emily as he began to unspool his tale. I was already too drained to respond. But—
“Oh — and then what?”
Emily leaned in.
Colton shifted slightly toward her, and continued with considerable enthusiasm — nearly spitting with the effort.
“Then the man asks the price. And naturally, it’s expensive. Most women have an instinctive eye for quality. So now the man tells her to go ahead and pick something else. ”Don’t you think this one actually suits you better, darling?” All while steering her away from the first choice. If you ask me, he’d already made up his mind — he just didn’t want to admit he wasn’t willing to pay that much.”
“Goodness. If he wasn’t going to buy it, he shouldn’t have offered.”
Emily furrowed her brow in the precise expression of someone who has just spotted something deeply unpleasant. Colton, gratified by her reaction, grew more animated still.
“That’s what I always say! And the poor woman — trusting soul that she is — goes along with it. ‘Does this one look prettier? I’m not sure…’ And eventually, he produces some scratched-up piece that’s been gathering dust in the corner — rejects, essentially — and presents it to her with a straight face. ”There’s a rugged sort of charm to this one!” And you know what? She ends up choosing it.”
“Ugh. Why offer in the first place if you’re not going to follow through? What’s the point?”
Emily now wore the expression of someone who has accidentally bitten their tongue mid-meal.
“My thoughts exactly. And then the man says, ”You see? You always know what’s truly beautiful. Look at you, so charming — you never want to be too extravagant.” Piles on the flattery. And off they go, with a reject piece. I find it infuriating every single time. But that’s nine out of ten couples for you.”
Colton was a man of surprising theatrical talent. He slipped between the man’s blustering and the woman’s bewildered compliance with remarkable naturalness.
“How dreadful. And the tenth?”
