by Ali Parker
It didn’t matter.
The letter was short and sweet:
Piper,
Put this on. A car will pick you up at a quarter to eight outside the front doors. Your driver’s name is Antoni. Don’t worry, he’s friendly.
P.S. Don’t be nervous. You’ve held your own in a room full of obnoxious bachelors on more than one occasion. You can handle a royal affair.
Looking forward to seeing you,
Asher
The note made me smile past the tightness in my chest as I lifted the lid of the box and set it aside. A layer of tissue lay between me and the dress beneath, and a shiver rolled down my spine as I considered what masterpiece Asher might have picked out for me.
This was like those scenes in all the movies where the girl who came from nothing all of a sudden is exposed to everything. I’d never been a little girl who spent much time dreaming about her prince charming. Or her wedding, for that matter. And by the time I was old enough to fantasize about my future husband, I was busy at work at Piper’s Paradise, and that became my future.
So much had changed in such a short amount of time.
I lifted the layer of tissue, and my breath hitched in my throat.
The gown winked up at me like something living. It was so full of sparkle and wonder—expensive sparkle and wonder—and it instantly made me think of a fairy princess. The satin was a deep royal blue that shifted to shades of teal as I lifted it out of the box, and it caught the light above. I praised all that was good in this world when I held it up to discover it was not a full ball gown, but rather a soft and flowing A-line. The straps were made of nothing but crystal that plunged into the deep V-neck. Jewels hung in chains from the shoulders and down the open back, and the boning in the sides gave it impressive structure.
“How the hell do I put this on myself?” I whispered, turning it around in my hands to admire the back.
I had never seen anything so beautiful.
I laid the dress down on the bed and peered into the box. There was more buried beneath another layer of tissue, including a pair of small diamond earrings, a bracelet, a pair of crystal-studded strappy heels, and an invitation to Sutton Place. When I opened the invitation, a piece of paper slipped out. The handwriting matched the card that had been attached to the top of the box:
P.P.S. Someone will come to your hotel room at seven o’clock to help you get dressed.
I bit my bottom lip as I smiled, and I set the note with the first card. Then, unable to help myself, I rushed to the nightstand, picked up my phone, and snapped a picture of the dress spread out on the bed. As soon as the image was captured, I fired it off to Janie.
My phone rang about thirty-seven seconds after I hit send.
I lifted it to my ear.
“You bitch,” Janie said.
I laughed. “I’m sorry. Isn’t it beautiful? I’m all alone here, and I had to have someone to share it with. I’m not trying to rub your nose in it.”
“I know you aren’t, but wow, that dress is stunning. You need to send me more pictures once you have it on. You’re going to knock those royal prudes on their skinny asses, Pipes. Especially Asher. You might have to remind him to pick his jaw up off the floor.”
“Stop it.” I knew what she was playing at. She was blowing smoke up my ass to make me feel better. It was kind of working.
“I won’t stop. It’s true. You’re going to be the fairest one at the ball, my dear.”
Snickering, I collapsed onto the bed beside the dress and sighed up at the ceiling. “You should see the jewelry he sent along with it.”
“Pretty?”
“And heavy.”
“Expensive,” Janie noted. “Is it yours to keep?”
“I don’t know. It didn’t say. That seems excessive.”
“He’s a royal. Everything he does is probably excessive.”
I frowned. “I don’t get that impression. He seems pretty normal, to be honest.”
“Normal is boring.”
“But this dress isn’t,” I said, turning my head to look at the dress beside me. What a strange situation to be in. I’d never dreamed something like this could ever happen to me. “Janie?”
“Yes?”
“Am I crazy for being scared out of my wits to go to dinner with his family tonight?”
“His family?” she asked incredulously. “Isn’t it a little early?”
“That’s what I thought. But he said it’s normal round these parts for family affairs like this. And he said it’s something to do with royalty, blah blah blah.”
Janie made an unsure sound in the back of her throat. “Okay. Well, for the record, I’d be nervous too. I mean, talk about pressure. At least you don’t have to worry about what you’re going to wear. He’s solved that for you.”
“True.”
“You just have to worry about the parents.”
I sighed. “I don’t think I have the energy to even care what impression I make.”
Janie was quiet for a minute. “Look. I know you miss Levi. But not putting in an effort tonight wouldn’t be fair to Asher. It’s not his fault he fell into the last three men on the list and the others got to you first. Maybe he’s been looking forward to this all year.”
“I hate when you’re right, Janie. You know that?”
“Yes. You tell me often. You know why?”
I rolled my eyes and groaned. “Because you’re always right?”
“Damn straight. Now, go pamper yourself. Do your hair. Do your makeup. Slap on that pretty smile and knock their socks off. You can do it. I believe in you.”
“Thanks, Janie. I needed the pep talk.”
“You’ll be ready to take on the world once you have that dress on. I promise.”
Janie had been right yet again.
Once the dress was on, I felt like an entirely different woman.
A woman who did not work for the hotel arrived at seven on the dot, just like Asher’s note said, to help me into the dress. By the time she showed up, my hair and makeup were done. She cinched me in, laced me up, and made sure I could breathe before she hurried out again, leaving me to my own devices to try to get my shoes on.
It took some serious effort, but I pulled it off.
I headed downstairs to the hotel lobby shortly before my car was supposed to arrive. When I emerged out into the cool September evening, I was fully aware of the attention I drew in my gown. And much to my surprise, it didn’t bother me.
I felt beautiful.
A luxury limo pulled up to the curb, and a young man in a gray suit got out of the driver’s seat. He was attractive with a sharp jawline and warm brown eyes. When he hopped up onto the curb beside me, he held out his hand. “You must be Piper. I’m Antoni, Asher’s assistant slash best friend. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Antoni. His best friend, you say?”
Antoni nodded. “Yep. And because I’m his best friend, I’m not going to hit on you right now.”
I laughed and so did he, and then he opened the back door for me. I slid in, and he told me to make myself comfortable and help myself to a drink if I so desired. He winked. “It will help with the nerves.”
As soon as we started driving, I helped myself to a glass of champagne. It was sweet yet dry, and the bubbles were a pleasant distraction from thoughts about the rest of the evening.
I’d expected the ride over to be half an hour or longer.
We pulled up to Sutton Place within twelve minutes of leaving my hotel.
So we’re actually very close, I thought as I stepped out of the limo with Antoni’s assistance. He turned me around to face the estate and waved his free arm through the air in a grand gesture, encompassing the building before us. “Welcome to Sutton Place, Ms. James.”
My breath left me in a whoosh of air. “Wow.”
Antoni chuckled. “What? People don’t live in old palaces in America?”
I shook my head. “No. Not like th
is. This is…”
“I know.” Antoni nodded. “Come. Walk with me. I’ll deliver you to Asher.”
The estate loomed before us. It was five stories high and made of cool-colored stones in varying shades of gray. The windows reminded me of what one might see in a castle, and there were spires on the black roof that shot upward like arrows. Above the front door was a massive stained-glass window depicting an image of Big Ben.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” I whispered.
Antoni offered me his elbow, and I slid my arm through it. He patted my hand and gave me a lopsided grin. “Wait until you see the inside. It’s… how do you Americans say ‘grand’?”
“I don’t know,” I said, still absorbed in the architecture of Asher’s home.
“Epic?”
I laughed and nodded. “Yeah. Epic works.”
Chapter 5
Asher
As per every affair at the Sutton Place, my mother had spared no expense on decor and hors d’oeuvres. Every table (and there were fourteen of them) was dripping in gold tablecloths that touched the stone floors of the gala room, and she’d even changed the window drapes to match. Everything shimmered and danced as if it were under water due to the crystal chandeliers above, and everyone had arrived in their best dresses and suits.
I’d been right to send a gown for Piper.
Every one of these dinners seemed to become more and more tedious and more overdone. The gold, the abundance of food fit to serve an entire battalion of men, the jewelry, the glitz and glamor, the centerpieces. It was all too much.
A waste.
As I passed between tables, I couldn’t help but think of the people in the soup kitchen I met with every week. A sight like this would make their heads spin.
If they knew what got thrown out at the end of a night like this… It was a thought I did not like to dwell on. If I could swing it, I’d be dropping into the kitchens to talk to the waiters and clean-up crew about the leftovers and where they could bring them, should there be any.
I knew without a doubt that there would be.
The women at these events ate like birds, and the men passed by any plate that didn’t have meat on it. There would be whole platters tossed in the trash if I didn’t intervene.
Familiar faces smiled in my direction as I passed and so did the unfamiliar ones. I made nice and smiled back. I even waved to some strangers who walked around like they belonged here, but I doubted they did, and I paused to chat with some estranged cousins I’d only bumped into at weddings in my early twenties when most of the family were pairing off and following the dreams of their parents.
I’d been one of the only cousins not to marry. Well, me and my cousin, Jeffrey, whose name was no longer permitted to be spoken in the company of any blood family because of his “lifestyle choices”.
I’d known Jeffrey fancied men since I was twelve and he was ten.
His mother found out eight years ago and kicked him out of their estate. Last I checked, he was living on a beach with his long-term boyfriend somewhere in Thailand, and he was doing quite well for himself.
He’d done it right and escaped the clutches of this family when he had the chance. I knew how ignorant of a thing that was to think. He was gay, and he’d been exiled because of it. It was appalling to think my aunt capable of such a thing, especially against her own child, but things like that had a way of revealing people’s true colors.
She and I were no longer on speaking terms. It drove my mother mad. I didn’t care.
I was passing between two tables of wine fountains when I spotted her at the top of the stairs.
Piper.
She had an arm hooked through Antoni’s, and he was leading her down the stairs. The strappy sparkly heels I’d sent her poked out under her blue skirt with every step, flashing coyly at me. I grinned and broke free of the crowd so she could see me.
When our eyes locked, she smiled. She looked relieved, and Antoni said something in her ear that made her giggle.
I knew the dress I’d picked was a home run as soon as I saw it. It complimented her shape beautifully, paying tribute to her narrow waist and curves. It showed off her décolletage and her back and her arms, which, I had to admit, were more muscular than I was expecting. She was not the soft, supple, lacking-strength woman that the others in this particular room were.
Piper was strong. She was a presence, even if she didn’t know it, and that smile? God damn, that smile.
It was bright enough to blind all of London in one fell swoop.
When she and Antoni hit the bottom step, he passed her to me. Piper thanked him, and he gave her a polite little bow before dipping his chin toward me. “I suggest you and your lady find a drink or five before your parents arrive.”
“Good idea,” I said.
Piper looked back and forth between us. “Five? Is it going to be that bad?”
Antoni grinned. “Not if you’re drunk.”
Piper laughed, a bit of un-sureness seeping through the cracks. “I don’t think I could handle five without making a complete fool of myself. But I could go for one.”
I pulled her into my side. “Come. I’ll show you around. We’ll get a drink and some food. Antoni, thank you for picking her up and getting her here safely. Are you going to join us this evening?”
Antoni shrugged a shoulder. “I could fraternize with the lovely ladies of London, if you don’t mind.”
“Knock yourself out,” I said. “It’ll keep them away from me.”
After Antoni snuck off to flirt with a pretty blonde in a lavender gown sipping on champagne, Piper and I disappeared into the ever-thickening crowd to find ourselves a drink. I could feel her eyes on me as I guided her through the guests.
“Are you a hot commodity around here?” she asked.
“What makes you ask that?”
“Well,” she paused and looked around, “every woman in here has eyes on you at all times. And I think a girl back there just tried to skewer my foot with her heel.”
“Really?” I asked, stopping and looking back over my shoulder. “Which one? I’ve always liked women with a wild side.”
Piper laughed. The sound rippled through the crowd around us, and people turned to look at her. Most were smiling. She had contagious laughter, the kind that bled from one person to another. “Very nice. Perhaps next time, I’ll wear boots and shin guards.”
It was my turn to laugh. “There’s never harm in being prepared. I also appreciate that in a woman.”
She shot me a dark look out of the corner of her eye. “Are you going to get me a drink or not?”
I steered her over to a table where we each picked up a glass of red wine. I tapped mine against the side of hers. “Cheers. And welcome to the other side, Piper James.”
Her dark eyes scanned the room. I wondered what it all looked like to her.
Did she think it just as tedious and wasteful as I did? Or did she see something else in the rush of colors and glitter?
The grass was always greener on the other side, after all. The picture always rosier from the outside looking in.
“Is this what it’s always been like for you?” Piper asked, cocking her head to the side. “The parties? The women who behave like a pack of wild dogs itching for your attention?”
“Yes, it’s been like this as long as I can remember. Minus the itching women, of course. That didn’t start until I turned twenty. My mother has been trying to marry me off to a nice girl ever since.”
“Nobody up to your standards?” Piper asked.
“Nope,” I said, pausing to sip my wine. “Not even one. Does that unnerve you?”
“Why would it?”
“Because you’re here as my date. I haven’t attended an event here with a date in, well, ever.”
I liked the way her already dramatic eyebrows arched even more in surprise. “Are you serious?”
“Quite serious.”
Piper regarded the room once more. The chand
eliers reflected in her eyes as her gaze landed on the top of the stairs she’d descended not too long ago. At their top stood the Lord and Lady of the house. It didn’t take long before the entire gala room fell into a hush and parted right down the middle for them to walk through.
I polished off the rest of my wine in three steady gulps. “Oh look. It’s Mom and Dad.”
“Fuck,” Piper hissed under her breath.
I almost exploded with laughter. A curse like that being said in this room simply did not happen. I appreciated her candor, her grit, and her complete, blissful unawareness of what was appropriate in a scenario like this.
Screw Lords and Ladies.
Piper James was so much more fun.
She shimmied into my side and clung to my arm as my mother and father descended the stairs in their lavish black outfits trimmed in gold thread. They appeared quite the team as they passed through the crowd and exchanged words with close friends and family, clasped hands with people they hadn’t seen in months, and kissed the cheeks of older relatives who had come in from out of the country.
Then they made their way toward us.
“Oh God,” Piper breathed, turning stiff as a board beside me. “Oh God. Oh God.”
“Calm,” I said. “Steady. There’s nothing to worry about. I’ve got you.”
She managed to mutter three more “Oh God’s” before my parents were right on top of us. My father clasped my hand while my mother stood back, her hawk-like stare raking over Piper and then sliding to me.
A wolfish smile spread across her face. “Who is your new friend, Ash?”
“Mother, this is Piper. Piper, this is my mother, Cadence.”
Piper, bless her heart, held out her hand.
And my father, bless his heart a thousand more times, spared her by stepping in and shaking her hand in place of my mother, who stared at it like it was some disease-infested thing.
“Nice to meet you, Piper,” my father said. “I’m Edward. Asher’s father.”
Piper smiled sweetly. “Hello.”