“Thank you, Eva.”
“For what?”
She clasped her hands together. “For telling Alec to have vacations. He hasn’t touched his work since you left. I kept telling him, but he wouldn’t listen. You made him listen.”
“Good or I would have had to put Midnight to guard it.” She laughed. “And I left him no choice, Jasmine. It was vacations or sickness. You are the gentle way, and I am the hard way. That’s the way it is.” She smiled and went to the table for some food. She refused the chair and wanted to sit on the floor, but I made her sit in the chair. “Besides, you can watch everyone from here.”
“All right.” She smiled and then started talking with Ritta about dresses, so I went to get some food because I didn’t care much about dresses.
“How are you, Eva?” Alec asked. “Thank you for the invitation.”
I shrugged. “It wasn’t my idea.”
“Obviously. Your idea would be to pass New Year’s Day alone.”
I scowled at him. “My idea was to pass New Year’s Day with my family.”
“Like a thousand times before. You have to change things from time to time.” Humans lived very little compared to witches, but in that small life, they made so many changes, and we, in hundreds of years of life, we barely made two. That was truly amazing.
Everyone was having fun and they seemed happy. There was no music and there could be only two couples dancing at a time but it was nice. “See? I told you it would be good.” Jonathan said when he asked me to dance with him.
“Yes, but fortunately there are no more people, or there would be trouble.”
“The thing with the cushions was good, but here there is no overnight staying.”
I smiled mischievously. “There is. If you want, you can sleep on the floor.”
“No, thank you. I had enough of floor sleeping for two lives.”
“Tomorrow I will leave with Ritta for London.”
He stared at me. “What for?”
“For the wedding? The queen’s sister?”
“Oh. Right. Lila’s wedding, but why tomorrow? The invitations have not been sent yet.”
I had known her for some time, and I was learning her first name now? I was surprised with myself. “But we have to prepare the bride for the wedding. Dresses, decorations, and boring things.”
“Oh,” he said, sounding sad.
“And when will you be back?” I could barely hear him.
“Well, this planning will take at least ten days, and I don’t know when the wedding is supposed to take place, so maybe we will stay until the wedding and then come back. You will come to the wedding, right?” I didn’t like that I wouldn’t be able to see him or talk to him either.
“I will send you letters,” he said.
“I will look forward to them.” I loved letters. You could understand many things about the senders from the way letters were written. I was not a romantic person, but I had kept each and every letter Jonathan had sent me. I had kept Alec’s too, but out of friendship, not anything else.
Around midnight we gathered outside to look at the sky and greet the new year. Unpredictably, there were fireworks in the sky—it wasn’t me—and some fallen stars, so everyone made a wish. What was my wish? If I told you, it wouldn’t come true.
Everyone went inside to wish each other “Happy New Year” and exchanged hugs and kisses. It was cold but I liked it. If there was no rain, nothing bad could come out of the cold except maybe a bad cold. Jonathan came near me. “Admiring the night?”
“Yes.”
He smiled, but I could see he was nervous. “I wonder who shot the fireworks. Alec didn’t seem to know.”
I shrugged. “Maybe someone who wanted to have fun. Don’t make such a fuss about it. It’s the new year. Let people have fun.”
He smiled and nodded. He walked a short distance and sat in the grass. “If you sit in here, you will catch a cold. It’s wet and freezing. It’s not summer anymore.”
He stood. “I know, but it’s so hot inside. So many people they are driving me crazy.”
How did he feel in balls then? “It was your idea,” I reminded him.
“I know, but I didn’t think it would be so hot.”
“I can open the windows if you want.”
“It’s all right. Besides, it won’t be good for the queen.”
I was impressed that he thought of her, but maybe since he thought of Alec often... “She is away from any window, and I am not going to open every window. Just some to make sure everyone is breathing and the air is coming inside equally.” I started toward the house, but he called me.
“Eva, wait.”
I turned. “What is it?” He was nervous and I didn’t like it. He had been nervous from the beginning of the night. Was he going to tell me something bad?
“I... well... I...” He was making me nervous too now. “I love you,” he finally managed, and I wanted to yell at him.
He made me nervous just to tell me I love you? I liked hearing it, but this wasn’t the first time he had said it. So why was he so nervous?
But he wasn’t done. “I liked you from the first day we met. You are kind and smart and patient even if I annoyed you. You helped me and Alec in so many things and saved us more times than we can count...”
Was this something traditional? To count the things we did in the previous year? “You hid us from everyone, even when everything was against us. You believed in us, in me. I will always love you.” He took my hand. “Will you marry me?”
I was sure my eyes had gone to the moon and back, but I couldn’t be sure. He said all those things just to ask me to marry him? And what happened to getting down on one knee and asking to marry him? I was in shock.
I should have been more prepared. When he had first asked me to spend time with him and get to know him, I knew this day would come eventually and that I would need to give an answer. I wasn’t ready then. My mother had asked me if I had lost him without marrying him at all how I would feel. Empty. That was how I would feel. But after spending so much time with him and doing different things together, I knew now what answer to give.
“What happened to the traditional proposal?” I said, trying to buy myself some time. That was pathetic, Eva.
He smiled a little. “I thought it would be more original, and you are not like anyone else, so you deserve something original.” He waited for an answer.
“If you can endure someone who is difficult...”
“Is that a yes?”
I cocked my head. “You know what they say—take what you can get.”
He smiled widely. I liked his smile. No, I loved his smile. He hugged me and kissed me. “I love you,” he said over and over, and I smiled because I couldn’t tell him how happy I was.
“I love you too.” I kissed him again. His eyes were bright like stars, and I was sure mine were too. I felt the happiness everyone talked about—the one that lifted you in the air and made you fly in the air from joy. It wasn’t like my flying; it was another kind of flying that lifted you to Heaven.
He gave me a silver and gold ring with a malachite, my birthstone, and an amethyst, his birthstone. The two stones were intertwined, and I thought it was funny since our fates were intertwined in the same way. “Thank you,” I said and put it on.
“Now the set is complete,” he said, pointing at my bracelet and the necklace. I only wore the necklace on special occasions, but I wore the bracelet every day because I liked it on my arm. “Can I announce it?” he asked.
“To Alec,” I said and he nodded. “Then we will see. Next time just so you know... I don’t like surprises very much.”
“I know, but that wasn’t a bad surprise.”
“I guess not.”
Alec came outside. “What are you two doing outside? You will catch a cold. Come inside.” Smiling, we followed him inside, and Jonathan went to speak with him.
You Can’t!
Ritta danced around the room. She had b
een dancing ever since I told her the “news.” I tried hard to concentrate on Jasmine’s sketches. The trip to the London palace had been good, even though the weather was cold. Lila had given us a room to share since we declined two different rooms.
Midnight watched Ritta dancing around the room and then looked at me as if to say Is she crazy? I smiled and petted her. I should be crazy from happiness, and I was, but I didn’t show it much. Besides, we had come here to work not to have fun. We would meet Lila for lunch, but until then I wanted to work on Jasmine’s sketches, but Ritta was distracting. “Will you stop dancing around the room? I am trying to concentrate.”
“I am just happy.”
“I am happy too, but I am not acting like a lunatic.”
She scowled at me. “I am not a lunatic.”
We changed dresses and went downstairs for lunch where we found Lila and her mother.
Lila’s mother had her hands on her hips and was yelling. “You can’t call anyone you like in here. You are a princess, and you have to marry someone of your status.” When she saw us, she frowned. “And why call them? We have good advisers.”
I took pity on poor Lila who was listening without saying anything, taking each insult gracefully, and said, “If you continue this way, you can compete in the yelling contest.”
“Do you know who I am?” she asked.
“Do you know who I am? You don’t? Then let me remind you that I am the one who can ask anything from you and you would be compelled to give it to me. See? I am as important as any of your royal advisers.
“Plus, we helped Jasmine choose her dresses and decorations and everything for the wedding, and because of us, it turned out to be a success. That’s making us twice important. Now. Behave like the queen you are supposed to be because I am starting to doubt it. Aren’t you ashamed?” I said all this in a firm but quiet voice and Lila’s mother turned white. Unable to say anything, she left the room.
“Thank you,” Lila said, “but you didn’t have to do it. Eventually, she would get tired of yelling.”
“Why can’t she be satisfied with your choice?” Ritta asked as we moved toward the table.
“She doesn’t accept that I might get poor. For her, money and power equals happiness, but that’s not true. The few times I was invited to villages or little towns, I observed people, and they were happy. I once saw a family that was poor but happy. The father returned from work and his wife greeted him with a kiss, and the children danced for joy. It was the first time I thought that power might actually be poorness and not happiness.”
That was common knowledge among us peasants, but royals apparently didn’t realize that no matter how much money they had they would be poor in our eyes. Couples stayed together in kingdoms for the peoples’ eyes and not because they loved each other. In arranged marriages, they didn’t even know each other. How could you love someone you have never seen in your life? It could happen, of course, but that was rare.
We sat and ate while she talked about her betrothed. He sent her letters every day, and she responded right away, but she missed him so much. They were going to live in a town near Barcelona but not very far from the village, so if something happened to his family, he could come and help. I remembered he had two sisters and his mother still lived, but his father had died in a carriage accident some years ago.
We went to her room, and she showed us some things he had given her: a wooden dog sculpture—she loved dogs—and a wooden jewelry box painted green and yellow. It was pretty and Lila was delighted; it seemed to me there was no need for someone to give her gold, just for things to be pretty.
We sat and the sketching began. She had hundreds of ideas, so we talked and I sketched. Some hours later we had a white gown with silk for the bottom of the dress and lace on the top. The veil was also lace with lace flowers. Ritta and I thought some ringlets would be nice with her red hair, and we added a small tiara like Jasmine’s. We designed the dress for the ball as well, which was a blue-black winter dress with white stars. It was a little Christmassy, but it would look wonderful on her. The shoes were green glass slippers.
We went to the rooms to be used for the ceremony and chose the flowers, curtains, and even the food selection. Her mother didn’t show up the whole day, which made for a peaceful day for Lila. The wedding would be in two weeks and the invitations had been sent. Jasmine would arrive at the end of next week to help with things and see her sister.
I sent a letter to Jonathan asking him to find out if the wood boy had anything to wear and if so what. I wanted him to be presentable enough in the eyes of Lila’s mother so she wouldn’t be yelling. The wood boy would come three days before the wedding and would stay at his best man’s house.
I slept the moment my head touched the pillow. The trip and the day’s work had been tiring.
The next day I received a letter from Jonathan:
Dear Eva,
I met with the “wood boy,” as you call him, but for your information, his name is John. Why is it so difficult for you to remember it? He has shortened his name, or else we would have had the same name and I would lose my dignity. He has something to wear, but it’s old, so the queen asked for some sketches, and we will decide together.
I miss you. I will come with Alec and John. We have persuaded him to ride with us in a carriage, so I will be seeing you in two weeks, unfortunately. I hope Lila’s mother won’t drive you crazy in your time there. Give my regards to Ritta, Lila, and Midnight.
P.S: Alec asks if you had seen a flower in the woods. What flower does he mean? He won’t tell me.
Love,
Jonathan
His letter made me smile. Sometimes his way of expressing himself was so... vivid. Who knew the wood boy was named Jonathan? I made some sketches and sent them right away, hoping they would reach them soon. I wrote him a note also telling him that the flower was the moon flower he gave me without knowing which I still had—strangely enough it had survived the war.
I haven’t seen any, but they could go to the woods and search, but they must go together and not go too deep or else they would get lost. If they didn’t find it, then they should ask my mother. She had a skill for finding these flowers. I didn’t know why. I let the pigeon fly from the window to the open sky. I noticed that Jonathan didn’t send any regards to the queen.
Ritta and I went to meet with the princess for breakfast and to continue the arrangements. The queen saw us, shrieked, and left so fast you would think I had sent hellhounds after her. “I think you scared her,” said Ritta.
“No, Eva didn’t scare her. Midnight did.” Not hellhounds but cats or cathounds. “My mother is afraid of cats, so Jasmine always kept her cat in her room or outside.”
Poor cat. Fortunately, he lived in a palace where he was free to go as he pleased now. “I don’t trust anyone who is afraid of cats,” I said.
Lila smiled. “That’s what Jasmine said. I like cats, but I prefer dogs. They are faithful to you. I think cats are more free spirits, and they go anywhere they please. They are not that loyal, no offense. Yours is an exception, of course.”
My cat was an exception because she was a familiar. Whenever the queen would make me angry, I would call Midnight to bring order.
We ate some breakfast and continued discussing the flowers and curtains and arrangements. The wedding would be rather pink. Lila wanted pink roses, the curtains and tablecloths were in shades of pink and violet, and the cake was mostly pink. We were lucky that her wedding dress wasn’t pink. Her mother had complained about the pink, but since the wedding dress wasn’t pink she decided everything was good.
Jasmine arrived today and Lila was thrilled. Jasmine inspected everything and her only comment was, “Isn’t this a little too pink?”
Lila responded, “I like it and it’s not too much, just the flowers.” And the tablecloths and the curtains.
“Eva, the sketches you sent were so pretty and detailed for the outfit, they could hardly decide.”
Lila turned. “What costume?”
We all stared at her, and I said, “The outfit that your betrothed is going to wear at the wedding?”
Her eyes widened. “I am so forgetful. I forgot.”
“Don’t worry. Eva took care of it and I have to say, it looks splendid on him,” Jasmine said.
Lila begged to see the sketch, but I refused to show her. “You will see it at the wedding.”
“Please,” she begged.
I shook my head, and Jasmine said, “I didn’t see Alec’s outfit either before the wedding, and they say if the husband sees you in your wedding gown before the big day it’s bad luck. So why shouldn’t it be the other way around too?”
“How is the baby, Jasmine?” Ritta asked.
“Oh, it’s growing and kicking and I don’t eat very much, but it’s fine.”
Her mother walked in and greeted her. “Jasmine. Follow me to the sitting room, and we can talk.”
Jasmine nodded, and as they left the room, we heard her mother complaining. “Can you believe that she did this and that—?” Hopefully, Jasmine would find rational explanations. After lunch, we went for a walk in London. With everything we had been helping Lila with, this was the first chance we had to get out. The palace had gardens, of course, but it wasn’t the same.
London was nice, but gray and with a lot of rain all the time. What kind of weather was that? The sisters told us that this weather was almost all year long. No wonder they wanted to leave. How could you smile with weather like this?
When we returned to the palace, I had a letter from Jonathan that said they found the moon flower. Then he wrote some other sweet things for me. No, I was not sharing with you or anybody. Curiosity was a bad thing, you know.
I gave Jasmine my sketches for the Warm Room and she was thrilled. “I like everything very much. I will study them later. I want to congratulate you on your engagement to—”
I put my finger on my lips. “Don’t say it aloud. It’s not to be known for the time being.”
“I’m sorry, but why? You have nothing to be afraid of.”
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