Guide: Triso′my Lan, Do′ la Van
Now it was time for tea. From the early morning, the maids were circling around Veronica, dressing her. She was extremely uncomfortable with the attention and the number of hands that were touching her. Bella professionally ran whole everything. The girl with the shining eyes looked at Veronica's transformation. Now she looked like a born aristocrat of blue blood.
The straight black hair was on her back, and the front strands were tied with a small bow at the back. She wore a silver necklace with ruby on her thin neck. Bella said that the stone was perfect for her eyes, and Veronica didn't argue. The fine silver earrings like drops of fresh dew only accentuated its elegance.
Bella was looking at the tacky gold hoop on Veronica's finger.
"Of course, I knew the wedding was hurrying, but he could have a better ring." She said with disappointed.
Veronica looked down at the ring. She never wore jewelry, she didn't even know how the wedding rings looked, so she was indifferent to his appearance. She glided involuntarily at Bella's hand. Veronica hadn't noticed that before. Elegant gold ring with emerald stone. The glitter of stone was supplemented by two small diamonds on the sides.
Bella noticed the girl's exploring look and smiled.
"Beautiful?" She blushed.
"Very. Fits your hair. Did your husband choose?"
"Ugh. It was his first and last gift to me."
It sounded very sad. Awkwardly.
"I'm not really looking at the jewelry." Veronica began to interrupt the uncomfortable silence. She wanted to say something to Bellа felt better.
"I see so many brilliant stones for the first time in my life. For a girl from one great family it looks strange, isn't it?
"Don't say that!" Bella exclaimed. "It's not. You look amazing like you were born to wear all these jewels."
"Hah..." Awkwardly.
***
In the greenhouse filled with pleasant flower and refreshing fragrances heard lively conversations. Six young ladies of the various ages sat at the large long table. One girl was in kind not more than 15 yo and another about 10. There was one lady who seemed older than Bella. At least quite confident and calm aura twisted around her.
While the other girls talked cheerfully about the new fashion fan, the beautiful young men and jewels, she drank tea silently, watching. It might seem that she was dreaming of something, but the meaningful answers to unexpected questions that they asked her showed her observation. Despite her external detachment, she listened attentively and heard.
"Ladies!" Bella said as soon as they were in the field of view of the girls.
"Madam!" Exclaimed light-brown haired young girl in a emerald dress with white voluminous sleeves.
"Madame Kir-Erdey." Tilting her head lightly and smiling softly oldest greeted her long-standing friend.
Veronica noted her incredible beauty. A small sharp face with a red cherry lips. Long dark brown hair shone in the light passing through the glass roof of the greenhouse. The white light dress with open breasts gave her elegance and lightness. For the first time in her life Veronica had seen a beautiful woman who had her heart locked. But this feeling was scattered in the same instant, as their eyes crossed.
Not in such cases people say: Birds of a feather flock together?
"Sister!" Joyfully screamed the youngest and ran to Bellа.
"Oh gosh, Meledin! You've grown up with our last meeting. You're such a beautiful!"
The girl smiled wide, blushing. She stared at Veronica with her big children's eyes.
"Sister, who's with you?"
Veronica bowed slightly.
"Good afternoon, ladies. I'm Veronica Kir-Erdey, the wife of Leon Kir-Erdey. Rosenblatt's family only daughter. I'm glad to meet you."
Silence.
Veronica felt their sharp eyes on herself. Two girls reacted very emotionally, stunned round eyes staring at the stranger, covering his mouth with his hand.
"What beautiful." Absolutely without thinking said girl, continuing to look at the Veronica.
"Thanks, darling." Veronica squatted before the girl, her eyes narrowed.
In one of the books she read, allegedly, to establish having good relations with children with them needed equally and establish visual contact. So you have to smile and speak softly.
"What's your name?"
"Lady Meledin Otieno!" Holding her dress, she bowed. "The daughter of the Otieno family, Madam! Glad to meet you!"
"Mutually." She curtsied in response. "I'll be very grateful if lady doesn't make it difficult to call me milady." Veronica looked up at the present, that with a certain fear looked at her as an exotic animal. "I'll be very grateful for this little request."
"Indeed... Do you compensate for the lack of manners with your appearance?" The girl in the burgundy dress was sarcastically taciturn, though everyone heard her perfectly.
"Call a married lady "milady"?" Supported her blonde friend girl in light milk dress who wasn't shy to express their dissatisfaction. "If you don't put your marriage on, don't make it so obvious, madam."
The girl returned to the table, holding a cup to her mouth.
"Change the tea!" Ordered the girl in milk dress. "This one is already cold."
It sounded like Veronica was to blame for her tea getting cold.
"Society has its own rules, Madame Veronica." Still sitting with a cool face, calm and without a hint of ridicule or contempt, said the beautiful woman with brown hair. "Please keep an eye on the words from now on. Carelessness can become a breeding ground for dirty gossip."
The air was noticeably colder. Everyone was noticeably more tense. Even the girls who had been so zealous before, were silent and breathed in their discontent.
Sophia Trisomy Lan.
Veronica knew this woman very well. She was one of those personalities that Veronica wanted to know about herself.
Photos and activities. Duchess of the southern family Trisomy Lan. Among aristocrats, not so many families that is headed by a woman. She is an example of a strong person who was admired not only by the young ladies, but also by Veronica.
When everyone was seated at the table, the conversation continued as if nothing had happened. The tension in the room vanished without a trace.
***
"Madame Veronica, may I ask you something?"
Continued to harass blonde Veronica. Rebecca Do la Van, as she found out later. The girl didn't consider it necessary to introduce herself, openly showing her disdain for the newcomer.
As Bella explained, her family is one of three that direct line to the Aristophan family, like Kir-Erdey. Her family is an art dealer. They own several stone mines. They own rare paintings and sculptures. Do la Van often hold auctions, where they either sell the acquired or buy new wilds.
The girl asked, but apparently she didn't need permission, so blonde continued without waiting for an answer.
"Why have you never attended social events? You didn't even have a debut ball. It's no secret that everyone at this table has heard some not very pleasant rumors about you, madam. Although we met for the first time, but it doesn't seem like you have any mental problems."
Behind her words she hid the taunts with her unbridled anxiety. This girl wasn't at all embarrassed by who she was in front of. She sees a vulnerability - she hits it.
The lady in the milk dress supported her "friend" with all her appearance, and also didn't deprive Veronica of a comment.
"Right! How much should the head of the family be ashamed of his only daughter in order not to let her out of the house? The Duke didn't even arrange a debut ball for you." She uttered the words of Do la Van.
"You think," with a light smile calmly begins Veronica "should I beat the dishes, scream, pull my hair and throw myself at people to make me look like a lunatic? Right?"
All with the same impenetrable face, with a smooth movement of her hand, she threw off her porcelain cup and a plate of sweets from the table, which she had not touched. The dishes with a crash broke on the tile.
Shock, misunderstanding and fear in the eyes of Rebecca and the lady in the milk dress. The girls who were running around the greenhouse also froze at the sharp sound.
The young girl, no older than Veronica, who sat on the other side of Sofia and kept silent and whose presence wasn't particularly felt, from surprise shuddered. She dropped her cup. The girl squealed. The dark liquid left a huge stain on her delicate blue dress. She jumped up abruptly from her chair and her cup fell into pieces on the floor.
"Is that what you came for, ladies?"
Veronica didn't understand why these two people were here. Bella was telling her that she knew the right people. Now she was beginning to doubt it. A useless girl. Did Veronica overestimate her?
Bella immediately took her fellow to change. No one said anything. Sophia continued to enjoy the sweets offered herself. Around her, a completely different atmosphere was spiraling. Veronica was bored with this useless event, which she decided to leave. But as soon as she got up there was a woman's voice that she didn't know. She didn't even notice someone were coming.
"Madam, the Lord has called. He is waiting for you in the lounge."
The girl had already met this woman, but she didn't pay much attention. She looked much older than the other maids. Besides the visible linen and the narrow glasses, she was wearing the same dress as Deya. She always stood by Margaret and gave the girl a similar look as her mistress.
'What a pity!" Said Veronica with an act of disdain. "I must leave you today. I hope, you honour me with another visit.
Nodding her head and turning, Veronica pulled her head up and headed to the living room.
***
On the other side of the wire, Leon was waiting for her.
"Veronica is listening. "
"Your brother had just broken into my office." Leon excitedly cut off, not wasting time on empty pleasantries.
"Niklaus? - she frowned. It's not like him. Did you do something to him?"
"I'm talking about Eric. "
Silence.
foreboding treacherously squeezed chest.
Leon also said nothing, hoping for some explanation.
"And? What did he need?" The long silence of the girl was further inflated.
"He needed you. "
"Next?"
"Threw absurd accusations that I stole you, dishonoured. He called it a cheap circus and spoke unkindly words about my family. "
"Oh..." she said, twisting the telephone wire on her finger. "Did that little thing offend you? "
"Stop playing games, Veronica. "
And she strained again. His tone changed.
"I've crossed paths with Eric several times on the battlefield. He's your brother, so you should know what I'm talking about. "
And again there was silence.
Veronica's heart was crushed all over her body. Painful memories unwittingly rekindled in her memory.
His fierce, blood-soaked and cruel eyes. His cold, strong hands that squeezed her wrists to the hurt. His scar on the whole right eye and her piercing scream mixed with hysterics.
She turned pale. The knees shook unwittingly, and the right eye shot unpleasantly.
Not the time for this.
"No cause for concern." Taking a deep breath and pushing away the unnecessary, she finally said it firmly, convincing herself more. "That's empty chatter. Keep working and don't stuff your head with silly details." In other words, she called herself a small bit that didn't deserve his attention.
She dropped off without waiting for an answer.
The heavy air left her lungs.
That's the problem.
Knowing her brother, Veronica suggested that he might be on his way here.
It's not nice when strangers witness an unflattering family scene.
Interesting fact unrelated to story: At the age of 11, Veronica had a small kitten, but it "accidentally" died a week later. Everyone knew perfectly that it was Eric's doing, although pretended that this was not the case.