To Love and To Be Loved

Chapter IV

When Aileen walked into her room, she groaned. There in her sitting room were her brothers, both smirking like idiots as they saw the small smile on her lips.

"So... Aileen-"

"No, shut up and get out."
She muttered bluntly as she walked to her dressing room, but her idiot brothers followed.

"We just wanted to ask what you think about the Estate."
Alexander said innocently, although his smirk suggested that it was everything but innocent.

Aileen groaned and dropped onto the chair in the corner of the room,

"The place is nice, the libraries are beautiful and I want to hit you with a book."

The brothers rolled their eyes as they walked around the room, picking out her dinner attire with surprising detail and style. Wesley pulled his sister to her feet with a small smile,
"We'll shut up...for now. But dinner is in half an hour and you need to change."

Aileen smiled and nodded,
"Thank you, just wait in the sitting room and I'll be out soon."

The brothers filed out, both already changed into their expensive and formal evening wear rather than travel attire.

Aileen turned to the clothes. It was a dark blue velvet gown that fell softly to the ground and fitted smoothly around the corded stay she was already wearing, and the boat-neckline was hemmed with black and gold embroidery, as was the hem of the skirt.

Her shoes were black with golden details around her toes and for her hair, they had left a small band with onyx and sapphire beads.

She quickly changed one dress for the other and changed shoes and accessories, before walking into the sitting room where her brothers childishly cheered,

"She's a woman!"

"Looking good, Li!"

"Oh, bugger off, you idiots,"
She scowled as she walked to the door and left, letting her brothers follow her as they walked down staircases and hallways until they reached the dining hall without the help of a servant.

They all watched carefully as the guests walked around, champagne flutes in hand, quiet music from the quartet in the background and a lavish table covered in fabulous foods and place settings.

As a ritual, the brothers held Aileen's hands before letting go and walking into the room, a final push of confidence before she was forced to enter enemy territory; they knew the challenge she found in doing so and wanted her to remember they were there by her side.

Alexander then walked off whilst Wesley lingered beside his sister a little longer,

"Two weeks of this? This is a nightmare."
Aileen whispered to her brother who nodded his head,

"I know, but after that we hopefully get to hide away at home again."

Aileen nodded, thinking of her books and library and calming down her racing heart,

"Miss Aileen?"

She turned to find Lord Connor, his attire also swapped from day clothes to regal black, white and silver with his brown hair more maintained. She quickly curtsied,

"Lord Connor, nice to see you again."
She emphasised his title and smiled at the small flicker of emotion that washed over the man.

"And you, may I guide you to your seat?"
He asked politely and gestured a hand to the table where people were slowly sitting down,

"That would be very helpful, thank you."

The two walked away and Wesley remained there, smiling at his sister who was smiling and listening intently to the Lord's story, she would be just fine here.