To Love A Lady

Chapter Three

"There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature."
-Jane Austen

...

Allie's conversation with her father did help with her outlook on life, though the prospect of her younger sister getting married was still difficult to think of. But, Allie decided that if she could not fight what was happening, she might as well embrace Ruthie's happiness with her arms open rather than fight it.

"I don't really want a large affair," Ruthie held up one of Allie's emerald ear-bobs up to her ear, inspecting herself at the vanity mirror. "Big weddings are so impersonal."

"Well, it's up to you, but I think that plenty of people would want to come. You know how it is, Ruthie." Allie tried very hard to be impartial, letting her sister take the lead on planning her big day, even though Allie would have wanted the grandest event to mark her nuptials. "You are a daughter of the Duke of Silvermont."

To be honest, when she had always pictured her big day, she imagined an event for all of society to pay witness too. An event of the season, something that debutantes would be chattering about for years to come, but after three seasons with no luck at a match she was happy with, she was getting a bit desperate for her life to begin.

"Perhaps you could convince me if I were inheriting anything, but as you said, I am the daughter of a Duke. I doubt that many people will care that I am getting married, now if it were Harper, all bets are off," Ruthie smiled, placing the first ear-bobs down, then exchanging them for another pair. "Besides, once we are married, Jacob and I are to be leaving for America. He has some business to attend to, and then we will be traveling until the spring."

"So, your wedding will be a going-away party too," Allie laughed, trying to make light of her sister leaving, but it was hard for both of them because they had always been so close.

"I am not leaving just yet, I still have three weeks to annoy you with my plans," Three weeks was not that long. "Allie, I am glad that you agreed to be my maid of honor. It means the world to me."

Allie smiled a bit too sweetly at her sister. She had been asked the same day that Ruthie had announced her engagement and there was no way that Allie was able to say no, no matter what her personal opinions of the groom or the situation were. Ruthie was her sister and she loved her.

"Of course. What did you think I would say?"

"Well, I thought that you might have said no..." Ruthie looked at her for a moment, her blue eyes like gaping holes burning into Allie's heart. She felt terrible. "You didn't seem too happy about it last week when we announced it."

True enough. Allie had acted in a childish manner, one that she was ashamed to admit. It was cruel of her to have been so cold.

"I am happy for you, truly," Allie pressed, though it was somewhat of a lie, she wanted it to be true... "I want you to be happy, and so does Papa, and I trust his judgment. So if getting married to Mr. Livingston makes you happy, then you should."

Ruthie pulled Allie into a large hug, smiling wide.

"Am I interrupting something?" Emilia barged through the tall, wooden door. She ran into the room in the most unladylike of ways.

"You are almost an hour late, Em! Where were you?"

It was a moment before anyone spoke, just plain silence, dragging on.

"Uh- I had just forgotten that we were meeting to talk about the wedding today-" Emilia tugged on one of her auburn braids.

"It's not just a conversation, Em, we are meeting with Madame Kristoff about our gowns."