4th Time Lucky

The Invitation

"Good morning Miss," Angie announced as she flung the curtains open.

Katherine scrunched her eyes shut and rolled over.

"You've got mail!" Angie said cheerfully - too cheerfully for the early hour.

Katherine tried to tunnel in the large fluffy comforter. The sunlight was peeking through the cracks between the blankets.

"You'll want to read it," the maid sang. She tried to pull the covers off the bed, but Katherine had wedged the edges under her bottom. Angie had seen this before, practically raising Katherine alongside the Baroness once she came to live on the estate as a child.  Nothing she couldn't fix.

"Not today," said Katherine's blanket-muffled voice.

"It has the Empress's seal, Miss! You've got to open it." Angie stepped back from the bed with her hands on her wide hips. "Plus you have a lunch meeting with Gregory Remington to discuss his courtship with you and your hospital volunteering straight after. You've slept in, so you've missed your morning ride and the estate's all-hands meeting... we'd be lucky to get you dressed in time for Gregory."

The lump under the blanket was not moved. It rose and fell in time with its occupant's breath.

Inside, Katherine was hot and still tired. She was tired of picking bad men. Tired of doing things that weren't her passion. Tired of the damned curse upon her life.

Angie tried a different tactic.

"I suppose you don't need your best to meet Gregory. He's not Duke Albrecht." She paused to measure the effect her statement had on the hill of blankets. It appeared to have stopped breathing. "I suppose Gregory would be a good backup plan, but everyone knows the Duke fancies you, so why not put all of your efforts there?"

A decision was made quickly under the fabric, and Katherine's head, complete with wildly frazzled hair, poked out.

"Who said that? Are you gossiping about me?"

Angie looked mock-horrified, secretly pleased she was able to rouse her Miss from the bed. "I would never," she said. "I'm only passing on the gossip I hear about you. I don't engage."

Katherine considered this, pulling the edge of the blankets close to her lips. "Who says the Duke fancies me?" she mumbled.

Angie gently pulled the blanket further down.

"I heard from the cook's son who went to market and ran into the Kielgard's steward's errand boy that the kitchen staff at his estate seem to think they might have seen the Duke alone with you in the kitchen and he was flirting with you and begging to court you..."

Katherine's eyes grew wide with both shock and embarrassment. They didn't do anything!

But she remembered his eyes, staring at her from beneath his lashes. Please consider my offer.

Didn't she already say yes, publicly, in front of the Emperor, the Empress, and his mother?

Well, even if she did give permission they hadn't met or spoken since to arrange terms.

"And I heard from our delivery staff that the kitchen staff at the Albrecht's have been preparing for a big ball of some kind and the Duke got into a big fight with his mother over whether or not to invite you."

Katherine knew it was silly, but the thought of him wanting her there made her feel lighter inside. Especially after the nightmares of last night.

"Are you blushing?"

Katherine pulled the sheets up to her face just as Angie pulled the comforter down and the whole bundle snapped from their hands and fell to the floor.

"You are!" Angie declared, laughing playfully. "Does this mean the Kielgard-kitchen-incident really happened?"

Katherine groaned and rolled face down into her pillow, tucking her arms close to her body against the cool bedroom air. She turned her face a little to the side so Angie could hear her.

"Thomas was an ass, and the Duke provided me cover to escape."

"I'm not surprised he was an ass. Four women have already turned down his offer of courtship."

Katherine sat up and whipped a pillow at her maid. "Angie! You knew and didn't tell me?"

"I didn't know everything. People only started opening up after I told them you were going over for a group date."

"Is there anything I should know about Gregory?!"

Angie considered this for a second then shook her head. "By all accounts he's very sweet. He's also very young, and most people talk about him like he's a boy, rather than a man of age."

Katherine groaned in a very in-ladylike way. She was already metaphorically too old for this, she didn't want to physically be too old as well. "Tell me the bad news. How very little of age is he?"

"He's twenty."

One year less than her, physically.

"Well, he will be in a month," Angie amended.

"Oh Gods, I'm about to proposition a teenager!" Katherine wailed dramatically.

Angie tapped her leg and walked over to a free standing dressing screen where she had already prepared clothing for the day. "It's not that bad. Besides, I thought you were sweet on the Duke of Albrecht and today's meeting wouldn't matter?"

Katherine reluctantly sat on the edge of the bed and considered the plain grey dress Angie had prepared. "If I'm wearing that Gregory wouldn't look twice anyway. All the young ladies are into peach and lavender."

"I could bring out the mint green one again? Peach makes you look washed out, I hope you don't get sucked in to the trend." Angie flourished the grey dress. "I know you don't like to wear your best when you go to the hospital, but this one is cut so flattering over your... ah, in the front? And it has pockets."

Katherine caved. "You had me at pockets."

They worked together to layer the dress properly. Katherine braced her hands on the vanity as the last of the ties in the back we're done up. A flash of gold caught her eye.

"You were serious. The Empress did send a letter - Ah! Too tight!"

Angie quickly finished tying the stays. "It'll loosen as you work and you won't have time to get it redone. If you can get enough breath to complain you're fine."

Katherine picked up the letter and broke the Empress's seal. Inside was Her Royal Highness' actual handwriting! Katherine sat abruptly on the stool in front of the vanity. But she didn't slouch - the dress was too tight for that.

Angie pounced on the opportunity to do Katherine's hair. Maybe she'd get away with weaving Katherine a braided twist, similar to Angie's own. "Well, what does the letter say?"

Katherine read it - twice. "It says that she wants me to help her with an event. She's also offering a contract to provide servant wine for the palace and in exchange, she would like to help with... winning the Duke's hand?"

She turned the letter over, waiting to see if there was a hidden message. It couldn't be real. Surely the Empress knew that all three of those things were only bonuses to Katherine. She didn't know enough about events to be useful, the wine contract would bring in money and notoriety, and winning the Duke... meant marrying the Duke, and how was that good for anyone but her? Why would the Empress even care?

"You're ready," Angie declared. "Let's make sure you're not late for Mr. Gregory Remington. I'll get you some stationery for your reply, then we'll be off."