the arrangement | ethma

4

Emma

We sat in the gardens for a little while, until Amelia came to get us. She was our family's assistant, mostly attending to our mother and us children. She wasn't quite a nanny, but she helped wherever she was needed in the house.

"Miss Emma, Prince Ethan?"

We looked up, and there Amelia was.

"Hi, Amelia," I said, standing up. I felt Ethan's hand on the small of my back, helping me balance in my shoes. The cobblestone wan't exactly even, and I was still getting used to these heels.

"The caterers are here," she said. "They've been working closely with your chefs, and they're ready for you."

"Thank you," I said, glancing at Ethan. He gave a nod, and we started walking towards the back entrance to the house, where Amelia led us to the banquet room. There were long tables lined up along the walls, and it smelled magnificent.

I remembered my mother saying that the caterers were French and Italian, and some of the best chefs in the world. I knew that my mother and Ethan's mother had been working together to find the best people to hire for our wedding.

Every type of food had a little card in front of it, describing what it was. There were samples of different foods on each table, each table representing a certain course.

The appetizers started with feta watermelon cubes, then flatbread with prosciutto and cream cheese, sweet potato slices topped with goat cheese and cranberries, bite sized lobster rolls, and finally cheesy bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapeños.

We ended up agreeing on both the flatbread, and the jalapeños.

Next we tried all of the different soups. There were seven different ones to try, but I liked some better than others. My favorites were the loaded baked potato soup, the pumpkin pork stew, and the slow-cooked lamb and bean stew. Our wedding was going to be in the autumn, so most of the foods were more seasonal.

We ended up choosing the lamb and bean stew, and then we moved on to sampling the entrees to choose from.

For the main course, there was seared scallops with brown butter and lemon pan sauce, duck breasts with apricot sauce, pork tenderloin with three berry salsa, honey lime chicken breasts, twice baked potatoes stuffed with cheese, bacon, chives and sour cream, and then drizzled with brown butter, and finally chicken breasts stuffed with spinach.

We decided to let the guests decide which entree they would have, the choices being either the twice baked potatoes, or the honey-lime chicken. Green beans and dinner rolls would also be served.

For dessert, there was an assortment of different cookies, mini cheesecakes, chocolate peanut butter truffles, different types of chocolate mousse, panna cotta cups with champagne in the middle, and finally strawberries and cream.

We decided to do a dessert table with all of these desserts, letting guests just choose which desserts they would like when they wanted.

We would also have a cake, but the tasting for that was going to be its own event closer to the wedding.

After we were done picking out the different foods, it was time for Ethan to meet up with my father, and the rest of the men for business stuff I didn't know much about. Us girls were never taught too much about business.

My mother found me, and I was granted permission to take a nap before it would be time to get ready for the party. I was somehow already exhausted, and it wasn't even 2:30 yet.

I climbed under the sheets, my heated blanket immediately making me relaxed as my head landed on my pillow. I fell asleep hoping that everything Ethan told me was true. That he wasn't just saying nice things just to say them, and that he actually meant what he said.

That he wanted us to be happy.

-

After I woke up, there was a whole team of our staff helping to do my hair, my nails, my makeup, and to dress me for the engagement party.

My dress had sleeves that reached just past my elbows, and it went down to just above my knees. It was made of gold sequins, but the material on the inside made it comfortable.

In our families, you're supposed to look glamorous and luxurious for your engagement party.

My eyeshadow matched my dress, and I chose to wear a light lip color that was more neutral than anything. It made me look mature, and I felt beautiful.

Maybe this is how girls in those movies feel when they're getting married.

We've always been taught that brides are supposed to be beautiful for their husbands, but they never taught us to look in the mirror and feel beautiful for ourselves.

This was one of the first times in my life that I felt beautiful, and it was because I looked how I wanted to.

There was still some time before the party would start and I was ready, so I went to find Lia.

She was in her room, so I went in and sat down at the vanity.

"Hey, Emma," she said, straightening her dress.

"Hey," I said. "I wanted to check on you before the party."

She gave me a funny look. "Why?"

"To see if you were okay. I know you get worried sometimes."

Lia sat down next to me on the little bench and leaned her head on my shoulders. "You're my sister. I'm always gonna worry about you."

"I promise I'm okay. I'm going to be okay. Ethan might be good for me."

She lifted her head up, narrowing her eyes. "I don't think any of these men can ever be good."

I put my arm around her shoulder, leaning my head against hers. "I know. But this is the world we live in. This is how our life works. I know for a fact that there's worse Princes than Ethan, so I think I'll be alright."

My mother stuck her head through the doorway. "It's time to go downstairs," she announced.

Lia and I got up, and we walked into the hallway where my mother was waiting for us.

I'm really going to miss having those two around.