*re-edited*
Marie graciously ran up to the room she was clothed in and noticed that all of her things were gone. "Connie?" She called, looking around the rooms in panic. "Yes, Your Royal Highness?" The woman walked out, folding a pair of trousers that were freshly ironed.
"Where are all of my things?" Marie smiled politely, a feeling of uneasiness settling on her. "You will not be staying here. The Queen has bought a small house a few roads away, for callers," Connie replied, returning to her ironing. "Ah, thank you for the specificity," Marie sarcastically smiled for the lack of information before walking down the stairs uncomfortably in her dress.
After a short and awkward carriage ride, Marie was dropped off by the entrance of her house. It was most enticing, the girls new house was littered with white flowers and ivy, the house beneath it a brilliant white. "There you go, Your Royal Highness," The carriage driver gestured to the house after helping her out the carriage, quickly trotting off.
Before Marie could step foot in the house, someone was calling for her. "Princess Howard?" Marie turned around, recognising the awfully dressed gingers from the ceremony. The continued to wear hideously bright colours, contrasting Marie's basic white regency attire. "Hello, lovely to make your acquaintance," She curtseyed, although it was out of the social heirarchies expectations.
"Oh dear, no, we should be the ones curtsying, after all we are in the presence of a Princess," The older woman smiled forcefully. She nudged the girls in the ribs before they all began to curtsy. "Oh no, it's quite alright," Marie smiled at them, gesturing kindly towards them. For some reason she felt the need to be more proper and genteel, unlike herself in France.
"Please call me Marie," She assured, turning to go into the house but the fame-needy Mama was not yet done. "You are living here now? We live right next to you and across from the Bridgerton's," The woman laughed eccentrically. "I do not know how long I shall be here for. I assume until I wed, which will be unlikely. I am sorry but the names do not mean much, I haven't been in England in a very long time." Marie curtsied and returned to her door.
"Good Morning, Your Royal Highness. I am your maid, Bea. How was your debutante performance?" A young mousey girl opened the door. She owned pale skin, covered in large moles. Her dark hair was slicked back, excentuating the contours of her face.
"It was very proper, Bea. And please, call me Marie," The Princess grinned, beginning to get sick of people calling her 'Your Royal Highness'. "Right, well, there is a ball tonight to celebrate the new Diamond of the season, Daphne Bridgerton. I should get a bath ready for you," Bea bowed slightly and retreated to the bathroom.
Marie took a short while to explore the depths of the small house before deciding she enjoyed the drawing room the most. It was large, probably the largest room in the house, and had sunlight pouring into it from the large French windows.
"Marie, the bath is set," Bea explained, finding the girl reading a book on the drawing rooms patterned sofa. She placed the Shakespearean book down and followed Bea to the wash room. There, she took a longer bath than the one at the palace, taking her time to scrub the smell of pine wood onto her, something her mother insisted on as it was the only thing that would mask the smell of acrylic paint. A scent she adored more than just about anything.
"Bea?" Marie queried as she lathered herself in more scented bubbles. The maid entered the bathroom, closely watching the metal tongs that she was heating by the open fire. "Please could you arrange an easel to be placed in the drawing room, by one of the windows?" She asked, smiling when Bea nodded and left the room.
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"I do truly wish for my hair to be down," Marie complained to Bea as the scrawny girl tied her hair back. "I'm sorry but this is a ball and everyone will have their up," Bea pressed, making Marie roll her eyes and smile at the maids snarky attitude. Hand picked by the Queen herself, just for Marie.
"Pour l'amour de Dieu, if you must. Just don't make it too fancy," Marie gave in, settling in the bath more comfortably. Once her hair was finished, Marie got out of the bath, towel-dried herself and looked down at the selection of colorful dresses that Queen Charlotte had chosen for her.
"Would it be so hard for women to wear trousers? It would certainly be easier," Marie shook her head and chuckled at Bea's shocked face. "Never heard of such a suggestion? The French are more up to date with a new form of equality," She enquired and Bea shook her head, her eyes lowering to the floor. Marie let loose a laugh, "It happens a lot of France, more defiant women there. Like myself." And she chose a dress.
► Marie's hair
► Marie's dress
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Marie entered the ball, her eyes fluttering closed as she enjoyed the music. Her mother had forced her to learn how to play the violin, since Marie was so adamant on not playing the pianoforte, and so Marie had a real appreciation for the violin players. She came with no chaperone, scandolously delightful in her opinion, and so Marie walked around, introducing herself to everyone and speaking French to all the eager young children who found it most interesting.
"Your Royal Highness," Marie's redhead neighbour approached her, smiling gracefully. "I do like your dress. It is very... flamboyant" Marie's posh French accent accentuated her compliment, lying through her teeth as she stared at the bright green material. "Why thank you, I believe we never formally introduced ourselves in our conversation earlier," She curtsied passive aggresively, and Marie had to resist not to roll her eyes.
"I am Lady Featherington and these are my daughters: Phillipa, Prudence and Penelope," She gestured to the shorter, plump girls in front of her who had equally-awful dresses. Penelope, although, had a beautiful face with high potential. "Lovely to make your acquaintance Your Majesty," Penelope - the one in the yellow dress bowed slightly. "Lovely to meet you Miss Penelope, although I do believe that title is reserved for Her Majesty, my Godmother," Marie chuckled, curtseyed again and took her leave.
Marie hummed along to the song the orchestra were playing as she made her way around the room, shaking hands with people she had met at her parent's balls. Although recently, she had been banned from them after knocking over a tower of crystal champagne glasses.
"Daphne, it would be against my duty to not retrieve you the perfect husband," A harsh spoke with annoyance laid in his voice. "Well, how would you know if you send away every man who comes near me," Daphne, the new Diamond, complained to her brother. She had a gorgeously beaded dress on, matching the beauty of Marie's. Her hair was slicked back apart from the small curtain bangs which curled around her forehead.
Marie rolled her bright eyes as she overheard the conversation, one she had argued with her mother about many a time before. Anthony, the older brother, sounded alike to the whole of French, actually. Marie grabbed a wine glass, quickly tipping her head back, downing the peachy liquid and shaking her head as she deviously smirked. She huffed, preparing herself for her new plan. It wouldn't be a Marie entrance if she didn't add some flare.
"Look, Lord Bythesea is coming over," Daphne smiled attractively, looking over at the handsome man approaching them. His bright smile almost matched the way his blonde hair gleamed under the chandelier light. "No, he has a past of gambling," Anthony told her adamantly, holding onto Daphne's arm.
"Once, and he won the bet, do you not remember?" Daphne's smile dissolved. Marie lifted her lips, walking over to the pair. She prepared herself, looking back to the crowd as she approached them.
She smirked as she felt herself walk straight into Anthony's side, accidently falling into him and tripping on her dress. The small rip of the bottom of her dress did not attract her attention, instead she focused on Anthony. She felt him let go of Daphne as he caught Marie gracefully. People gasped as they watched the events unfold.
Marie took the opportunity of Anthony's vulnerablestate to push Daphne into the arms of Lord Bythesea. "My Lady, are you harmed?" He questioned as Marie gasped dramatically. Her wine glass dropped, smashing into small shards on the floor and liquid pooled near their feet. Eyes turned to them. "No, I'm so sorry my Lord. I wasn't looking where I was headed," She bowed her eyes to the floor gently, smiling as she looked at Daphne who was being whisked away by a man on the dancefloor.
"Do not worry about it," Anthony smiled, his eyes crinkling with the reminiscence of a laughter-filled childhood. "And you are, my Lady?" Anthony queried as he helped Marie up to her feet. Daphne turned back when dancing, Anthony not even noticing that she was gone, giggling when Marie winked at her. "A Princess to you."
This Author is not surprised to see that Princess Marie Howard has made a grand gesture at the Diamond ball when she fell straight into the arms of Anthony Bridgerton, a gap being left for our Diamond to be off into the arms of excited suitors. I surely cannot see how these two events are related.