Page 22 of The Last Casterglass
Had Althea said something about it? Seph recalled Althea talking about bridesmaids, and she’d assumed she’d have Olivia, like she did for her wedding to Jasper when Seph had only been two. She’d excluded herself automatically, and maybe she shouldn’t have.
“I didn’t realise…” she began, only to have Olivia pull her up by the hand.
“Well, you do now! Come and try on your dress.”
“All right…”
“Rose and Sam are bringing the twins back tomorrow afternoon, you know,” Olivia continued as she hurried Seph along the garden paths. “You definitely don’t want to miss that!”
“I suppose not.” She’d kept a very low profile with all the family doings; yes, she’d known Althea and John were getting married and yes, she was well aware Rose and Sam had had twins, but she hadn’t really thought beyond that. She hadn’t inserted herself into any of the family gatherings or plannings, because…well, she never had before. But maybe this was what trying could look like.
“Hurry up,” Olivia called to her, for Seph’s steps had slowed on the path. “The seamstress Tilly is waiting to take our measurements for alterations. What were you doing out here, anyway? It’s freezing.”
“Just thinking—”
“They must have been some very deep thoughts.” Olivia paused to peer at her closely. “Is everything okay? I know I asked you last night, but I’ll ask again because Sam said something about maybe having upset you—”
“He didn’t,” Seph said quickly. Her brother hadn’t meant anything by his teasing; she knew that. She was the one who had created the conflict. She just hoped Oliver could move past it like he’d said. “Anyway, let’s go see these dresses.”
“They’re gorgeous. And not too frilly, or anything like that, so I think you’ll like them, too.” Sliding her a quick, sideways grin, Olivia hurried back towards the castle, with Seph following.
Althea had turned the family sitting room above the kitchen into something of a dressing room, with plastic-swathed hangers everywhere and Tilly, the local seamstress, equipped with a tape measure and pincushion. Someone had even dragged a lacquered coromandel screen that one of their ancestors had picked up during their travels to Asia from the attic, for modesty while changing.
“I’m not sure I need a new dress,” Violet mused as the seamstress began taking the plastic off the dresses. “I’ve got so many things in my closet…”
“And most of them are at least forty years old if not one hundred and forty years old,” Althea replied briskly. “They’re lovely vintage, Mummy, but I think you deserve a new dress, and royal blue is such a lovely colour on you. Brings out your eyes.”
Violet smiled faintly as she touched her hair, drawn up in a messy bun with a knitting needle stuck through it. “My eyes are one of my best features,” she agreed, and Olivia gave Seph a laughing look.
“If you do so say yourself, Mum,” she teased. “But you first, Althea. Let’s see your gorgeous gown!”
“It’s more sensible than gorgeous,” Althea replied, “which is perfectly appropriate for a bride in her forties, on a second marriage no less—”
“Oh, come on.” Olivia rolled her eyes. “Don’t take awayallthe romance.”
Althea’s cheeks pinked. “There’s still plenty of romance, I assure you,” she said stiffly, and Olivia let out a howl of laughter while Seph found herself smiling. It wasn’t often her oldest sister looked discomfited.
“Bridesmaids first, anyway,” Althea said briskly. “Olivia and Seph, come on now.”
“How did I manage to forget I was a bridesmaid?” Seph asked, and then blushed at Althea’s knowing look.
“Maybe because you weren’t thrilled at the thought of wearing a dress,” she replied. “Which is why I was so pleased to see you in one last night, because clearly you can dress up when the mood strikes you.”
“Yes, but…” Seph wasn’t sure how to explain that she’d neverexpectedto be a bridesmaid. That she and Althea had never had that kind of relationship.
“I want both my sisters to be bridesmaids,” Althea declared robustly.
“What about Poppy?” Seph asked. Althea’s eighteen-year-old daughter had just started university.
“She’s doing a reading during the ceremony. We wanted to keep it streamlined and simple. Two sisters, two bridesmaids.” She paused and then continued with an awkward sort of determination, “I know we haven’t always been as close as we could have been, but I am trying to make up for that. Probably not doing a very good job of it, but still.” She gave Seph a suspiciously bright-eyed smile. “Here we all are.”
“Yes.” Seph found she was as alarmingly bright-eyed as Althea. “Here we are.”
Her sister was clearly making an effort to include her, and so, she decided, she would make an effort too. She would try, even if everyone knew she was trying, even if it was hard.
“That’s okay, isn’t it, Seph?” Althea asked, an uncharacteristic note of uncertainty in her voice. “I know you don’t like dressing up, but the dresses are really quite elegant and simple—”
“It’s fine,” Seph said quickly. She took a steadying breath and then continued, “I mean, it’s more than fine. It’s great. Thank you. I’m honoured. And touched, actually. I never expected you to ask me, so…thank you. Really.” The resounding silence that followed this made Seph blush and prickle, just a little bit. “What?” she asked. Okay, so maybe she’d tried a little too much.
