There’s a loud knock, and unsurprisingly, Étienne opens the door. “What is all the hollerin’ about?”
Briefly Rainey and I look at one another. Serene hops up from the bed and walks over to Étienne. “We’re talking. That’s all.” Serene slides her arm around Étienne’s waist and leans against him.
Étienne, who is always stoic and unmoving, places a hand on Serene’s lower back and begins to smile at her, but he stops when he realizes they’re not alone. He lifts his head and narrows his eyes at me. I narrow mine right back, before I look away.
Étienne appears gruff, and before Serene, his demeanor remained that way. But the short amount of time I stayed with them, I noticed how much time he spends with her. When he is home, he is either with his kids or with Serene, talking with her, and on the rarest of occasions, smiling.
He isn’t coming in here because he is angry. He merely misses his best friend.
“It’s a bit extraordinary, isn’t it?” Rainey whispers. “To see Étienne in love.”
“It’s extraordinary to see both my brothers in love,” I reply.
Gently, Rainey pats me on the back while Étienne and Serene finish talking. Serene stands on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss, and then quietly whispers to him. She closes the door behind Étienne and hurries back over to the bed. She sits beside Rainey and gives me her full attention.
“What are you goin’ do?” Rainey asks me.
“Nothin’.”
“Nothin’,” Serene repeats dubiously.
“Nothin’,” I echo, this time with casual indifference.
Neither she nor Rainey appear convinced. I don’t think anything I say or do will convince them otherwise. “Tonight isn’t about Asa and me. It is about Rainey and Livingston. I’d like to make a toast.” I sit up straight and grab my glass from the nightstand. Rainey and Serene follow suit. I raise my glass amongst the three of us. “To love, and all its glorious wonder and power. May we all be as lucky as you and my brother.”
I tap my glass against theirs and swallow the acid taste of my words.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Nathalie
I look at myself in the mirror for the umpteenth time.
This is Rainey’s big day, but the way my heart refuses to stop pounding you would think otherwise. I know I objected to Asa escorting me down the aisle, but the idea that I would be with him gives me a secret thrill.
Do I know he will go back to Juliet after the wedding is over? Yes.
Am I putting extra care in getting ready so Asa can see what he turned his back on? Perhaps.
Serene and I tried our best to wear gowns of a similar color. And I think we did quite well.
My chiffon gown is a burnt gold color with black flowered sequins encircling my waist. The fit maintains the drop waist, but the material loosely flows about my feet.
Serene’s gown is a sandy brown with an ivory silk scarf around her waist to accentuate the drop waist. Like mine, the hem of her evening gown falls to her ankles, but it doesn’t flow out around her. We both have our hair done in finger waves and makeup is subtly applied.
I was careful when putting on my Maybelline cake mascara. The product was inside a red box with a small brush. You wet the brush, rub the bristles against the product and quickly apply the product to the lashes. You can take the product to your brows, but for me, it takes my already dark brows and makes them even thicker.
I’ve used my cake mascara so often that the Maybelline stamp that was once pressed on the product is now gone.
“If you could only see what kind of makeup they have in my time,” Serene whispers into my ear.
I smile at her, wanting to know more, but knowing that’s all Serene will say with the amount of people coming in and out of the room.
“Did you see what I just purchased?” I ask excitedly.
I hurry toward the vanity and grab the small tin pot. “It’s a new lip pomade by Max Factor.”
“Oh, Max Factor!” Serene takes the pomade and spins off the top.
“I’m thrilled that the two of you have found a connection with makeup. But I’m preparin’ for the rest of my life right now.”
In unison, we turn and see Rainey holding onto the post with both hands while the maid pulls on the strings of her corset. Rainey squeezes both of her eyes shut and sucks in a sharp breath. The maid looks at Rainey, unsure if she should continue.
“Oh, my Lord in heaven,” Mrs. Pleasonton huffs and strides over. “Let me do it.”
“Momma, corsets are horrid.”
“This is just below your bust. I do not want to hear any complaints. You can breathe with this on.” Repeatedly, Mrs. Pleasonton tugs and tugs on the strings as she talks. “Unlike when I was a young woman. Do you know how uncomfortable the corsets were in 1857?”
“No, but you’re certainly goin’ to tell me.”
With those words, Mrs. Pleasonton pulls tighter on the strings, causing Rainey to wince once more. “Of course, I am. They were so tight you were blessed if you didn’t break a rib or bruise a lung.” Mrs. Pleasonton gives one last pull before she’s satisfied with her work. Dusting her hands off, she takes a step back and helps the maid with Rainey’s gown.
“I once knew a girl who had the smallest waist because of her corset. Eighteen inches,” she says over her shoulder. “Can you believe it?”
“How did she breathe?” Serene mutters.
“Oh, none of us did, dear. None of us did,” Mrs. Pleasonton replies as she walks by with the maid. The gown held between them.
“As I was sayin’,” she continues, “This girl was so small with her corset, but when it came time to have children, she couldn’t. It’s because the corset smashed her internal organs.”
Rainey rubs her temples. “Momma, this can’t be a true story.”
Mrs. Pleasonton appears outraged by Rainey’s doubt. “Of course, it is!” She lays the gown on the bed and places her hands on her hips. “What was that girl’s name?”
She taps her foot before she snaps her finger. “Cecilia!” she says triumphantly.
“Poor Cecilia and her smushed organs,” Serene says solemnly.
Rainey and I smile while Mrs. Pleasonton nods. “Precisely.” She turns her attention back to her daughter. “Be grateful times have changed. There’s not a thing smashed inside you.”
Rainey lifts a brow. “Momma, is there somethin’ you need to tell me?”
“Absolutely. I want grandchildren from you. Preferably soon.”
Rainey’s mouth drops open. “Are you jestin’?”
“Of course not. I think grandchildren would be wonderful.”
“Well, let me get this dress on and make it down the aisle before I give you an answer, all right?”
“Very well.”
The four of us stand around Rainey and carefully help her into her dress. The several layers awkwardly settle around her body and we get to work. Gently, we pull the material, so it settles around her waist, hips and legs. Momentarily appeased, we all step back. Mrs. Pleasonton taps a finger against the corner of her mouth.
The wedding dress is beautifully made of ivory lace and silk. The layers artfully overlap one another and pin together at the waist with a silver floral brooch. Beneath the waist, the lace drapes around her legs and reveals the silk beneath. The design of the dress accentuates her figure without the dress being insufferably tight. Pearls decorate the shoulders of the dress. Lace hangs from the pearls, creating thin sleeves.