Chapter 8

Party in Paris

 

It was a sunny day in Paris….

“Ooo, I like that one, Danielle,” cooed Nadia, pointing to one of Jean Claude’s sketches of dresses for Danielle. The designer who’d made Danielle’s ball gown had drawn up several wedding gowns for them to choose from.

Moving one design back to the top of the pile, Brianna disagreed, “I don’t think so. This one says ‘Dannie’ to me. It’s practically calling out her name.”

“I still favor the first one,” said Sophia, sifting for the one that was now on the bottom.

“I’m just not sure,” mumbled Danielle’s mother, who’d flown in just for this. Her words made Jean Claude’s face turn a deep shade of pink.

“Ladies, I know what would look best on our darling Miss Darcey. Please be reasonable,” said Jean Claude, and then turned to her. “Danielle, what do you like?”

Finally someone was asking for her opinion.

Rubbing the tension from her neck, Danielle tried not to let it show on her face. Having her mother, Sophia, Nadia and Brianna all trying to help her choose a wedding dress from the many sketches was getting frustrating, and a bit daunting. “Jean, would it be too much trouble for you to do something with this bodice and”—she lifted a second design up—“a skirt like this one?”

“Lovely idea, mon chér! Yes, I can do that.” He then snatched Danielle by the shoulders and stuffed her into a dressing room. “I have a few dresses with a similar cut that you may try on to make certain you like it on you.” He left and returned with three gowns for her to change into.

As she donned the sample dresses and modeled them for her quartet, both Sophia and her mom started crying. Danielle messed up her face right along with them. Even though these dresses weren’t exactly like hers, they were close enough to get the idea. She felt beautiful, like a real princess getting to marry her prince. It made it all feel that much more real.

“Merci, ladies!” Jean Claude called as they left.

In a chorus they returned the sentiment, and then as they cleared the front door Brianna said, “Guess what.”

Danielle’s lips curled up at the corners from the sight of her cousin bouncing happily along next to her, completely oblivious to the many vampire guards following. They attempted to blend in, of course, but while Brianna hadn’t noticed, Danielle had.

She observed the ones dressed like locals, the ones dressed as tourist, and the ones disguised as business men. The only things common amongst all of them were their warrior stealth and the little wires in their ears for their undercover listening and communication.

Cedric winked when her gaze slid in his direction and she quickly snatched it away, then caught the inside of her cheek between her teeth to prevent the smirk attempting to show itself.

“What?” she replied to Brianna.

“We’re having your bridal shower right now. And guess what else.”

“What, Bri?”

“Your friends from Colorado are here.”

This caught her attention. “Mandy and Lindsey?”

“Yup.”

“But they both said they couldn’t afford the ticket, and they wouldn’t let my parents pay for it. So, then who—?”

“Who else?”

“Ethan.” Of course. “Oh, the man needs to be kissed, a lot.”

Nadia and Brianna giggled at that, Sophia smirked, her mom smiled, and Danielle fantasized about it. He’d graciously made certain that any of her friends or family could be there, just as he’d done with her parents when they got engaged.

“Where’s this shower?” Danielle asked, thinking about seeing her friends again. The last time had been in March, before she’d left for London. Just over a year ago.

“Restaurant Le Meurice,” Nadia replied. “Mandy and Lindsey should already be there waiting for us, and then we’re staying in the hotel for the bachelorette party. We all get spa treatments at the spa.”

“Manicures?”

“And pedicures.”

“And facials, if you want.”

“Did Ethan plan this too?” Danielle wondered aloud.

“No way! Nadia and I did,” huffed Brianna.

Falling silent with a smile, Danielle took in the pretty surroundings as they walked. Shimmering sunshine blanketed the Paris cityscape. It was warm, but a nice breeze cooled her as they went. Scents from bistros and bakeries drifted to her nose as they passed by each one. The lilt of French conversation, mingled with English, littered the sounds around them as well.

This place is beautiful, she thought upon walking through the front doors of the hotel and was greeted with rich décor and French elegance. The walls were embellished with white and gold moldings, the polished floor made her think she might slip and slide across it out of control, and the artwork, and furnishings, and fresh flowers finished the look of this five star hotel. It felt as though she’d entered a real Persian palace.

Danielle sighed at the sight of a dining room lavishly decorated in white and silver with detailed French accents. Her girlfriends noticed them enter and jumped from their seats, wove their way around the tables and sandwiched Danielle in a hug between them.

“Dannie!”

Danielle beamed at Lindsey and Mandy as they released her. It felt like forever since she’d seen them. So much had happened, so much had changed…. She’d changed. “I’m so glad you guys could make it.”

“Are you kidding, D’? This is incredible. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Well, and your husband-to-be was rather compelling. I hope you thank him for this.” Lindsey reached a hand into her black hair and adjusted her earring while she spoke.

“Oh, I plan to.”

“Dannie, you are so spoiled. Do you know how expensive this hotel is? I need a foreign fiancé with a load of cash too. Could you please point me in the right direction?” Mandy said, shoving her wild brown curls over her shoulder.

Danielle laughed.

“Let’s begin, ladies.” Nadia led them to a table for six at the back of the dining room.

The afternoon was filled with giggles, delicious French cuisine, and girlish chitchat.

Stirring honey into her tea, Danielle could see that Mandy was fretting over something. It was hard to miss with the way her friend was picking at her food. “What’s the matter, Mandy?”

“Are you sure about this? I mean you’re still so young…”

“You just said you wished you had a foreign fiancé too.”

“Yes, but the truth is, neither one of us is old enough to settle down. Look at Ryan and Ambry, they’re already divorced…”

“They got married much earlier. You know that. I turned twenty a few months ago. It won’t be long after we’re married and I’ll officially be legal.”

“Still, shouldn’t you finish school first?”

Mandy had always been the voice of reason amongst them. However, her girlfriend was starting to sound too much like a parent and her eyes landed on Mom seated to her right. Apparently Mom was listening to this conversation quite intently.

“I have finished school,” said Danielle.

“I thought you were here for a four year degree.”

“She was. Ethan had her test out and she passed,” Brianna said, joining the discussion.

Yeah, she’d passed. Well, she thought so—but couldn’t help but wonder if Beon and the Order had fixed it so she would. She’d never know the truth though. Danielle had already asked that question and only got vague answers in reply. It seemed Ethan didn’t really know if Beon had meddled or not either. She figured maybe that was a good thing. It was their integrity in question and not hers or Ethan’s.

“Why so early? You only attended Central St. Martins for what, like a year or something?”

A little less than that, Danielle thought as all of the real reasons marched through her head: She was trapped in the middle of what could turn out to be a bloody vampire civil war. She was constantly being stalked by either cursed bodyguards or cursed souls wanting to be un-cursed with a bite from her, or cursed ones who wanted to remain that way, and were plotting to do her harm. She and Ethan were never forgotten. They had no freedom … no privacy.

She’d already made a mental note of all of the men with ear wires right here in the restaurant. The truth of her situation never left her. Never. And the easiest way for them to protect her and Ethan was for them to be together. Danielle did agree that she was getting married a bit sooner than she’d originally planned. The only other option she suspected her friend might be suggesting was living together. But that arrangement had never been an option she’d considered, would never consider actually. With her love of all things Jane Austen, Danielle wanted the vintage-style commitment as much as Ethan wanted to give it to her.

“It’s a good time of year to get married,” Danielle supplied lamely, knowing she could never explain such un-cool notions as wanting to legally tie the knot.

Mandy’s brown eyes rolled; apparently her friend also felt the response was lame.

“We said she could marry after she graduated. She met the requirement, so we have supported her decision. And we were deeply impressed with Ethan,” Her mom said, unexpectedly coming to the rescue, and Danielle thanked her with a smile.

“Okay,” Mandy conceded. “When he called to talk me into accepting the plane ticket, I was impressed with him too.”

“And that engagement picture ... wow,” added Lindsey.

Attempting to change the topic all together, Danielle said, “Bri, do you have the bridesmaid’s gifts with you?”

“Of course.” Her cousin began digging around in the bottom of her tote.

She breathed a sigh of relief as Brianna handed over three satin pouches that had been tied up with pink ribbons. Danielle passed one each to Nadia, Mandy and Lindsey. Brianna was still holding hers and tugging on the ribbon to release the bow. They all gasped as they each lifted a strand of gold pearls from the wrapping. Well, except for Brianna, who’d helped Danielle pick them out, so it wasn’t new to her.

“They match your dresses,” Danielle said.

“Really?” Lindsey said as she fastened the necklace around her neck and stroked the pearls with her fingertips. “What a relief. I was hoping we wouldn’t have to spend the evening smothered in hot pink.”

Danielle laughed.

“Be glad we’re not sticking to English tradition in that, because if we had, you’d be wearing wedding dresses,” Mom said.

“What?” Lindsey and Mandy asked together.

“English bridesmaids used to wear white gowns very much like the bride’s. Your father had mentioned it when we married. I was young and beautiful then, and British men can be so traditional, and—”

“You’re still beautiful, Mom.”

Danielle’s mom smiled, blushed prettily and gave her knee a loving pat.

“Why in the world would they do that? Wouldn’t that be like trying to outshine the bride?” Lindsey asked, again twisting an earring.

“No, darlings, it was not for such a petty reason. It was done to protect her. It was so the bride could not be singled out by any jealous or evil wishers who might attempt to take her happiness, or even abduct her,” Sophia said.

Nearly choking on her tea, Danielle set the cup down a little too sharply. The china clinked together and the liquid sloshed, but luckily didn’t spill. Sophia held her gaze and she knew that this tradition, even as medieval as it sounded, had been seriously considered. She wondered why they hadn’t insisted on doing it for security reasons alone.

“I talked the men out of it,” Sophia said solemnly, appearing to have gathered Danielle’s thoughts from her expression.

“Are they worried about people who mean Danielle harm?” Mandy asked. The tension in her voice had risen to a squeaky pitch.

Danielle swallowed the mouthful of tea that she hadn’t realized she was holding along with her breath. Of course they were worried about that. But she couldn’t say a word about it, and she’d recognized the looks of terror brewing on Brianna and her mom’s faces as they apparently recalled her past disappearances. “No, silly, they’re not worried about that or you would be wearing white,” Danielle said, struggling to play it down.

“Then why did they even consider it?” Brianna asked with accusation weighting her words.

“Because they’re men,” Sophia muttered, “and they’re an overprotective bunch of chaps.”

Danielle noticed the “overprotective bunch of chaps” stop Celeste from entering the dining room with what looked like a gift, and it felt like the air had completely left the room because she couldn’t find any to fill her lungs.

How did she know where the shower was? And what was in the bag? A bomb? Scorpions? Or worse, spiders?

Dessert arrived then, distracting her from the quickly defused commotion, and halting the previous conversation. Danielle could have kissed the waiter, because if he had not shown up then, the other girls might have noticed before the men hindered Celeste’s attack. French confection was enough to shut them all up, though she struggled to get the treat down her constrained throat.

And later, as Danielle opened her gifts, Mandy brought the topic back to life. “Are there any other British traditions we need to be worried about?”

Danielle slid the ivory lace negligee Nadia had given her back into the gift sack after thanking her for it. “Well” –Mandy stiffened at the single word— “I let Ethan select the menu, and he went with conventional English fare.” And when Ethan hears about Celeste showing up today, he may insist you all wear white.

“That can’t be so bad, can it?” Lindsey asked.

“No, but I’m sure you won’t like my wedding cake.”

“Why not?”

“It’s fruitcake covered in fondant.”

Lindsey and Mandy made gagging sounds. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Oh, it’s scrummy. I fancy it,” Brianna said.

Lindsey and Mandy shared a look which she figured was concerning her cousin’s use of British words. And it seemed Brianna noticed as well, as she then decided to start spewing some of the English jargon that she wouldn’t normally use. “Come now, ladies, don’t get your knickers in a bunch. Once you’ve tried it I know you’ll be utterly gobsmacked. Blimy! Don’t bodge the party. Anyone need the loo? Now don’t look at me like you’re confudled. Oh, maybe I should stop waffling and belt up now.”

They all started laughing.

Brianna went on, “Word of advice, girls, don’t try any of those words on your own. To be honest, you’ll just sound silly with your American accents.”

Danielle took a breath to calm her giggles and then drove the conversation back to what they’d been talking about in the first place. “You’ll like Ethan’s cake. It’s chocolate and definitely ‘scrummy.’”

“See what I mean?” Brianna said. “Danielle, you’re not allowed to use the word scrummy.”

“Actually,” said Lindsey, “I disagree. Dannie seems to have picked up your English accent a little.”

“Yeah, I can hear it too.” Mandy smirked at Danielle. “That’s kind of funny. Say something else British.”

“Um, knickers?” she said, pulling her brows together as she listened to herself.

“Yeah, totally!” Lindsey laughed.

“Hmm,” said Brianna. “Now that you mention it, I see what you mean.”

“Weird, how come I never picked it up from Dad?” Danielle asked her mom.

“Probably because you were surrounded with people without it.”

“Mm. And I’ll probably lose it whenever I go back.”

“Most likely.”

“Anyway, back to the cakes—Why does he get chocolate and you get some holiday travesty?” asked Lindsey.

Danielle laughed. “I have no idea. But I’m certain Ethan will love them both.”

“Any good traditions?” Mandy asked.

Nadia jumped in this time. “There’s the ribbon pull. That’s done before the bride and groom share their first slice of cake. The bridesmaids each pull a ribbon with a sterling silver charm attached to it from the cake. Each charm represents a different future promise. A heart charm means that you’ll find true love, a horseshoe means you’ll have good luck, and a ring means you’ll be next to marry, and so on and so forth.”

“I thought that’s what tossing the bouquet was for,” said Mandy.

“There’s that too, but the charms are only for the bridesmaids.”

“Oh.”

After the gifts had been opened and stored in their suite, they went to the spa, which helped Danielle to relax after having seen Celeste. That, and the fact that the wicked vampire never showed her face again that day.

After their spa treatments they had the bachelorette party back in the suite. It wasn’t too exciting, Danielle and her friends would have preferred going to a dance club. Unfortunately, Danielle had to find excuses to avoid that because she’d been told that her guards wouldn’t allow it. Instead, they played a few games, ordered room service, and watched Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. What a funny old film that was! They’d watched it out of nostalgia because it had been one of their favorites when they were younger.