The Queen's Tea Party
All eyes turned to me as I entered the room, and I heard a wave of whispers as I walked through. I caught a couple, “She’s gorgeous, no wonder Melody feels threatened.” Another woman, “I can tell just by her manner of dress and grace in which she walks that she will be hard to beat when the competition for Queen starts.” I kept my eyes trained on the Queen Mother, who sat with Elder Edgar to her right, as I approached her and bowed, “Your Majesty, thank you for your most gracious invitation to this beautiful tea party.” She smiled at me, “Beautifully stated, Your Grace. I look forward to getting to know you better today.” She then tapped my shoulder to indicate that I was dismissed. What I believed the hard to be was over and I joined Jess at a small table with two other ladies. Each of us had a placard at our settings so the Queen Mother sat me with Jess, Lady Baltilliard and Lady Delnaro. From what I gathered; these two ladies were daughters of counts, but they were just as friendly as Jess whom they apparently knew well. The maids of the castle brought out the tea and various other snacks. I knew from my training with both my mother and the Headmaster that I would have to nibble on the refreshments.
I could hear the voice of Talia Batiste in my head, “A lady never devours her food like an animal in front of others. She must eat with grace and dignity.” I nodded and picked up a small sandwich and placed it on my plate as I was served tea. The maid asked, “Your Grace, would you like any sugar or cream?” I smiled at her, “Only a little sugar please.” I had a sweet tooth, but the Headmaster’s voice came in my head, “When you take tea in the presence of the Queen Mother the unspoken custom would be to take additions in moderation. Anything in excess would be seen by her and those in the room as an insult to the tea the Queen Mother has chosen. In many respects, this too would be an insult to the Queen Mother.” I wouldn’t want to offend Lucien’s mother, so I took my tea as instructed and suppressed a smirk when I overheard Melody ask the maid to give her lots of cream. Lady Delnaro leaned in a whispered to me, “Your Grace, did you hear with Lady Maigny said? I just hope for her sake that the Queen Mother didn’t hear her.” I had just picked up the cup that the maid placed in front of me and whispered, “I am not too sure she didn’t hear her or at least the Elder did, Lady Delnaro.” I nodded my head at Elder Edgar who was staring at Melody’s direction with a scowl.
I smiled into my cup knowing that Melody was on his radar for not so good reasons. I drank the aromatic tea and found the flavor to be lovely and enough to stand on its own. I had never tasted any tea so delicious, so I asked the maid, “Pardon me.” She turned from her work, “Yes, Your Grace?” I lifted the cup, “What sort of tea is this if I am permitted to ask? It is lovely.” She smiled, “It is a blend from Mesha, Your Grace. They cultivate a special blend of tea there that is grown in volcanic ash and mixed with Blackwood lavender roses. Her Majesty is very proud of this blend as she is the one to come up with it herself. She calls it her Phoenix blend.” I nodded, “Thank you kindly for your information.” She curtsied and carried on with her work. I looked up to see the Elder and Queen Mother both smiling at me. The Queen Mother whispered to her attendant. The attendant made her way over to our table, “Excuse me ladies, the Queen Mother invites you all to visit with her for a while. The maids will move your refreshments to her table." We all rose from our seats as all the eyes in the room set on our little group and stood on us while was walked over to the Queen Mother’s table. As we reached the table, we all bowed at her feet.
She waved, “Please be seated ladies, I would like The Batiste next to me though.” I made my way over to the seat on her left and gracefully seated myself next to her. She smiled at me, “Your Grace, I noticed that you asked the maid about my tea. How did you find it?” I bowed my head slightly, “Yes, Your Majesty. It was unlike anything I had ever tasted before, and it was so lovely that I wanted to know what it was.” She straightened up and beamed with pride, “I came up with that blend when I was about your age, Your Grace. It really does stand on its own, does it not?” I nodded, “It truly does, Your Majesty. I don’t think it even needed the small amount of sugar that I asked for.” Elder Edgar spoke, “Your Grace, you simply must try your next cup without. You will get to see just how lovely it is on its own.” I smiled at Elder Edgar, “I will certainly try it on my next cup, sir.” The Queen Mother looked around the table at the other ladies who had not spoken yet, “Your Grace, are any of these ladies your friends?” I nodded, “Lady Kellen is my best friend Your Majesty. I had not had the pleasure of meeting Lady Baltilliard and Lady Delnaro until today. I would say I have enjoyed their company so far and would not mind getting to know them better.” She nodded regarding each lady until she turned her gaze to Jess, “Lady Kellen, I understand that you are taking residence in Blackwood Deep. Is that correct?” Jess blushed and meekly replied, “Yes, Your Majesty. Her Grace has been a most hospitable hostess.”
Just as Jess finished her sentence, the Herald spoke: “His Majesty, King Lucien Doré of Vellum.” We all rose from our seats and all of us curtsied and Elder Edgar bowed. He looked around the room, “Ladies, thank you for joining my mother today. I am delighted to see so many of our finest families in Vellum here today and I have no doubts that my mother is enjoying your company here. Please enjoy the refreshments and there will be an announcement from Elder Edgar at the end of the party.” With that he turned to walk towards his mother and whispered something in her ear. She nodded at him, and they gave each other a kiss on each other’s cheeks. He smiled at all of us at the table and walked out of the room. The Queen Mother spoke, “Ladies, please be seated again.” The chats around the room resumed with some ladies remarking on how handsome Lucien was in his white business suit with black shirt and black tie. His long hair was tied back with a black ribbon to match his shirt and tie. The Queen Mother spoke to me, “Your Grace, I know you have only had an occasion to meet with my son once but tell me something…” Her sentence hung off as if she wanted me to ask her what she wanted, “What is that Your Majesty?” She smiled, pleased with the fact that I picked up on her cue, “Would you be able to get along with him, should you be chosen as his Queen?”
That was a loaded question and I looked at her then at the Elder. I straightened up in my seat and immediately thought that this was a test. I spoke, “Would it be prudent of me to speak frankly?” I looked at her and the Elder again. They both nodded at me, and I continued, “I like to think myself an excellent judge of character. Though I have only met him once, I can tell that his gentleness and calmness with which he treated me during my Blood Ritual makes believe that I would be most honored to be by His Majesty’s side.” The Queen Mother bowed her head slightly, “I imagine that was very uncomfortable for you, Your Grace. I am glad that my son put your mind at ease during that stressful situation. What say you Elder Edgar?” He sighed, “I had heard from my colleague what had happened, Your Grace. I understand why that would be stressful. I must say hearing about how you handled it, I was impressed with your ability to remain calm and collected. Any other lady would probably be in hysterics.” The Queen Mother smiled at him but the two ladies at the table were confused and displaying it.
The Queen Mother then directed the rest of her questions at the other ladies at the table. Given the nature of the questions, I had a very sneaky suspicion that this was an unannounced test for the Queen competition. I would have to write to Lucien later that I had caught on to their sneaky tactics. We were dismissed to go back to our original table after that. One by one each table had the opportunity to sit and speak with the Queen Mother and I had imagined that she asked probing questions to each lady who visited. After the last group of ladies had left the Queen Mother’s table, she leaned in to whisper to Elder Edgar’s ear something. He nodded at her and rose to his feet, “Ladies, if I can get your attention?” The chatter in the room came to an abrupt stop and all eyes trained on the Elder. He spoke again, “Next weekend, the King will be receiving you in the Throne Room as the official kickoff of the Queen competition and you will need to be in formal attire as custom dictates. His Majesty has arranged for a reception room for you to wait in until a member of your family fetches you to be presented to the King. The Council has decided your presenter which will NOT be your fathers. We believe this will make the competition fair. You will each receive a letter from The Council about who, in your family, will be chosen to present you.” The Queen Mother rose and spoke, “With that, I am set to retire from the party now. Please be careful on your way home.” She looked at me and smiled then left the room escorted by Elder Edgar.
