Lucien and Celeste
1874
Celste
The last few weeks had been grueling. Limited food, daily walks and rides had all left Celeste feeling utterly exhausted. But then again, preparation for a ball was always intense. And this was no ordinary ball. To announce a ball straight after a funeral certainly did seem at best eccentric, and at worst, odd. But then again, she supposed vampires who had lived as long as Lucien Beauxment supposedly had, had the prerogative to be so. Not that anyone actually new how old Lucien was. And to know he was looking to start courting, well, no one was surprised that their mother had gone into something of a frenzy. With Ivy already married, both herself and Lily were being fussed to within an inch of their sanity, like prized horses ready for auction.
Celeste descended the stairs in only her wrapper over her shift, corset and stockings, ready to be weighed. Honestly she was thankful for the corset this morning. It was the only thing keeping her upright.
“Good Morning sister,” she said with a tired smile as she saw Lily striding towards the parlor. Lily was dressed similarly, only wearing a smile so wicked it could have belonged to Ivy, had their eldest sister ever been capable of being good natured.
“Good Morning little sister.” Her smile slipped as she looked Celeste up and down. “You’re looking slim.”
“Thank you,” Celeste’s smile was thin. Their mother would be pleased at least. Lily rolled her eyes.
“Are you alright? You look tired.”
“Honestly? Dragging myself from bed this morning was no easy task,” she admitted. “And I think I have a migraine brewing.” Celeste could feel the tension starting to pull at her brow. “I think Mama believes that if I already look dead he might feel drawn to me,” she chuckled.
“I’ll do something about it,” Lily scowled, moving a strong arm around her sister’s sharp shoulders.
“Doing something unprompted Lily? Now that would make a fine change.” Lisbet’s voice cracked like a whip, making Celeste jump as she appeared behind the two girls, black notebook in hand. A foul mood hung about her, a stinking cloud of ire and short-tempered savagery.
“Mama please, there is no need to be mean to Lily.” Celeste’s words were gentle, her look emploring.
“I am never mean. Only accurate,” Lisbet snipped, snapping her notebook down on the desk. Celeste hated that notebook. “Lily. You first.” Lisbet flicked towards the scales.
Silence filled the room, followed by scribbling.
“Shocking. You’re down a pound.” Lisbet made another note. “You’re taking this more seriously than I thought. Celeste, your turn.”
Celeste stood, untying her wrapper and slipped off her shoes before walking over to the scales. She was wearing nothing but the same corset her sister was wearing, the same chemise, the same stockings, even the same garters. She’d even left her hair down so that the weight of the pins would not affect the measurements. Despite being taller than Lily, she should be lighter by all rights thanks to the last few weeks. She stepped onto the plate, ensuring that she did not hold her breath as she watched the needle leap.
“Hm.” Lisbet noted down the number and Celeste felt her stomach roll. “Get dressed both of you. We will take a walk before breakfast.”
“Mama! You cannot keep pushing her so hard!” Lily’s face reddened, as it always did when she was angry. Celeste froze as Lisbet slowly raised a brow.
“If I am too thin he may think me weak,” Celeste leapt in. Lily would get herself beaten if she was not careful. Perhaps she could soothe their mother before the storm began to rage. “And if he thinks me weak, he may dismiss me before even speaking to me, as he will believe I cannot survive Rising.” And everyone knew that Lucien Beauxment was looking for a wife he could Turn. The competition would be fierce with so much at stake. “I need to appear strong Mama.” Lisbet scowled at her for a moment.
“Fine,” she said at last. “You may take up your archery practice again.” Celeste wasn’t sure if this was an improvement or not.
She was about to thank her mother when the front door slammed open. Ivy strode in, heels clacking on the tiled floor of the front hall. She appeared in the parlor in a whirlwind of dark curls, smelling of last night’s whisky and tobacco. Celeste’s nose crinkled. “So whilst I have not yet secured us a dinner invitation I have found out some potentially useful information.” Ivy’s words were all directed at their mother, dark eyes begging for praise. If Ivy had failed in her task to ingratiate their family with Lucien Beauxment their mother’s mood would only sour further. Lisbet’s face remained stoney as Ivy rattled off a number of trivial facts, obscure card games that he enjoyed, places he had taken to walking, a brief tid bit of family history Celeste had already read about. Enough though, for their mother to formulate a plan to ‘impress’ him.
The Veiled World 