Glass Roses: A Victorian Fairytale

by Britain Kalai Soderquist

  Eleanor glanced at me and smiled happily, and I smiled back just as the door opened to admit Lady Warner’s maid. She said something in German to Lady Warner, who excused herself and left. The modiste began chattering with her assistants.

  I raised an eyebrow at Eleanor. "Is anything wrong?" I asked in English.

  "Not at all; only one of Lady Warner's friends come to call. She will be back in a moment." She turned back to the long mirror that stood nearby and twisted to look at the back of the gown. "Oh Bella, is it not lovely?"

  "Exquisite," I replied, rising from my chair by the fire. I approached so that I could examine the details on the bodice and sleeves more closely. The gown is pure white satin, with silver thread and tiny diamonds and pearls sewn throughout as accents. "Will you wear this gown for both ceremonies?" I asked, fingering the full skirt carefully.

  "No, only for the grand ceremony in Stephansdom. For the private service I will wear the gown I wore to my last ball in Vienna. I also plan to wear my glass slippers for that one as well. Rupert will find it amusing." Her eyes twinkled for a moment, but her expression became more serious as she turned to look at me. "I must admit, I am nervous. You cannot know how comforting it is to have you here."

  "I know that my wedding was not nearly as grand as yours will be, but I believe I know a little of how you feel. The day William and I were wed was both the most exciting and the most anxious day of my life. But it is only for one day, and then you no longer have to be worried."

  Eleanor nodded and looked in the mirror again. "The only part I am truly dreading is the grand ceremony. There will be so many people there, and the Imperial Family will be in attendance." She sighed slightly, and I guessed she was worried she might stumble over her long train (which was several yards in length) or make some other mistake.

  "Telling you not to fret is useless, of course, but I am still going to do so. You already know that Rupert's relations approve of you; you said your presentation dinner went extremely well." Eleanor nodded again, absently smoothing invisible wrinkles from her skirts. "Just pretend you are in an opera, and I am certain you will manage very well." That comment caused her to laugh, and soon she was back to being her usual cheerful self, showing me the jewelry she was to wear (her mother’s diamond necklace, and a diamond tiara that had belonged to Rupert’s mother), as well as the slippers she would wear in place of the glass ones.

  I think I shall stop now and rest before dressing for dinner. It would not do to overexert myself before the actual wedding day. We shall be far too preoccupied for resting then.

  10 November

  Eleanor and Rupert were married today in two separate ceremonies. The first occurred in the earlier part of the morning at a small private chapel on the grounds of the Imperial Palace. The only people in attendance were the close friends and family of the bride and groom. The service was performed by the local English clergyman, and I found the intimate setting to be quite romantic. At one moment I saw Rupert's eyes flick downward and caught a glimpse of silver and crystal peek from under Eleanor's hem. Both wore tiny smiles at the shared joke. William nudged me and raised an eyebrow, the only other one who seemed to have noticed the exchange. I smiled and whispered that I would explain later.

  After the service we adjourned to Schönfeldhaus for a small wedding breakfast, and then Eleanor was whisked away by Lady Warner and a small battalion of maids to begin the preparations for the larger ceremony in the great Stephansdom cathedral. William made me accept Count von Schönfeld's kind invitation to rest before the second ceremony. He has been worried about how tired I am, but I have tried to assure him that I have merely been overwhelmed by my linguistic efforts. Still, I was most grateful, and managed to sleep for over an hour before it was time to be off again.

  The whole city seemed to have turned out to observe the wedding. Rupert is not quite royal, but his rank is near enough that it made very little difference to the people in attendance. I was grateful our near connection to the bride's family spared us from the necessity of joining the press of people in the rear of the cathedral. As it was, I had an excellent view of the altar at the top of the nave, and of Rupert as he stood waiting for Eleanor to enter and join him.

  Rupert looked smart in his crisp military uniform, ribbons and medals polished and gleaming. He stood straight and did not display the nervous energy I had noticed in William on our wedding day. Rupert's pleasant confidence is one of the things I like most about him, and I think it particularly suits Eleanor's personality.

  A majestic prelude was played on the massive organ, and the notes swelled in the space despite the crowd. No one was speaking much, but even without a hush in conversation, it was obvious when Eleanor entered the room. Uncle Charles led her in, wearing a dark blue coat and silver waistcoat, but I could only spare a glance for him. Eleanor was captivating in her white gown, the diamonds winking in the sunlight from the cathedral windows. She carried a bouquet of white and pink roses and wore a long veil. Several young girls (cousins of Rupert's family, and I believe a daughter or two from some families Eleanor met while here before) helped to carry her train, which flowed behind her like a graceful waterfall.

  I glanced up at the altar and saw Rupert smiling broadly at the sight of her. Eleanor kept her head erect as she walked. She did not look to either side, but kept her eyes fixed forward, a small smile resting softly on her lips. Her cheeks glowed pink, and I thought she had never looked lovelier.

  The Imperial Family belonging to the Catholic Church rather than the Church of England, this ceremony was performed by a Catholic priest. It was most interesting, and made slightly more complex than the earlier one by the necessity of much proclaiming in Latin (all of which I understood, thanks to my studies). It was longer too, and if it had not been so interesting, I do believe I might have nodded off. The priest’s voice had a most musical quality, which I am sure was not lost on the audience; even weddings are musical in Vienna. At the end of the ceremony, the organ boomed into life again and accompanied Eleanor and Rupert as they made their way back down the aisle, her hand resting gently on his arm.

  The rest of the day was a whirl of happiness and noise and color, for Rupert and Eleanor performed a grand procession throughout the city before returning for the wedding banquet and ball, held at the Imperial Palace to honor the new bride and groom. William was most patient through the whole day, but I could see that he was growing weary of the noise and crowds of people. He is still not quite accustomed to being so much in society. It was not difficult to convince him to slip away and return to our hotel before the end of the ball. We had already given our formal congratulations to the couple, and I knew that I would not find another opportunity to speak to Eleanor after that. I doubt she even had time to notice our absence, but I am certain she would understand in any case. Even with leaving the ball early, it was a most wonderful day.

  11 November

  I took tea with Lady Warner, Aunt Sylvia, and my cousins today while William joined Uncle Charles, Papa, and Count von Schönfeld in the Count's private library. Eleanor and Rupert have gone on a wedding journey to Italy and intend to remain there some weeks.

  Lady W. said something most interesting to me when we adjourned to the garden after tea. She began by drawing me apart from the others and begged me to forgive her for taking a liberty before proceeding to remark that she had noticed I seemed particularly fatigued over the last week. In short, she very kindly suggested that my fatigue might be a sign that I am increasing! I was most astonished and only managed to thank her after several moments of stunned silence.

  Since that time I have been thinking over what she told me and doing my best to recollect the last several weeks. And I have come to the conclusion that she is indeed right. Another week will confirm it for me absolutely, but I must acknowledge myself to indeed be in expectation of a child. William should return soon to change for dinner, but I have not yet decided how I shall share this news with him. He will certainly be as surprised a
s I was (indeed, as I still am), but I think he will find the situation to be most exciting. I confess, I am already coming to enjoy thinking of myself as a mother, astonishing as the news may be. And I am rather looking forward to telling William, particularly to see the expression on his face when he hears that he will soon become a father.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Finishing a novel has been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember. Actually sharing a novel with other people has always felt like an impossible task. To be sitting here now, at the end of accomplishing both, is a huge achievement.

  Thanks are owed to my wonderful group of faithful readers on Wattpad. None of the success I have enjoyed thus far could have happened without your willingness to read my work. Thank you for the outpouring of support and encouragement. I hope you know you are greatly appreciated.

  A special “thank you” belongs to Sarah Penney and Brittany Fichter for being my first official readers and my constant cheerleaders throughout this process. If you had not found my story and been kind enough to give it a shot, I would likely not have finished it.

  My gorgeous cover comes courtesy of the remarkable and talented Adelyn Sterling. Thank you for shirking your duties and giving me an evening of your time when I only asked for a little design advice. You are a gem, and you have been far more generous than I deserve.

  Finally, I want to express my eternal gratitude to my husband Andrew for his patience and willingness to give me the time I needed to focus on this book. Thank you, sweetheart, for your positive attitude, incredible editing skills, and inspired ability to convince me that I wasn’t crazy when I started talking about writing a novel.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Britain Kalai Soderquist lives in West Jordan, Utah with her husband and three children. When she is not writing, she can usually be found chasing after said children or watching reruns of “Psych” with said husband. She loves peppermint ice cream, films with clever scripts, opera, crochet, and Dominion.

  CONTACT INFORMATION

  The first draft of “Glass Roses” is available to read for free on Wattpad for those who are curious about my writing process. Keep an eye on my profile for announcements about future projects, other drafts, and to check out my favorite Wattpad stories by other great authors!

  If you would like to see the images that helped inspire the gowns and locations of “Glass Roses,” you can check out my story inspiration board on Pinterest!

  If you would like to contact me, feel free to email me at britainkalaibooks@gmail.com.