“What about this one, Lady Veronica?”

The main reception room had been turned into a fitting room. Along the far wall a thin wood divider had been set up for Veronica to try on her new gowns to check the fit. The couches and lounge chairs had been removed to make room for multiple tables where dresses, shoes, cloaks, and countless other accessories were on display. Chests lined the wall under the windows. They were quickly being filled with the pieces that needed no further adjustments. 

The neighboring reception room had been modified in the same manner so Romello could have his fittings at the same time.

Amaryllis was perched at the one remaining chair in the room. A small desk had been brought in, and she was neatly marking the purchases down in a ledger. The seamstress and her husband had come for final fittings and payment. 

In theory the last few adjustments would be relatively minor and could be done on the spot. The departure for the capital was still three weeks away, but the duke liked preparations to be done well beforehand.

Along with the seamstress, her father’s favorite jeweler had come as well. This was the best time to see how everything would look altogether. More merchants would trickle in over the next few weeks, but the bulk of the jewels would be purchased today.

“Let me see.”

Veronica stepped out from behind the divider with her latest dress. The rich red fabric was remnant of a summer rose. The short train allowed the dress to flow without appearing to drag. Small leaves were embroidered in gold thread along the hem and neckline while amber lace decorated the bodice. The swirling pattern of the embroidery reminded her of leaves blowing lazily in a fall breeze. The sleeves were a bit short, stopping just past the elbows, but the neckline was modest. The dress hugged her sister in a flattering, but not provocative, manner. Suitable for a young debutante.

The jeweler’s wife held up a festoon necklace that sparkled in the sunlight. Tiny diamonds dotted the places where the platinum chains crossed while large rubies were showcased in teardrop cuts along the bottom of the necklace. The set was finished with earrings that mimicked the style of the necklace. They looked like miniature chandeliers made of gemstones. Something one might expect of a duke’s daughter. 

Veronica’s eyes sparkled with interest as she walked closer, but Amaryllis intervened.

“That’s a bit too mature for her this year,” she shook her head. “All of her dresses will be as detailed as this one, or more. I think something simpler would be better.”

Veronica nodded. The slight frown on her face told Amaryllis that her little sister didn’t agree. However, she had already gotten her way with many fashionable designs for her dresses rather than simpler, classical ones. She knew better than to argue and push her luck.

“Then give me a moment to prepare something else,” the woman looked a bit flustered but kept an even tone. 

She hurried to gather the display boxes she had brought into the reception room and left with her assistants to check her other wares.

“That was so pretty, Ryll,” Veronica pouted, crossing her arms.

“And heavy,” Amaryllis pointed out. “The earrings would have given you a headache. You’d be begging Romy to hide them in his pockets after an hour.”

She wasn’t surprised that the sparkling gems had caught her sister’s attention. They were gorgeous. Top quality and expertly cut. The duke had limited the accessories the twins could wear until now to highlight their youth and innocence. Now that they were properly debuting, not simply meeting guests in the safety of their home, they could wear something flashier. 

But the necklace, and the others the jeweler had brought in, were all too extravagant for a young woman of fourteen. Especially with how ornate some of her little sister’s dresses were. She would look unrefined if everything she wore was elaborate. Simpler jewelry would work better and last her many seasons to come.

“Are they really that heavy?” Veronica still looked skeptical.

“I’ll have my nursemaid bring over that emerald set you like tomorrow,” Amaryllis nodded. “Keep it on for three hours. I promise you’ll be thanking me for starting you small.”

“I’ll save my thanks for tomorrow then,” Veronica huffed.

“Try on another dress while we wait, Roni,” she ushered her sister back towards the divider. “We might actually be able to finish before Romello.”

“Maybe you should check on his progress then. I’m sure he’s eyeing the flashy accessories too.”

“Cufflinks and brooches are attached to fabric, not skin,” Amaryllis shook her head. “They’re more forgiving. And he always models after father anyways. He won’t get anything too tacky.”

Veronica continued to quietly grumble from behind the divider as the maids helped her change. 

Amaryllis stared up at the ceiling and mouthed a silent prayer for patience. Trying to rein in the twins over the past few weeks had been exhausting. While she was just one of several sets of eyes and ears meant to ensure no one tried to swindle the twins with unnecessary items, she knew she couldn’t slack off because of that. 

A servant failing at such a task was ultimately the failing of their master. She currently ranked highest in the room so responsibility lay with her.

Their father had supplied each of the twins with a generous budget, but he didn't abide unnecessary waste. Lavish spending without a purpose was foolish. He was happy to flaunt his wealth. However, every expensive item he purchased needed to be of high quality to reflect his status. The same went for the items he bought his children.

“This fits well,” Veronica walked out in a dove grey dress made of light fabric that almost floated on air with every step she took.

Amaryllis swallowed around an emotional lump in her throat and nodded in agreement. She was the vision of a perfect noblewoman. Veronica and Romello had both hit a growth spurt in recent months and were now taller than her. They were beautiful young adults. 

She was both delighted and saddened to see her younger siblings grow up.

“Oh, those young men at the capital will be beside themselves trying to woo you,” she smiled. A light blush tinged her sister’s cheeks. Veronica greatly enjoyed attention although she tried to act demure. “Father and Romy will be quite busy.”

“I’m sure it won’t be that bad.”

Amaryllis rolled her eyes. A knock at the door stopped her retort. She could only imagine how haughty her sister would be when she got back from the capital.

“Thank you for waiting, my ladies,” the jeweler hurried back and her assistants quickly laid out a few dozen sets of jewelry. Amaryllis stepped over to the tables with Veronica and looked over the new selection.

Each box held a necklace, bracelet, and earrings. A few even had additional rings or hair pieces that made up the set as well. 

Amaryllis couldn’t help but admire the woman’s business sense. Not only had she listened to her comment, she had thought about the fact that Romy would be debuting as well. Boxes with pairs of brooches and cuff links were also displayed next to the jewelry sets they matched. The three would look striking with their matching pieces, allowing the duke to proudly display a unified house at court.

The elaborate and heavy styles were gone. What was left were stationed, rivière, and pendant necklaces. Their designs were elegant and the gemstones weren’t so big as to be ostentatious. Amaryllis gave an approving nod and the merchant smiled brightly.

Veronica happily modeled the different pieces. Amaryllis’s quill scratched away endlessly in the ledger while Veronica basked in the compliments from the maids. Diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and many more. She quickly settled on more than a dozen sets that filled another chest by the windows. They all looked beautiful against her sister’s flawless complexion. The dove grey gown was mild enough to make any of the stones shine. Whenever a jewelry set had matching brooches, Amaryllis ordered them set aside for later.

“This would look lovely against your dark hair, Lady Amaryllis,” the merchant held up a necklace made of rare purple sapphires. The largest, as big as her thumb, rested at the center while gradually smaller ones dotted the rest of the chain.

“This is Veronica’s debut,” Amaryllis sighed. “It wouldn’t do for me to have anything too flashy this season. But I think this would look lovely.”

She picked up one of the boxes at the corner of the table. The woman had cleverly added three larger pieces meant to catch their attention. She would have called her greedy for trying to make even more money when they were already set to give her a hefty sum, but her eye was good. Amaryllis had dismissed the first two. They were pretty, but still far too heavy for Veronica.

The third was perfect though. A torsade made from four strands of tiny pearls twisted together kept catching her eye. The pearls all had a lovely pink sheen to them. The matching pieces in the set were a delicate bracelet made of a single strand of pearls and a three-pearl ring. The pearls should be light enough to stay comfortable and would work well with many of the dresses that had been ordered.

“Really, Ryll?” Veronica couldn’t stop herself from clapping excitedly.

“Let’s see how it looks first.” 

Amaryllis passed the box to the merchant who wasted no time in clasping the necklace around her sister’s delicate neck.

“Oh, I love it,” Veronica did not bother to hide the joy in her voice as her fingers traced along the pearls.

“I think that’ll be the last piece for her,” Amaryllis gave the jeweler a smile. “Please gather the cuffs and brooches I pointed out. We shall go join Romello’s appointment next.”

“Of course, my lady,” the woman waved to her assistants who quickly picked up the pieces Amaryllis had flagged for her brother. “I believe he’s just across the hall.”

“Yes, we wanted to make things easy since you came all this way.”

“How thoughtful, my lady.”

The woman appeared pleased. Amaryllis doubted she would have minded if they’d had her go back and forth from the annex to the main castle all day given the amount the duchy was spending. 

It wasn’t uncommon for nobles to be overtly rude and fussy with merchants. At the end of the day, despite their wealth, they were still commoners. The duke also thought himself above them, but he only voiced those thoughts in private. He quite liked having a good reputation with merchants and craftsman. He was seen as better than the other noblemen and had the best ones vying for his business. Small bits of courtesy like this were easy enough to help maintain those good relationships.

A maid opened the door to the next reception room which mirrored the other. Romello stepped out from behind the room divider, fiddling with his collar. He usually wore stylish, but comfortable tunics. His collars were always loose and he never did up the top button. His sleeves rarely reached his wrists and were usually rolled up, giving him a roguish princely charm at times. At least that’s what he’d told Amaryllis when she told him he looked ridiculous.

But now he was dressed properly. His hair was neatly brushed back, shirt carefully buttoned, and sleeves down to his wrists as they should be. A dark overcoat rested over his shoulders and gave her a peek at the lord he would grow to be.