Music Recommendation: Prelude- Olivia Belli
One of the carriages belonging to the Moriarty family rode on the streets of Woodlock town with the hooves of the four horses clip-clopping on the road. The vehicle took a turn and entered Sullivan's mansion.
Eve stepped out of the carriage, along with her was Allie, who had accompanied her so that she could eat the cake in Lily's inn. When they reached the entrance of the mansion, the butler of the mansion appeared and asked Eve,
"How can I help you, milady?" Not allowing them to step inside as he stood, blocking the way.
The butler was loyal towards the Sullivan family and had been working for them for a long time now. It took the man only a glance to know that this woman was an outsider to the high society his master and mistress belonged to. His hollow eyes stared at the young lady in front of him.
Allie clutched onto Eve's hand, while looking around the place.
Though Eve picked upon the butler's behaviour, she offered a slight bow and replied, "I am here to see Lady Anaya Chambers. It is regarding the dress she is working on for me."
"Follow me," the butler informed, turning around and leading them to one of the rooms at the front. He pushed the door open and said, "You can sit here, while I go and inform Lady Anaya about your presence."
But before Eve and Allie could step inside, Anaya came rushing through from the opposite side of the corridor and exclaimed, "I thought I saw the Moriarty carriage! It is so good to see you again, Eve." She turned to the butler and said, "Godfrey, I have got Ms. Barlow. Why don't you send a maid with something to drink to my room."
The butler bowed and walked away from there like a corpse.
"I should have informed you about visiting before coming here," Eve apologised, but Anaya shook her head.
"Please, don't worry about it. I did have an inclination that you would be visiting me today or tomorrow," Anaya smiled, coming closer to her and said in a low voice, "Especially after the letter that was sent here by Mr. Moriarty."
"The recent one," Eve murmured, and Anaya nodded.
Vincent Moriarty had sent her as well as the Sullivans the wedding invitation. After reading the content in her letter, she had hidden the letter that was sent to Sullivans as she knew her future family would only talk badly about Eve. Though she didn't pick other people's letters, this time she didn't see a harm in doing it, after all as only she and Noah would be attending the wedding.
"I am glad to hear that everything has been straightened," Anaya replied. The woman felt a little guilty as, after reading the invitation letter, she had felt a sense of relief. When her eye fell on the little girl next to Eve, she asked, "And who is this?"
Eve placed a gentle hand on Allie's head and said, "This is Allie, Vincent's second sister."
"Of course, I remember her," Anaya nodded and bent down to level herself to the little vampiress, stretching her hand forward and said, "Hello, Allie. I am Anaya Chambers. A friend of Eve's."
Allie immediately stepped behind Eve as if someone would steal her if she wandered one step away from her favourite sister. Eve said,
"She's shy. Don't mind her, she takes time to warm up."
"That's understandable. I can see why you don't mind teaching, especially if it's an adorable girl like her," Anaya continued to smile before standing straight. She said to Eve, "You must be eager to take a look at the dress. Let me take you there," with a hint of excitement in her voice.
When they reached Anaya's room, the she-wolf opened the door and invited them, "Please come in."
"Thank you," Eve murmured and stepped inside with Allie right behind her, who looked like a rabbit that looked left and right. But when her eyes fell on the wedding gown, her mouth was left hanging open.
Allie quickly left Eve's side to run towards the gown so that she could take a closer look at it, while Eve stood there staring at it. Her wedding gown.
The white in the silk gown was a little mellow compared to the usual bright white that women often wore. Like the colour of milk. It had threadwork from the top to the waist and slightly below it. The sleeves were long and transparent to look at, with the wrist holding more threadwork.
There was a silver-like sheen at the gown's hem in many inverted V's, which were embroidered with more threadwork. But that wasn't all. Eve noticed the small white pearls that Anaya had sewed into the threadwork, making the gown even more beautiful than it could be.
"Forgive me for taking liberties in adding things into the gown when you said you wanted a simple one," Anaya said, who stood next to Eve. "Wedding is such an important day for us women, and you are a beautiful person, Eve. It would be such a waste to have you wear something so simple."
"It is gorgeous, Anaya," Eve praised the she-wolf's hands and mind for creating something so enthralling as she had never seen this beautiful wedding gown before.
Little Allie was busy hovering her small hand above the pearls as if not believing something so pretty could exist.
"I think this might be my favourite gown until now. I am just happy for being able to make it for you," Anaya said before adding, "To marry someone you love, and who loves you back... not everyone is fortunate. And I think that you deserve to celebrate it with Mr. Moriarty."
Eve tore her gaze away from the wedding gown and met Anaya's eyes. When their eyes met, she noticed the hint of sadness in the she-wolf's eyes, which quickly disappeared. She wondered if Anaya was talking about Noah, as he was the one to whom she was going to get married.
"How about you try the gown so that we can see if there's any more adjustments that need to be made to the dress," Anaya said, walking to the dress and picking it up.
Eve nodded and changed into the gown, while Anaya helped her button up the back of the gown, which was slightly transparent until Eve's lower back.
"Sister Eve," Allie whispered in awe, "You look like an angel," her eyes holding stars and wanting to grow up like her favourite sister.
"She does look like an angel, doesn't she," Anaya remarked, while smoothening the silk skirt of the gown.
"That's thanks to your hard work and effort, Anaya. I don't think any seamstress would ever pay attention to such detail," Eve lowered her hands that she had raised while wearing the gown. "I think everyone in Woodlock and Skellington knows about your highly skilled hands that turn simple cloth into beautiful clothes."
"Thank you, Eve. I wanted to do my best and didn't want to disappoint you, my friend," Anaya responded and said, "The man you are marrying is a lucky person."
"I am lucky to have him beside me," Eve warmly replied. With Allie busy staring at the wedding gown without paying attention to what the two elders in the room were talking about, Eve said to Anaya, "Aunt Aubrey used to tell me that when the time is right, everything falls into the right places. Sometimes it's only a matter of time... between two people."
Anaya nodded, "True indeed." Her eyes stared into Eve's blue eyes, that was kind and gentle.
When Eve went back to admiring the wedding gown, Anaya pursed her lips before asking her, "May I ask you a question, if you don't mind?" Eve gave a nod, and the she-wolf asked, "Have you ever loved anyone else before Mr. Moriarty?"
Eve looked slightly startled and shook her head, "I don't think I have loved anyone like I love Vincent." She then frowned before asking, "Is there someone you are in love with whom your parents disapprove of?" So it wasn't Noah whom Anaya had earlier remarked about?
Not able to tell the truth, Anaya smiled and said, "I do. But it isn't that my parents disapproved of him. It's just that he...was in love with someone else."
"I am sorry to hear that, Anaya. You are a wonderful woman, and maybe it wasn't the right time," Eve pursed her lips with a frown and then said, "Sometimes things don't work to make way for something better. Like the Duke, who will keep you happy. He is a good man and you will be able to fall in love with him one day. But... if you think you have a chance with that man you are in love with, a chance to be happy with him, you shouldn't give up on him. Let him know that you love him."
Anaya smiled and replied, "Thank you, Eve. I needed to hear it from someone." She needed to hear it from someone, to know if she was doing it right.
When someone knocked on the closed room's door, Anaya who held pins in her hands murmured, "It must be the maid with the tea." She said, "Come in."
When the door opened, it wasn't the maid who entered the room, but Noah, "Anaya, moth--" he stopped mid-sentence when his eyes fell on the stunning future bride in the wedding gown. "Genevieve," he breathed her name.
