We’d taken the mistletoe down, and the New Year’s mood was starting to fade. The rest of the world was getting back to life as usual, but the fun had just begun at the Fisalis manor.
You guessed it—Violet’s second birthday was coming up!
It was supposed to be a family-only celebration, but between all the servants and in-laws suggesting “let’s do this” or “no, not that—this!”, having everyone brainstorm what sort of party to throw had generated even more hype around the event than Flür Day.
Over in the kitchen, Cartham and his cooks were discussing what sort of dishes to serve or what kind of cute cake to make. For the record, Tinctorius had yet to return to the royal palace.
Meanwhile in the garden, Bellis and his gardeners were making plans for the big day. Last year, for example, they had trimmed the bushes visible through the dining room window into fun animal shapes!
Inside the manor, the maids were considering how to decorate.
Violet sure was lucky to have so many people thinking of her!
Amid all the excitement, we had a sudden visitor show up at the manor.
“Miss Verbena! It’s been too long.”
“I was in the area, so I thought I’d stop by. Is now a good time?”
“Yes, of course!”
Miss Verbena of the Argenteia family had said some mean things to me when we’d first met (though strangely enough, it hadn’t felt all that much like she was putting me down), but that was a thing of the past; she was now one of my few good friends in high society.
I was surprised to see her drop by without any notice, but those were my shut-in...ahem, “busy mother” sensibilities in action. Now, whatever can I do for her?
I was more than happy to usher Miss Verbena to the parlor.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I wanted to talk to you about next week. How would you like to bring Lettie over to our place?”
“To the Argenteia manor?”
“Yes. I’m thinking of hosting a tea party for some of my friends. During the daytime, of course! Lettie’s about ten years too young to be attending any soirées!”
“Right...”
“I’ve invited Miss Iris and a few more of your friends to join us!”
“That’s nice...”
“Vi?”
I appreciated the invitation, but I hesitated to give her an answer.
Why, you might ask? Because that day was Violet’s birthday!
“Uh... Actually, that day is—”
I attempted to mumble my way through a response, only for Miss Verbena to cut me off. “Yes, I know. It’s Lettie’s birthday. You don’t have to RSVP right now. Be sure to discuss it with the duke first.”
Wow! Miss Verbena remembered Violet’s birthday!
I mean, she had given her a gift last year, so I should’ve expected she would.
Everyone from my in-laws to the servants was looking forward to Violet’s birthday. No way we could have the star of the day skip out.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be! Like I said, talk it over with the duke and come to a decision.”
“Thanks.”
As much as I wanted to go, my best move was to get Mr. Fisalis’s opinion first.
✦ ✦ ✦
“She said it was scheduled for the afternoon, didn’t she? We won’t be starting the celebration here until evening, so why not attend?”
The second after Mr. Fisalis got home from work and I told him about Miss Verbena’s invitation, he gave me permission to go.
He was more than familiar with the venue of the Argenteia manor. Plus, the attendees would be a bunch of my lady friends, so he had no reason to object.
Good point! She did say that!
“Do you mind if I go ahead and tell her yes, then?”
“Of course not. You should go have fun with your friends every now and then.”
“Thank you so much! I’ll send her my RSVP tomorrow!”
He’s being so understanding today! I thought for a second there.
“Oh, but if you’re too late getting home, I’ll have to come pick you up.”
“...Sure.”
Never mind. He never changes.
✦ ✦ ✦
Then came Violet’s birthday.
“Have fun!”
“We’ll be back by evening!”
“Bye-bye!”
The servants watched as Violet and I left for the Argenteia manor.
“Can you be a good girl for me, Lettie?”
“Yeah!”
“I want you to be on your best behavior today.”
“Yeah!”
I can’t tell if she gets what I’m saying or not. Like, technically it was an affirmative reply... Oh well. All the guests are going to people she already knows, so it should work out.
When we arrived at the Argenteia manor, the river was looking as gorgeous as ever. Wait, I should probably do a better job of setting the scene, huh?
A big stream known as the Wahl River ran through the Argenteia estate, and it was a stunning site to behold. That’s what I meant.
Casting glances at the swiftly flowing river and magnificent gardens, we made our way to yet another lovely Argenteia mansion.
“Welcome!”
“Thanks for inviting us!”
“I’m so glad the duke gave you permission to come. Of course, if he hadn’t, I simply would’ve kidnapped you both!”
“What?”
“Oh, nothing!”
“Uh-huh. He did say he’d come pick me up if I was running late, though.”
“He never changes! Well, come along now! Everyone’s waiting.”
“Are they? I’m sorry.”
As usual(?), Miss Verbena had taken on the task of personally escorting us to the garden. There, we found that everything was already arranged for the tea party.
“Hi, Vi!”
“Greetings, Vi! Same to you, Lettie.”
The soirée quartet was engaged in friendly conversation. I’d assumed the guests would all be my high society friends, but it seemed I’d been mistaken. That is to say...
“Hey, Madam Fisalis! Long time no see!”
“Happy birthday, Lettie!”
“We went ahead and took the day off for this!”
If it isn’t the Bombshell Trio! What happened to wo—wait, they just said they took time off.
At least I’d been right about everyone there being a friend of mine! Mr. Fisalis wasn’t going to be too happy about it, though.
That explains the “kidnapping” Miss Verbena mentioned. She would’ve had these girls do her dirty work, I bet.
“What’s going on, Miss Verbena?” I asked, looking back at her in surprise.
“Hee hee! I got everyone together to celebrate Lettie’s birthday! Now—bring out the you-know-what!” she commanded one of her servants with a smug grin.
“Yes, ma’am.”
What now? I wondered, only for her servants to come back pushing a wagon along. There was something tall riding in it, but I couldn’t tell what it was because it was covered in cloth.
“Come, Lettie! Why don’t you pull off the sheet for us?” Miss Verbena urged her, putting one of the corners of the long piece of cloth into her hand.
“I tug?”
“Yes, dear.”
“Yay! That sounds fun!”
Her eyes lit up, and she gave the sheet in her hand a firm yank. And then...
The cloth fluttered through the air, revealing a gorgeous cake underneath.
Of course, it was entirely thanks to the servants’ assistance that the sheet had fallen away so cleanly.
“Wow! It’s a big cake!”
“That right there is your birthday cake, Lettie. Eat up!” said Miss Verbena, getting down on her knees so she was eye level with Violet.
“Thanks, Miss Verbena!” the little girl exclaimed, then looked up at the tall cake with stars in her eyes.
Now that the guest of honor had arrived, the tea party (a.k.a. birthday party) began. Between all the presents, birthday wishes, and bites of delicious cake, Violet had the time of her life.
Once she’d gotten tired of eating, she had a ball running around and playing tag with the ladies.
✦ ✦ ✦
“The cake was THIS big!”
“Then I’ll whip you up an even bigger cake for next year!”
“Yay!”
Violet had been so tuckered out from all the fun that she’d slept like a log on the carriage ride home. The second we made it home to the mansion, she’d gone around telling all the servants how much she’d enjoyed it.
While everyone else smiled as Violet stretched herself as far as she could in her attempts to express the size of the cake, Tinctorius alone took it as a challenge.
Do you really need to make a cake bigger than Violet herself?
At the family celebration, we had all of Violet’s favorite treats. It was a feat made possible by Cartham’s exhaustive knowledge of her tastes!
“I love Cartham’s food! This cake is so yummy!”
“I know, right?”
You did it! You got her by the stomach!
He’d managed to totally overshadow the afternoon cake.
Violet was overjoyed to get gifts from us, the servants, Grandma, and Grandpa. The servants gave her one flower each, and when you put them all together, they made a beautiful bouquet. I was willing to bet Bellis had done the math on that one!
With so many people excited to celebrate her big day, she was sure to make it through another year healthy and happy.