Page 47 of The Last De Loughrey Dynasty (The Legacy of Aquila Hall #1)

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

ARCHER

“Are your families coming?” Jesse asked as we made our way to pick up the girls from Doe and Mai’s room to walk them to the ballroom.

The opening wouldn’t be for another half hour, but Mrs Fanning insisted on our arrival at least fifteen minutes early.

The opening dance tonight was the most important. As tradition dictates, the first to walk onto the dance floor would be the graduating class, followed by our grade to form a presentable number for the dance.

The families would stand on the sides, enjoying the welcoming ceremony, and later on, they would join their children on the dance floor with their siblings.

I nodded at my friend’s question. “Elsie called to let me know she and our parents would attend the ball this year.”

“As will mine, but this time my dear mother said she had a surprise for tonight,” Nathaniel answered, sounding more unpleasant than excited. He straightened his suit jacket.

He looked astonishing. We all did. Naomi started making our clothes for tonight as soon as she got the information sheet with the dress code.

I saw several of our male classmates wearing simple black or dark blue suits with little moon or star ornaments on their breast pockets and neckties. They suited the celestial theme, but they were nothing compared to what Naomi had designed for us.

She hadn’t even shown us her sketches before sending them off to her family’s seamstress. All she did was take our measurements.

Nathaniel wore an indigo-blue suit that seemed rather plain at first glance, but the waistcoat he wore on top of a white shirt was coloured in the swirls of mercury’s tinctures. The texture of the planet’s surface was embroidered in gold on the cuffs and down the back of his suit, fading subtly to make it difficult to tell where the pattern started and ended. On the blue tie he wore was a beautiful golden clip with Mercury’s caduceus symbol.

“Oh, what might dear mummy’s surprise be for her golden boy?” Jesse mocked as we climbed the stairs. I gave him a warning glance.

He held his hands up in defence, signalling that he was just curious. Of course, he was. He’s Jesse, after all.

My gaze wandered down his champagne-gold suit. I was glad it wasn’t shiny, otherwise, any light that might hit him tonight could blind everyone in the room. In contrast to Nathaniel, Jesse wore no waistcoat above his cream-coloured shirt, just a tie around his neck. The sides of his suit jacket were embroidered with a pattern of vines in a darker gold tone than his clothes. The yarn used to design the vines looked so vibrant that it might as well have been straight sunlight shining through Jesse’s jacket. And I was certain that this was exactly Naomi’s intention.

We stopped in front of the girls’ room, and Nathaniel knocked, clearing his throat before answering Jesse. “My guess is that she either dragged my grandmother or aunt with her, and I hope for the second, since my grandmother doesn’t approve of my girlfriend.”

“How can someone not approve of Maisie?” Jesse asked, surprised. “She’s like the sweetest person on earth. That’s ridiculous. I’ll defend that girl with my life if it comes down to it. I’ll even write some Italian insults on the inside of my palm for that grim old woman to realise what a real rude English person looks like. And that person definitely doesn’t have short blonde hair and dress like a whimsical prairie milkmaid.”

“Besides that, my grandmother would have probably hated any girl I brought home. You’re not even fully English, Jesse. But I appreciate the thought. I’m grateful Maisie got you,” Nathaniel replied.

“Blimey, my English is better than my Spanish. And thank you, Nate, I’m happy too that Maisie got you,” Jesse said with a grin.

The door finally opened slightly, and Naomi peeked through, revealing only her face, which had been painted with dark makeup that highlighted her eyes. Her lips were painted a deep red, and her silky black hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders. Tiny little stars, formed from diamond-like crystals, were splayed out from her middle part down to her loose ends, where they grew more subtle.

“About time you opened that door, now let us in,” I said, wanting to see Doe. We only had a few minutes together before we had to pretend that friends were all we were. But that was fine. It was just for tonight. One last time. The only thing that pained me was that I wouldn’t be the one dancing with her. It was something we had known for weeks, and it was better this way. I didn’t want my father to meet her.

Naomi looked like she was considering our request before shaking her head, dead serious. “Doe is still helping Maisie with her hair. Gentlemen can very well wait for their ladies.” She pulled away from the door and slammed it shut.

“Aren’t you going to say anything about our suits?” I called out, and to my surprise, she opened the door again—only a gap.

Naomi looked us up and down. “Well… where’s my thank you? Those suits are ethereal, and perhaps they look only good because I, personally, designed them for the people wearing them. You look good, boys.”

We thanked her together, though it wasn’t for lack of wanting to thank her inside the room and not through a door.

“Can we come inside now?” Nathaniel asked impatiently.

Naomi sighed, “mmh…”

“It’s fine, Naomi, my hair’s done!” We heard Mai call from inside the room, her head popping up next to Naomi’s. She pushed the door open completely, revealing her stunning dress first.

The dress Naomi designed for her was oddly reminiscent of the colours of Venus. It had its place next to Mercury. The cut of the dress reminded me of Belle’s dress from Beauty and the Beast . Her shoulders were bare, and the tulle hugging her arms reminded me of mist circling around her. Next to Naomi’s tight-cut dress, Mai’s looked massive, but nonetheless beautiful.

It was all Mai.

Nathaniel stepped forward, taking her hand and placing a gentle kiss on the back of it.

“Do I look like the most beautiful celestial body in the galaxy?” she asked, smiling teasingly at him. Her makeup was soft pink, and the front of her light hair was pinned at the sides in a swirl with golden clips, looking like a delicate version of the Venus symbol.

Nathaniel straightened himself in front of her small figure. “You have always been the prettiest and most precious body in my galaxy.”

My gaze wandered to Naomi, who wore an elegant black dress that was less extravagant and puffy than Mai’s. At least two thousand rhinestones were splayed out from the sharp V-cut neckline. As always, she wore matching black gloves. While her dress seemed utterly common for any type of ball, everything changed when she demonstratively spun around once to show off the tulle cape sewn to the back of the dress. Every constellation I could think of was delicately embroidered in silver, matching the jewellery she wore.

Her dress matched mine too well. It was like we symbolised the same thing, with the difference that my suit was a deep blue that could be mistaken for black, and the details of the constellations were embroidered onto the jacket I wore, with a crescent moon clip on my tie.

Jesse had called my suit boring in comparison to theirs, but I appreciated what Naomi had done. I preferred a simple, neat concept for everything in my life—clothes included.

The suit was perfect for me.

“You look stunning, Nao, really, I can’t think of a word that could capture your beauty,” Jesse mumbled nervously, and if I wasn’t mistaken, he blushed.

Naomi lifted an eyebrow. “In this moment?”

“Always,” he corrected.

And after years, it was the first time I saw Naomi’s stern mask falter for a moment, allowing her cheeks to colour a soft peachy tone.

“Mrs Fanning is going to be feral if we don’t keep going soon,” Doe’s voice came from behind the two girls, standing next to her desk where several of her architectural sketches were hung up.

And when I saw her, I think I forgot how to breathe.

Her lips formed a cheeky smile. “You’re turning blue, Archer,” she teased as I took in the sight of her.

Dorothee De Loughrey stood in front of me looking like the reincarnation of a star fallen straight from the gates of heaven in her champagne gold dress, which was the perfect mix of Mai and Naomi’s. The top consisted of a corset highlighting the soft curve of her chest where a bright star was centred, with an effect of different tones of gold to make it seem like it shone. The corset reached down to her waist, where soft tulle fell in many layers down to her ankles. My gaze went back up to her eyes, noticing that her completely free shoulders and arms were covered in golden glitter that harmonised beautifully with her shiny makeup.

Her copper hair fell down her shoulders in soft curls, the only thing styling it was a headpiece similar to a hairband, but made of metal. It was decorated with golden stars and pearls.

“You look beautiful.” There were so many more emotions I felt when I looked at her, but it seemed that no words would be able to describe her. I wasn’t even sure if a word to describe her beauty existed.

She took a step forward, laying her hands on my chest. “I do?”

“You are.” She was the ornament that gave the dress its beauty.

“You don’t look so bad either, Starboy. Your geek heart must be screaming in these clothes,” she laughed softly, and I joined her.

“It truly is, I’m going to eat, sleep and study in this vest from now on,” I joked, placing my hand on top of hers that still lay on my chest. “I have a present for you, and I believe it’ll fit beautifully with tonight’s attire.”

Doe grinned before she spoke in a quiet voice, “Perhaps I have a gift for you too.”

I crooked an eyebrow and frowned at her. “What is it?”

But Doe shook her head. “While I’m sure mine is better, you said it first.”

Reaching for my breast pocket, I pulled out a delicate golden bracelet, holding it hidden for her eyes in my closed hand for a moment longer. “It’s yours if you promise to save me a dance in my room after the ball.”

We wouldn’t be able to dance at the ball since her assigned partner tonight was Jesse and mine Naomi, which was terribly obvious in our garments. And besides that, I’m sure that we’d have enough to do tonight with our parents there and having to watch Kane the entire time. And while Chadwick volunteered to keep an eye on him, we all agreed that it was safer to handle this task together.

“Only if you promise to dance with me to my favourite song,” she demanded, and I nodded in agreement, taking her hand off my chest and bringing it up to my mouth.

“As you wish, my breathtaking star.”

“Then, of course, I’ll promise to save you a dance.” And with that, I put the bracelet on her wrist. Closing the clasp, I adjusted the golden band until the crescent moon and star faced her.

“Oh, Archer, it’s beautiful,” Doe said, pulling her wrist to her body to have a better look at it.

I reached out to brush my fingertips across her cheek until she looked from her bracelet up to me.

“We might be the star and the moon in this cursed fairytale, but we will reweave our destiny tonight,” I promised her. “We’re the only ones writing our fate.”

Doe entwined my free hand with hers and squeezed it tight. “If nothing happens tonight, we’re free, our curse is broken because we’ll break the cycle after three hundred years.”

I nodded. Every fifty years, the oldest heir to our bloodlines dies trying to fight it, heaping it onto the next poor fools being born almost thirty years later for the cycle to repeat itself until someone either breaks Hecate’s curse or chooses love over power. All before us, they embraced death together, breaking nothing but their families’ hearts.

Maybe it had been a good thing we hadn’t found the Book of Shadows sooner, if that's what poisoned the thoughts of our ancestors.

“And we will, but you know what I would die to know right now?”

“What?” she asked, looking at me dreamily.

I smirked when I answered, “to know what your present for me is.”

She shook her head as she chuckled, “You’re noise.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

Instead of answering that question, she answered the one before that. “My family owns a cottage by the Jurassic Coast. I asked my mother if I could stay there with a few of my friends this summer, and she agreed.”

“A few of your friends?” I teased, preferring to spend the summer with her all alone beneath the stars.

Dorothee shrugged, “I’m still debating if I’ll invite them or just this arrogant arsehole from my school because he’s an excellent kisser and tragically, I’m quite the sucker for that.” She pushed past me to join the others, since we should keep going.

“Such a tragedy,” I agreed, wearing a smile on my lips at the mention of our shared kisses while I followed her.

She hooked her arm with Jesse’s and Naomi came up to my side as we made our way through the corridors to the ballroom.

Naomi leaned in to speak to me for no one else to hear, “at first glance, I know it looks like their and our attire matches. But the stars belong to only the moon, and I tend to like a little light in my darkness.”