And meeting her for the first time at my baby shower? That's not just awkward, that's slightly embarrassing to me. I was afraid of how she might see things.
I sighed, huffing and puffing as I made my way back up one of the many paths to the château. I saw the cars gathering out front, circling around the large fountain, parking. There were already too many for me to properly count, and I had no idea how many people were going to actually show up. According to Julien this wasn't just a baby shower, but a meet and greet of sorts. I had heard some other stories about this whole thing, some crazier than the last. Like the idea of having everybody on the guest list having actually signed some sort of waiver for meeting me. When he told me that I nearly snorted my milk for my nose one morning. At that point all of it just seemed surreal, and so far away.
But now that it was here, my nerves were crazy.
I sneaked in the most inconspicuous door I could find, knowing that it would lead into the kitchen, where hopefully Gervaise would try and keep me occupied or at least hide me for the time being. But when I entered the kitchen, I nearly turned right back around and walked out.
"Bree! Oh there you are! I have been looking for you all over the place, ma chérie! Please come and meet my mother, would you?" Julien boomed from the entrance to the kitchen.
Well, I couldn't very well walk past them, now could I? I pasted on my very best attempt at a genuine smile and walked up to them, sticking my hand out to shake his mother’s.
"It's very nice to finally get a chance to meet you," I said as politely as possible.
Sabine Malveaux stood next to Julien, but not too close. It was clear that Julien got his looks from his mother.
In my head I had imagined her at some sort of monster, almost. Someone ready to take me down at a moment’s notice. And maybe that was part of my anxiety, but standing there looking at her might even be worse. She was fully dressed to the nines, wearing a beautifully tight black satin knee dress that hugged all the right places, which wasn't saying much because everything seemed perfect on her.
She was thin and blonde, with the same piercing brown eyes as Julien. Her hair was swept back into some fancy updo, and she wore a set of very expensive looking pearls, delicately lining her thin collarbone. She looked like she had walked off the set of Mad Men. But it wasn't her looks alone that was really throwing me for a loop. It was the expression on her face.
I half-expected her to come in with a sneer, given her upbringing and wealth. Instead, she was looking at me with a curious expression. She looked amused. I didn't know what to think about that... When she spoke, the whole room went silent.
"And it is our pleasure to finally get a chance to meet you, sweetheart."
Well. I definitely wasn't expecting that...
Sabine brought her hand across her hairline, smoothing it back, as if it hadn't already been expertly coiffed. "Where is Gervaise? I thought he would be back here, helping run things?"
I didn't know whether she was asking me were just asking in general, but I shrugged my shoulders. "I haven't seen him in a while."
Julien walked up to me, pulling me into his arms and giving me a quick peck on the cheek. A wave of relief rolled over me.
He turned and faced his mother, gesturing out the door. "I'm sure he'll be here quickly, but we need to go ahead and get started in the ballroom," he explained.
My eyes widened, the anxiety in my face plain and clear. "The ballroom? Julien, he never said anything about the ballroom. That room is huge!" I quickly whispered to him, trying to be as quiet as possible so that his mother didn’t hear me from ahead of us. "Just how many people are coming to this thing?"
He chuckled nervously in response, giving me his answer in the silence. I shook my head at him, wishing I could get just a few minutes alone with him. I had quite a few things to say.
"Don’t worry… My family members know about us. They know about you and the baby and they are nothing but happy for us. I’ve hired security and everything is locked down tight as a drum. Relax and enjoy yourself!"
I didn't know what else to say, so I kept quiet and walked along next to him, trying to give people the vibe that I was completely comfortable.
As we stood outside the double doors that led into the ballroom where most of the guests had already assembled, I took in a long deep breath, pacing myself. Julien looked over at me and smiled, squeezing my hand in his.
"Just be yourself. That’s all you need to do."
When he said it like that, he made it sound so simple. Of course it really wasn't, but maybe I could pretend for myself that it was.
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Chapter 34
I’d come through this room before, but it was always so empty and cold… Now, it had transformed. The ballroom was decorated beautifully, and I gasped as I realized that Julien had fixed the old stained-glass that covered the skylight above us, replacing it with shimmering colored panes. It was just the right touch to make the room seem new again.
There were five tables covered in all sorts of different food, courtesy of Gervaise. He stood near the tables, ready to help dish out the food. I was actually surprised to see that it was a buffet style lunch, much to my satisfaction.
I tried to concentrate on other people spread throughout the vast room. Some caught sight of Julien and his mother, and began their way over towards them. Some others were conversing among themselves, seated at one of the numerous small roundtables to the one side. I was still stuck on the beautiful decorations that were tastefully strung here and there.
I nudged Julien as an older couple paused to talk with him, and I told him I was going over to grab something to eat.