Vienna, Austria, 1799

January 5th, 3:29 PM

After a week of seemingly endless waiting, it was Saturday at last. I had already prepared an excuse to let my mother leave the house unaccompanied. Now, I was walking down the stairs on my way to tell her. She was looking at a collection of bouquets that would be set at the dinner tables at the wedding.

Her face lit up when she saw me.

"Daphne, dear, I was just going to get you to come look at these marvelous bouquets. I simply can't decide on just one."

I sat next to her and stroked the petals of the flowers.

"Well, Mother, you know peonies are my favorite. I think we should use those for the wedding, if Herr Leitner's alright with it."

"A wonderful choice. I knew I raised my daughter to have impeccable taste in pretty things."

I smiled and fiddled with a bouquet of carnations.

"Mother, do you think I could attend a Shakespearean play tonight? I know you don't want me around music for the time being, but this play doesn't have any music in it. It's just a nice comedy, think of it as a bachelorette night. I would like to enjoy an evening to myself with some entertainment."

My stomach formed knots as Mother's eyes narrowed. It was almost as if she could sense my skittishness.

"What's the name of this play?"

"A Midsummer Night's Dream."

"How lovely. . . very well, then. I see no harm in one night of entertainment. What time does the production begin?"

"Six o'clock. I should probably change into a nicer dress now, then. Rebecca will help me with my hair and makeup."
"Of course. Make sure to look your finest."

When I looked in the mirror after putting on my floral cotton dress, I beamed and spun around in order to see the skirt fly elegantly in the air. Rebecca walked in just as I sat down at my vanity to get started on my hair.

She gasped and looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"Daphne, you look breathtaking!"

"Stephen will be utterly astounded," she said with a smirk and a suddenly hushed voice.

"I sure hope to have that effect on him. Going to the symphony with my suitor has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. This evening should be absolutely magical. In order for it to happen that way, I should have flawless hair. Would you mind helping me with it?"

"Of course, Daphne. What hairstyle would you like to wear today?"

"How about a curled plait made into a bun with some nice loose curls?"

"How gorgeous! I'll get started on that then."

I smiled and looked into the vanity. Right before getting my hair styled was one of the only times I ever got to see it all down in its brown waves. I somewhat fancied the way it looked--simple, yet still elegant. Alas, I could only look at it for a few seconds before Rebecca began pinning it up in sections.

Doing makeup while getting one's hair tugged at is no undemanding feat. I struggled to maintain the delicacy of my brush as it swept across my cheeks. More often than not, the blush appeared startlingly bold instead of light. Rebecca and I had a good laugh about it, though. As I powdered my blush some more, I found myself humming the melody of Vivaldi's "Autumn" from The Four Seasons.

"I bet you miss being around music," Rebecca remarked.

"More than anything," I said with a sigh, "Every day I wish to gaze upon my incomplete compositions and write just a little bit more. Play a little bit more. But you know Mother, if she ever found a single page of manuscript paper, I would never hear the end of it."

"You'll see, once all of this wedding chaos is over, you will be able to pursue music again."

"I hardly doubt it will be so. After I'm married, my only role in society will be to bear children and spend my days as a housewife. If the other wealthy families heard of me dedicating my life to a servant's job. . . well just imagine the rumors. My image would be ruined, Herr Leitner would no longer want to be my husband because of it, it would be impossible to find a well paying job, and I'd fall into poverty. All for refusing to abandon my happiness for a loveless marriage."

Rebecca nodded glumly and spent the rest of the time styling my hair in silence.

When she was finished, I smiled at my reflection in the mirror. All I could think about as I looked upon my face was how astonished Stephen would be when he saw me. I looked and felt like royalty, from the highest strand of hair all the way to my silk heel shoes. When I looked at my stopwatch, I saw that it was almost 5:00, which meant I had to leave in order to get to the palace fashionably early.

I stood and turned to Rebecca with a smile.

"Thank you for everything, Rebecca."

"It's my pleasure. Now, go and see that performance!"

Laughing with excitement, I hurried downstairs, bid a quick farewell to my mother, and left. As soon as I closed the door behind me, the air outside felt different in my lungs. I felt nothing but adrenaline and ecstasy.