"Why wouldn’t you ask that I get to come back with you? You know that I have always wanted to be in the palace and to sit beside the queen," said Ally.
"And you have gotten to do those things today. You can speak to the queen if you wish. She will not turn you away. As for tomorrow, I want to keep this for myself and my mother. Let me have this," Julie pleaded.
"I cannot approach the queen now," Ally said, looking where Hazel walked off. "You must understand how good it would be for me to sit with the queen. There will be plenty of gentlemen to take notice of me."
Julie laughed and asked, "How many more men do you wish would take notice of you? Thanks to our grandmother, you have fine gentlemen asking for your hand. I do hear of it."
Julie rubbed her temple. "Perhaps I should have responded better when you asked. Ally, you have been pulled along with grandmother to see her friends and old ties. She speaks highly of you for all that you achieve. Allow me to have this."
Julie wanted this for herself so she could boast about it to her grandmother. She wanted to show that she good also achieve great things, so her grandmother should have some hope for her.
Ally could not believe her ears. "You are making this out to be a contest? I thought we agreed not to let this happen?"
"It has always been a contest, and you have won at many things, but I do not hate you for it. I cannot control how grandmother feels. I just need something she could be proud of," Julie explained.
"She is already proud of you. Why does it matter if I am there?" Ally asked, frustrated that Julie wasn’t understanding her side.
"Because it will take away the fact that I have an audience with the queen. She will make it about what you have achieved and question me on whether I have made a fool of myself. I need this," Julie said, hoping Ally would understand.
"It is selfish to do this," Ally argued.
"Then allow me to be selfish just this once. You have attended plenty, Ally. I need something to myself just as you have, and then the next time, I shall invite you," Julie promised, reaching for Ally’s hand.
Ally moved her hand to be out of Julie’s reach. "All this time that I travelled with grandmother, you said you didn’t mind. You said that it was best that I go along since I was the one who wanted to get married. Now, you do this."
Julie understood why Ally felt this way.
"It was wrong of me to speak of how I felt to others, but I smiled and sent you off because I didn’t want you to feel guilty. Of course, I wish my grandmother would invite me along. She invited me recently, only for it to be you she wanted to take," said Julie.
Julie wished the others were present so they could move on from this talk.
"We are both right to feel as we do, and I understand-"
"No," Ally spoke over Julie. "I don’t understand why you would do this now when it is important to me. I would ask the queen to invite you along. You know what this means to me."
Ally thought Julie should be understanding since invitations from the queen didn’t come very often.
Ally was lucky to be standing in the palace today, and she believed she owed all the thanks to her grandmother.
"I will not change my mind. Luckily for you, you have a few hours to impress the queen. We should go since the others are waiting for us," said Julie.
Julie didn’t want to speak of this any longer since it would only grow into something more and make it awkward for the family.
Julie started to walk ahead. She desperately needed to speak with the twins.
"Impress the queen? You didn’t impress the queen. You are in luck that your mother helped figure out that something was placed in the queen’s tea. You are being gifted for the actions of your mother," Ally pointed out.
Julie stopped walking and faced Ally.
"What is so wrong about it?" Julie asked, failing to understand what was wrong. "Are you not favoured because your mother was the daughter of a fallen home? Did you not receive gifts because your mother once served the duchess?"
"You did as well," Ally replied. "Your mother received gifts for you because of their friendship."
"I know I did. I have never denied it. Shouldn’t it be this way for us to benefit from what our parents have done? Ally, I do not ask you for much. I hold my feelings back when you are favoured. If you must take this, too, then very well. I shall ask the queen to include you," said Julie.
Julie didn’t want to argue.
The moment was already spoiled, so Ally could get what she wanted.
"Since you want to marry this season, I shall let you have this. I only hope that you can see that I am not the only selfish one here. If you would excuse me, I would like to be with my friends," Julie said, starting to walk away.
"You should think of how it feels for me to not have the same chance as you do with the queen," Ally quickly spoke. "My mother is at the duchess’s home when the queen is there, yet I am not invited to the palace."
"We both know the queen cares for your mother. Just as my mother hesitates to be in the palace now, so does your mother. And it is up to the queen to decide who enters her palace. It is her right just as it is my right to walk away from you," said Julie.
Julie walked away from Ally, not wanting to speak anymore, or she would say things she would regret.
Ally was left standing alone. She wondered if she had made a mistake by pushing so much.
"I would have helped my dear cousin sit with the queen," Amelia said, approaching Ally with her arms folded. "I couldn’t help overhearing what was said. It is wrong what Julie wants to do."
Amelia liked to see Penelope’s group of friends crumble. Ally might be the lady Amelia needed to use to get close to Penelope.
Amelia slowly walked by Ally. "You learned a valuable lesson that even family can be your enemy. Some ladies will understand you. You only need to come to us."
Ally watched as Amelia walked away. She was not so angry with Julie that she would be foolish to turn to Amelia.