Shopping Trip

Caspian stared at Naomi for several seconds, but bustling at the table in the next room interrupted their discussion. Lysander and Dierdre were leaving. 

"I must see them out," Naomi swallowed her emotion. Since Finn was indisposed, and she was the nearest female relative, she must have felt the duties of hostess fell to her. 

Pasting on a smile, she thanked the couple for coming and then she and Jacqueline cleaned the table and did the dishes. 

Caspian didn't miss the significant look that passed between the ladies. Clearly the two of them were hiding something they considered important, and it was on Finn's behalf. 

Though Lysander had been a gentleman and let them off the hook, the Commodore's son was less willing to do so. Clearly Naomi was carrying some intense guilt over hiding something from him, and that had no place in their marriage. 

The matter merited further discussion. 

He debated leaving the two ladies alone while they cleaned up. Would they talk about the matter in his absence? Would Jacqueline reaffirm the need for secrecy in the matter, getting in the way of the talk he wanted to have with his wife? 

He sighed, and went to ready himself for bed. Lurking and hovering around them would only make them more nervous, in all likelihood. 

By the time Naomi came to bed, he was already settled under the covers. She was still self-conscious about changing clothes in front of him, but for once he didn't avert his eyes. 

She would have to get used to him at some point, wouldn't she? 

Naomi turned her back to him, but from her stiff movements she could feel his stare. His mouth twitched. Even her guilt was adorable. 

She climbed into bed, averting her eyes from his. He maintained his steady gaze, wondering if she would face away from him. Lying on her back, she stared at the ceiling. 

Her eyebrows pinched together, worry lines between them as her poor lower lip suffered the agony of her angst. 

"I didn't get to answer your question earlier." He commented, startling her. 

Her wide eyes stared at him. 

"You remember?" He asked. 

"I asked you if keeping someone else's secret would hurt our marriage," She whispered. Fear flickered in her eyes. She still lay on her back, head turned towards him. Was she afraid he would reject her? 

He held his arms open and she hesitated, then dove into them as if he might change his mind any second. She hid her face against his chest, and he almost chuckled. 

"I sense an ulterior motive behind this embrace," He said, and she stiffened. "Could it be that you want to hide your beautifully readable face from me?" 

"Maybe." The single word was muffled against him, and he did laugh. 

She peeked up at him, and he pushed his smile down. 

"I'm not angry. I appreciate that you don't like keeping a secret from me, and I hope it's quite a rare thing." 

She nodded a little sullenly, and he tipped her head up towards him to kiss her forehead and gain eye contact. 

"It was good of you to ask permission to tell me. If it becomes something truly important for me to know, I trust that your loyalty to me will compel you to put our marriage ahead of your friendship. For now, I am content for you to not damage a friendship just to let me know some small thing." 

At least, he assumed it was small. From the way Lysander had spoken, he thought it had something to do with the Void. 

Finn had every reason to want to defeat the Void forever, so any secret she kept was very unlikely to get in the way of that goal. She also had the ears of several Klain Council members, and King Duncan. If and when she chose to reveal that information, it would get to important places quickly. 

He was untroubled by the matter, though it was clear he hadn't entirely eased Naomi's mind. 

"Are you sure?" She asked. 

He kissed her in response, slowly, until the tension melted out of her. 

"Very sure." 

_____________________

Dierdre arrived promptly after breakfast to take Naomi for a day of shopping. The latter was highly nervous, never actually having shopped in her life. Her Rhone clothing had all been made by herself or her mother, her Klain style clothing had all been provided through the kindness of her friends, and what little Cetoan garb she possessed was mostly courtesy of her mother-in-law. 

The purchase of any fine things was not an experience she'd endured in her lifetime. Shops in general were fairly foreign to her; Rhone subsisted primarily through barter, and the fanciest things were usually heirlooms to be passed down, not trinkets to be purchased.

Dierdre was therefore both a comforting and intimidating presence to have. She was obviously extremely well-versed in fashion. 

She took the younger woman under her wing, taking her all around the city. The first stop was the dressmaker's, where Naomi was measured in ways she'd never been before. 

She was used to rather loose-fitting clothing, especially amongst the Rhone. The shopkeeper took her behind some screens and measured every inch of her as if no spare bit of fabric would be wasted covering her unless it was absolutely necessary. 

Fabrics were brought out for her perusal. At first Dierdre and the shopkeeper had many questions, but Naomi stuttered and guessed what they might want her to say. 

"Sweet Girl," Dierdre took her hand, "We are here to make you happy. If choosing does not make you happy, just say so." 

"I would rather be guided or told what to do," Naomi admitted. 

"Of course you would! This is not your home, and you're nervous about our customs. We will help you, won't we, Felise?" 

"Certainly!" The shopkeeper beamed. "Just one moment. We are in such a time crunch to get you a gown by tomorrow… I may have just the thing." 

The woman disappeared for a mere moment, but called "Close your eyes, my dear!" before coming back. 

Naomi was relieved to have some order to obey, and held still like a doll as the woman dressed her in whatever gown she had brought out. 

"I had made this from our newest fabric to display and draw new customers in. How fortunate I am to have a living doll to parade it around the largest festival of the year for me instead!" She exclaimed. "You may open your eyes, for now, while I pin what alterations I will need to make." 

Naomi opened her eyes and gasped into the enormous looking-glass before her. 

The fabric was thick and warm, and the color of the bright evergreen trees that graced the base of the nearby mountain. Somehow, it was unbelievably soft. The voluminous skirts fell in scalloped draping, echoing the scooped neckline and narrow, almost off the shoulder sleeves. A darker green sash at the waist made her slim figure look more dynamic. 

"It's… beautiful," She whispered, almost reverently. She imagined this to be something a princess might wear, but not even Finn, who was married to a prince, had worn such a fine gown that Naomi had seen. 

"Oh, darling, how wonderful! Is there any extra of this ribbon for her hair?" Dierdre was suddenly at Naomi's side, examining every detail as the dressmaker pinned and measured every angle of the gown. The two older ladies chatted back and forth while Naomi admired the amazing work. The fabric taken to make this one dress… was probably more than she owned with all her clothes put together! 

Loathe to take it off, she complied because there were alterations to be made, and other errands to run. With a sample coil of the ribbon in hand for matching purposes, the ladies were off. 

Dierdre took Naomi to the cobbler's for stylish shoes that would keep her feet warm through the threatening snow but also look beautiful with the new gown. 

Next was the search for proper accessories. The jeweler was delighted to see Dierdre, welcoming her warmly, but reacted strongly when he saw Naomi. 

"That necklace! I've only seen one like it!" He declared. "You must be the bride of the Cetoan ambassador!" 

"Why, yes, I'm here–" She began, but the man grabbed her hand and kissed it, then pushed back her sleeve in delight. 

"I'm thrilled you are pleased with the bracelet!" He cried. 

Naomi blinked several times, absorbing that this was the same man Caspian had encountered before. "Yes, it is lovely, thank you!" 

"So lovely," Dierdre smiled, "that we are back to find something for this charming lady to wear at the festival tomorrow." 

The man's delight turned to contemplation. 

"The gown?" He asked. 

Dierdre produced the ribbon and offered it out. The man concentrated. 

"Are you going in an official capacity, or trying to blend in with our Klain ladies?" He asked. 

"She will stand out no matter what. The gown is of Klain's latest style," Dierdre said. 

"Ah!! Then I have the best idea!" He grinned.