There was a mont of silence as the solicitor folded the letter and put it away. He avoided everyone’s eyes because he was afraid that so of the people at the funeral would love to take their swords and stab him. It was hard to tell who would take lead. The crown prince whose naked picture had been in Lady Jane’s possession all along or those whose affairs he had exposed.
There was a scream and a fight broke out between Duchess Crane and Lady Thistlebaum.
While others were trying to stop the fight, Sigrid was gesturing at Brolin to stop the solicitor because she wanted the naked painting of her husband back. The way he was glowering at her, he was ready to eat her alive, and not in the good way.
The Reverend decided not to bother saying any last words. In the midst of minor chaos, he said the last prayers and the casket was lowered into the ground. When it touched down, it made a bubbly popping sound--like a bottle of champagne uncorking from inside.
Lady Percival and others popped the fox brew open, soone set off fireworks, startling the organists. Despite Lord Derrick’s protests, drums of wine were poured into the ground.
Lord Pemberton suddenly returned with a sword just as mourners were about to throw flowers onto the casket.
"I am going to kill you Derrick, you ruined her." He was screaming as he run forward with that sword.
Swords had no eyes, and the wielder was drunk. People scread and run out of his way. Red knights took Lord Pemberton down.
Lady Jane was finally laid to rest beneath s headstone that read: She ca, she saw, she spilled.
Words that she had insisted on despite any protests from her daughters and her husband. In the end, she got the funeral she wanted, more drama than tears, lots of wine and all the gossip and scandal that would have put a smile on her face.
Sigrid was certain that either she was laughing from heaven or laughing from hell. It was hard to tell where a woman like that would end up.
This was the best funeral that Sigrid had ever been to.
"Aren’t you glad we ca?" she asked Roland.
"You didn’t even want to co in the first place." He replied gruffly, still sour over the naked drawing even though the solicitor had handed it over.
He had co along with it because he did not want to risk his neck. This much he had said to Lady Jane when she showed him the drawing the first ti.
"And I am admitting that I was wrong to refuse." She gracefully moved her hand to her mouth and she snickered, "I cannot believe that she passed on your naked drawing to her daughter as if it is an inheritance."
"Did you see the count’s face at the end of the funeral?" Mauve asked them.
She did not even lower her voice or hide the fact that she was laughing.
Sigrid was glad to have a laughing partner. She abandoned Roland for Mauve and Christie. "Ooh, he looked so mad. He was not even ntioned in the letter so I don’t so why he is up in arms like that."
"Lord Derrick looked even worse." Christie chortled.
Sigrid slipped her arm through Mauve’s. "I don’t think Duchess Crane and Lady Thistlebaum’s friendship will recover from this revelation."
"I am rooting for the duchess." Mauve admitted. "If I were in her shoes, I would ruin Lady Thistlebaum’s life. For crying out loud, they are best friends! Lady Thistlebaum is the godmother of Duchess Crane’s children."
Christie slipped an arm through Sigrid’s. "I feel like we are living in a drama. These things only happen in Lady Blanche and other series like that. Who knew that we would witness such a scandal in real life?"
They arrived at the cars but the won refused to let go of each other or get inside. They needed to exhaust the gossip just as many others were doing around them.
All around the parking area, people were standing next to cars or carriages, discussing the funeral and all that had happened.
Even reporters were on the sight, interviewing those that had been to the funeral. Reporter Karl, the biggest scandal sniffer in the empire was among them and he was talking to Lord Pemberton.
Lord Pemberton’s valet was trying to cover his mouth, to keep his Lord from revealing secrets of the past.
"So, what do you suppose Lord Thistlebaum is going to do about all this?" Mauve asked about sothing which had been on her mind as soon as it was revealed.
Sigrid and Christie winced. They would hate to be in Lord Thistlebaum’s shoes right now. He was known to love his wife abundantly. He loved her so much that he never took a secondary wife and pampered her to the heavens.
He had beco Duke Crane’s friend through his wife. Both families were so close that one would think they were relatives. This news would devastate him.
"I say we are in for so drama this week." Mauve licked her lips. What pastries would match this week best? Scandal always tasted better on a full stomach. "Mmm, why haven’t we heard about the naked drawing?"
Christie gasped. "That’s right, we have been discussing others and we forgot about the most important one, your naked drawing of the crown prince."
Sigrid retrieved her hands from the grasps of both ladies and escaped into the car. But they would not let her go, they followed inside, squeezing into the two person seats.
"Don’t even think of escaping. You are not getting out of this easy." Mauve leaned towards Sigrid with a light in her eyes. "Tell us, was he fully naked or half-naked? Did he pose for the drawing? How did you convince him to pause for it?"
"Why did you punch him on your wedding night?" Christie’s eyebrows danced curiously. "Was he too rough?"
Mauve gasped and folded her hands, squealing in glee. "Oooh, mama will kill us if she hears us asking us questions but I want to know too. Was it a naked fight?"
It was Sigrid’s turn to gasp.
She flicked Mauve’s forehead and hissed at her. "You curious cat, why are becoming more and more inappropriate? Christie has grown up around ship people so I don’t bla her for her poor language. But you...you have been raised carefully like a precious flower behind closed doors. Being around us is ruining you."
"Hmph!" Mauve responded. "You just don’t want to tell ."
Sigrid flicked Mauve’s forehead again. "Forget that, we have more serious business. Does any of you know a pregnant woman that is about to give birth? I need to see the phantom midwife."
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