Going to social gatherings with her husband was a requirement of marriage. Even when she lived all the way in France, she tried to never miss an event where her attendance along Avery’s side was expected. She did so once in the first few months of their marriage and she got several letters from her parents about how disappointed they were and what a bad light she drew upon their name. Colette hated the thought of them being ashamed or disappointed in her, so from then on her attendance wasn’t to be questioned anymore, she’d be there at social events, hanging on his arm like the perfect pureblood wife everyone expected her to be. It’s not like she hated to be at such events, quite the contrary in fact, but it felt different when she knew that the decision to be there wasn’t in her hands, that it never had been.
Tonights event was one thrown by Vivienne, her husband’s sister, so they had to go. Which meant that she needed to find something appropriate to wear and get ready. She needed to look perfect, put together and elegant. It took her about three hours from the bath to putting on her dress and make up and making sure that not one hair was out of place. The dress she chose was one she bought quite recently and she had not had the occasion to wear it yet. Colette thought it was gorgeous, champagne colored and fitting her like a glove. It wasn’t flashy color or cut wise, but she knew she looked good when she examined herself in the mirror.
After putting on finishing touches she grabbed her purse and headed over to Avery’s quarters, figuring that he must be ready by now, knocking on the door waiting for him to come out so they could leave and attend his sister’s event. “Are you ready to go?”
Avery had grown up with a younger sister, so he knew to an extent what the women in his life went through to get ready for big events such as Vivienne’s Valentine’s party. However, it was very different having his date getting ready in his own house. Granted, it was as much hers as it was his by default, but Avery had long since become accustomed to the estate being his space and spending a majority of his time in that space alone. They had been to plenty events together in their time as a married couple (and even before then, during their official courtship), but he had been much less aware of his wife’s process when it came to preparing for such events due to the lack of proximity.
He had been aware of the sacrifices and struggles young women in society faced to look every bit the part, but being cognizant of the three hours his wife had taken to prepare, it made her seem a bit more... human, in his eyes. Having resigned himself to being the distant spouse, attending to his work and estate and leaving Colette to her devices, it was hard to see her as anything but this unattainable being. Always out of his reach, so determined to push away from him and remain in her own little world on the Riviera. He didn’t blame her--she had been forced into this, after all--but it did leave him with a certain impression of her, mysterious and elusive.
Physically living with her had made this illusion of her blurry, the more he began to see her as a real human being and not just a woman on a pedestal. True, she was beautiful, and he knew himself to be very lucky to have been dealt the cards he had been given, but something felt different that time when he opened the door to see her waiting for him, bathed in silky champagne. Avery found himself speechless, not far from dropping his jaw in an obscene manner when he finally reeled himself in.
“Yes! Ah... yes, I’m -- I’m ready to go.” He ran a hand through his hair somewhat nervously, feeling underdressed in her presence despite the expensive suit he had been convinced by his sister to buy for the occasion. “You look... you look beautiful, as always. Shall we... get going?”
