Hetty waddles forth

The Duchess was not displeased to find herself too heavily pregnant to dance. She was not the dancer her sister was, and by being exempt from the festivities, she was better able to observe and make certain that everyone was having a pleasant time.

She had the impression that her husband was a little too occupied making certain the Princess was having a pleasant time to pay much attention to the other guests. Dunstan knew that he was expected to return home for the holidays, and so far he had not. His father had not yet had the heart to order him home.

But Hetty could only observe from her seat on the couch, and to ensure that her guests were enjoying themselves she did occasionally have to rise.

She first came across Ana, who stood alone beneath the mistletoe looking so lovely and so forlorn that Hetty could only suppose that the men found her too beautiful to dare kiss her.

“Lili certainly does seem to like to dance with Stein,” Hetty said to her upon observing her sister’s idea of a pleasant time.

“It certainly looks that way,” Ana agreed.

“Do you not like to dance, Ana? Do you suppose Stein wanted to dance with you?”

“I believe Stein wanted to kiss me, rather.”

“Oh!” Hetty laughed. “Perhaps you will be thanking Lili later. But I think if I had to kiss a man in this room, Stein would not be the last I would pick.”

“Don’t ask me to rank them, Hetty!”

“I shall not,” she whispered, giggling. “I know whom I would choose first, but after that… I would let them fight for the honor and spare me the trouble of choosing.”

“So would I,” Ana smiled.

“But do you not want to dance, dear? I shall ask my husband to dance with you.”

“Oh, no! Let him dance with the Princess. They are very cute together. In truth, Eadwyn and I were about to dance, but Sophie took him away.”

“And she is not even dancing with him, but only playing some child’s game! Well, Ana, I shall go make him dance with you. As hostess, that is my right.”

Ana curtseyed. “As guest, I shall not argue.”

Hetty smiled to herself and waddled forth.

“Keep one foot on the floor,” she scolded Alred as she walked past. “I think you two are having too much fun for Advent.”

“You think a man of my age can still leap?” he laughed.

“Yes!” She knew perfectly well that he could. “Eadwyn?”

“Yes, Your Grace?” Eadwyn bowed.

She poked him with her tiny, Hetty-​scented finger. “Remember you are to call me Hetty tonight. Tonight we are only friends and family.”

He smiled and bowed again. “Yes, Hetty.”

“I wish to ask a favor of you, dear, and I apologize to you, Sophie, for doing it now, when you were speaking together. Eadwyn, I wish you would ask Ana to dance. She is standing there all alone.”

“If it would p-​p-​please you,” he smiled.

“I hope it will please you! And I think it will please Ana, too, so everyone will be pleased, except for Sophie.”

“Na ja,” Sophie sighed. “There are always other men to harass, I suppose.”

“Yes,” Hetty said, “but please do not harass Egelric yet. I have just remembered something I wished to ask him.”