Chapter 30 Wedding Plans

Lady Berkeley s drawing room, otherwise known as Zinaida s favourite place in the mansion, is truly a terror to behold. The room is entirely decorated in pale pinks and purples, from the carnation petal ceiling to the lilac-strewn floor. The walls are wisteria and pink roses interlocked in a forever repeating pattern, and the few windows hide behind pink tulip curtains that exactly match the upholstery of all of her overstuffed furniture. Pink lace and wispy pink chiffon ruffles adorn virtually everything as well. I bite my lip to keep from hissing like a cat at this most offensive interior, and Dmitri has to subtly push me into the room. It makes my skin crawl with its overdone femininity. My wedding will not look like this. "Welcome, my darlings! Thank you for coming so quickly on such short notice," Zinaida coos, Russian accent thick, as she rises from a chair by the fireplace (where a fire is lit; this chamber is more oppressively stuffy than ever my own were. Now I kn