Page 111 of The Truth About Myths
"They are swans, and swans mate for life." He kneeled at her feet and kissed the back of her hand. "Princess Isabel de Orleans, will you marry me?"
Chapter 44
“Until you spread your wings, you’ll have no idea how far you can fly.”Napoleon Bonaparte
Sixmonthslater…
The last rays of the sun touched the university tower as the bell tolled at the end of the sixth class. Through her bedchamber window, Isabel watched students flocking about the square, their black mantles flowing behind them like raven wings. With a sigh, she closed the shutter. Henrique would return home, and she had made no progress. On Tuesdays, he had fewer classes and never stayed at the laboratory later than six in the afternoon. The scent of spring clung to the city’s ocean breeze, and soon, they would move to England for the season. Not that they were not proud of Henrique's position here. Coimbra was every bit as prestigious as Oxford. The oldest school in Europe, founded by her ancestor, King Diniz, in the thirtieth century. But Henrique was eager to expose the results of his research in Britain, and she would love to meet her royal cousins and show off her scientist husband.
"Come, Sophie, let's get this done."
The maid eyed the new garment with distaste and shook it from the box. The dressmaker's craftmanship was superb, Isabel had to admit. Form-fitting, the tailored jacket was made of striped tweed lined with black silk. The problem was the cycling skirt. If she could call it that.
"Are you sure you wish to wear it, Your Highness?"
"Sophie, when I was a princess, you balked at calling me Your Highness... But now that I'm no longer one, you decide to use the honorific." As a blessing to the marriage, her brother had granted them the title of Duke and Duchess of Braganza. At first, she feared she had robbed Fernando’s legacy. But Henrique believed her late brother would be happy if his lineage were kept alive. Even Pedro Daun, who had been Fernando's closest friend, had written to her saying that after the courage she showed in Spain, he could not think of a better bearer of Fernando's name.
The maid huffed. "Your Highness will always be a royal princess to me. But a trouser?"
Isabel sighed. "Ladies want to try the bicycles, but long skirts make it unsafe. Many had accidents when their hems caught in the chain."
Sophie seemed resigned as she helped Isabel fasten the new garment over her waist. "I never knew Your Highness to be interested in bikes."
Isabel watched her reflection in the mirror. The bloomers, as the English called it, had no excess cloth, making her feel naked.
"I'm not. But I have the means to keep a landau, a vis-à-vis, coachmen, and four carriage horses waiting for my pleasure. What about the thousands of women who don't have the same privilege? The bicycle provides them with a respectable form of transportation." It gave women freedom. And free women were happy women.
The door swung inwards, and Henrique strolled inside her dressing room.
Her heart sped, and she grinned. "Don't you ever knock?"
"It would be contra-productive, now, would it not?"
"Why is that?"
"If my goal is to glimpse you in dishabille, knocking would ruin the surprise factor."
Sophie blushed furiously and, muttering in French, hurried out of the room.
"What are you wearing?"
"These are bicycle bloomers. Do you approve?"
"Absolutely not."
"Why?"
He took his hat off and flung it. It sailed and landed perfectly on the peg. He removed his gloves and great coat and moved slowly towards her. A frisson started in her belly at his nonchalant approach.
"Like all libertines, I am extremely conservative. Are you ready to start a scandal? I can see the headlines. Duchess of Braganza is seen flaunting her derrière in Coimbra's main street."
"It's for a worthy cause." She swatted his arm and watched her reflection, twisting this way and that.
Was it really so scandalous?
He placed his brawny arms around her and kissed her neck. Their eyes met in the mirror.
Playfulness gone, he became serious. "Your effort is commendable. I'm sure when you wear these"—he placed both hands over her hips—"they will become fashionable."
