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You look perfect. She had to laugh silently at that, because that was something that he would say. However, to the girl who had been taught that appearances were everything, being presented with a beautiful table of food complete with candles, flowers and moonlight meant that any proper lady should have been wearing a proper dress, some jewelry--for Merlin's sake, at least have showered before the event!

However, as soon as the thought came, it left. That was her mother speaking, of course. Despite how estranged they had become since Cecilia had walked out of her life in the bridal shop that day, she still found it impossible to keep the old harping socialite out of her head at times like this. It was always at the most annoying times that she could hear Eliza Hooke chirping directions in her ear, always in that mildly disapproving, endlessly critical, severely clipped tone that had driven Cecilia insane her entire life. Darling, where are your manners? Your curtsy could use some work. Cee, that is not how I taught you how to drink your tea. And while you're at it, you certainly could use a shawl over those bare shoulders of yours--I mean, it's rather obscene to show that much skin, isn't it? You don't want the Rosier boy to think you're easy, do you?

She shook her head as she took her place at the table, remembering in that moment just how lucky she was to have been given the kick to get rid of some of the people in her life. As scary as it had been to finally pull the plug on her old life, it was without a doubt that she was much freer for it now. She had been given the reign to take charge of her own existence, never wondering how anyone would feel about her choices. That was a freedom Cael Gray had given her, and had it been anyone else, Cecilia wasn't entirely sure that she would have been sitting across from them at that very moment. Without his encouragement and boundless patience, she might have been living in Paris at that very moment, stuck in some loveless marriage and hating herself all the more.

To that, certainly, she could toast.

"To us," she agreed sincerely. Cecilia managed to be content with just a sip of wine--another major personality change which had come about sometime during her time with Cael--and set it down on the table before fixing him with a curious glance.

"But really, what's up? This is wonderful and all, but it doesn't seem like something to throw together on a whim..." she ventured.