Girls Night In | 28/12, Evening- Xmas 1677

[Sophia de la Cerda]

The Toledo Residence

 

Like all of the rooms in her new residence, the dining room was tastefully decorated, but the color scheme was too gloomy in Sophia's opinion. She preferred pastels and bright cheerful colors and planned to have it completely redecorated during the next recess. Now she could only do the best with what was already there.

 

Some of the paintings she had bought in Amsterdam and Madrid hung on the dark green walls, and the dining table had been covered with a cream tablecloth hemmed with lace and embroidered with multicolored flowers. An ivory porcelain vase painted with flowers sat close to one end of the table where the place settings had been arranged and it held brightly colored blooms from the orangery. The plates and bowls were also porcelain and painted with flowers and the silverware gleamed atop mint green napkins.

 

Sophia had dressed for dinner in a mauve crushed velvet gown, trimmed with white lace at the neckline and along the ends of her long puffed sleeves. Pearls were sewn beneath the lace on her bodice and along the sides and hem of the split skirt. Her underskirt was of ivory silk embroidered with mauve and blue roses and her jewelry consisted of a pearl necklace and earrings. Attached to the necklace was the cameo that Juan had given her last spring. Her hair was arranged in its usual tumble of curls, held up with mauve and blue combs adorned with pearls.

 

Strolling to the window and pulling back the green velvet curtains, she peered out into the snowy night, waiting for Lady Gowran to arrive.