How do I properly care for lace and linen napkins?

My mother-in-law brought me a beautiful set of 12 embroidered linen and lace dinner napkins from Europe and I haven't a clue how to properly care for them. They look relatively delicate and they are very white - I'm afraid to actually use them as dinner napkins. They will be filthy after each use. Do I take them to the dry cleaners or hand wash them? Any advice would be greatly appreciated...I do not want to ruin this beautiful gift because I cared for them improperly.