Page 28 of Lady for a Season
“Go,” said Edward. “I need to catch my breath after that game.”
On the bed in the Wisteria Bedroom were laid out a white lawn nightdress trimmed in fine lace and five dresses. Two in wool: a dark grey with a lilac ribbon trim, the other a rich brown trimmed in an elaborately pleated silk of the same shade. There were two muslin dresses: a deep violet with prettily puffed sleeves and a dark green one with gold threads making up a floral pattern at the hem. The last dress was a deep rich blue silk, plain in style but beautifully finished, with tiny sequins glittering across it like stars and a gold braid trim.
“That one is an evening gown,” said Celine. “You will need at least one for now.”
Maggie stared at the clothes. While they were all beautiful, the blue silk was like a fairytale dress, she had never seen anything so fine. Even the rich ladies who had visited the Hospital had been dressed in day clothes, not an evening gown like this one.
“Won’t the Duchess mind?”
Celine’s mouth twisted. “These are old clothes,” she said. “Her Grace has not worn any of them for at least five years. They are no longer the latest style, but they will do very well when I have altered them. A young lady would generally wear something lighter, but the household is in mourning, so these are appropriate for now. When we begin the season, you will wear more stylish clothes in brighter and lighter colours.”
Maggie touched the blue gown. “I have never worn a silk dress,” she murmured.
Celine smiled. “It will suit you,” she said. “When I have prepared those, I will find you a spencer and a pelisse to go over your gowns, otherwise you will freeze when you go outside in a muslin. For now, I will look out a shawl for you, Her Grace has dozens. Meanwhile,” she pointed into the dressing room, “I have found you an old travellingnecessaireof Her Grace’s, from before her marriage.”
A polished wooden box was on the dressing table, with a key set in the lock.
“Open it,” encouraged Celine.
Carefully, Maggie turned the lock and lifted the lid, to reveal a green velvet lined upper compartment, in which lay a silver comb, brush and a small hand-held looking glass, along with empty little glass pots, each with a silver lid.
“For cosmetics,” said Celine. “In Her Grace’s youth, all ladies wore a great deal of face powder, with rouge. They blacked their eyelashes also. Nowadays a young lady would not use such items, she would appear immodest. Perhaps a little rouge, only, for a ball. I will provide you with some when we go to London, also perfume. For now, I will bring you tooth powder. For cleaning your teeth.”
A second compartment under the first revealed several ivory-handled tools, including a toothbrush, a silver toothpick andtongue scraper, nail cleaner and tiny scissors. There were also hairpins and an additional brush.
“For brushing clothes,” said Celine. She pressed down on a section of the box and a hidden drawer appeared out of the side, holding two delicate necklaces, a tiny ruby cross on a gold chain and a string of shining pearls. “You will need some jewellery,” she said.
Maggie drew back, suddenly nervous. “Her Grace…”
Celine smiled at Maggie’s fearful face. “Her Grace wears diamonds and emeralds. She has boxes of jewellery. These are nothing to her. But if you wear no jewellery at all, it will look odd. Her Grace wishes you to look like a member of the family, so you must be dressed accordingly.”
“I have never used a toothbrush,” confessed Maggie.
“You use it like this,” said Celine, picking up the toothbrush. “Dip it in the tooth powder, it is salt with peppermint oil, then brush each tooth. When you have finished, you spit it out and use this.” She showed Maggie a bottle which proclaimed, on an elaborately decorated label,Eau de Bouche Botot mouthwash.
“Gillyflowers, cinnamon, ginger and anise. You rinse your mouth with it, for sweet-smelling breath. Then spit it into this cup.”
“What are gillyflowers?”
“Like cloves,” said Celine.
Maggie took a tiny sip. It was very strong-tasting when in her mouth but left a pleasant enough aftertaste once she had spat it out.
Maggie had been used to cleaning her teeth with a corner of a wetted rag, when she had done washing her face with it. “I had no idea ladies used so many products.”
Celine laughed out loud. “That is nothing to what Her Grace uses. She has every kind of powder and cream you can imagine in her dressing room. But she worries about her beauty fadingwith age. You are still young; it takes nothing for you to be beautiful.”
Maggie shook her head. “I am not beautiful,” she said honestly.
Celine put her head on one side. “You are not perhaps a great beauty, they are rare enough in this world,” she conceded. “But you are pretty. And when you are elegantly dressed, I am sure plenty of young men would think you beautiful.”
Maggie shook her head again. “We used to have lady visitors at the Hospital,” she said. “They would walk amongst our tables while we ate and amuse themselves by picking out what they called aristocratic faces, perhaps the illegitimate offspring of important men, or even acquaintances of theirs. They gave sweets to those they thought most beautiful.” She looked down. “I was never given a sweet.” And it had stung, whatever the chaplain said about vanity it had still stung as the years went by and sweets were freely given to those with larger eyes or longer lashes, cherubic curls or pouting lips, while her face was passed over every time, unworthy of note.
Celine was horrified. “And they called themselves ladies? Treating orphans as an amusement?”
“They were welcomed by the staff, as they might make donations to the Hospital.”
Celine tutted. “A real lady should not treat children so. And youarepretty, you will see. You have a sweet face. Now come, I must undress you.”
