Page 63 of Taming the Heiress
"Certainly, Mrs. Larrimore, if you think we will need extra staff for the soiree, please hire them," Meg said. She stood in the drawing room with Angela Shaw and Mrs. Larrimore, the housekeeper of Number Twelve Charlotte Square.
"You'll find willing maids of service at Matheson House," Angela suggested. "It is newly established, and there are several young women there eager for work."
"Huh," Mrs. Larrimore said dubiously. "Themlassies."
"They are well-bred young women caught by unfortunate circumstance," Meg said. "Many of them desire honest work. You can hire a few to act as kitchen maids and upstairs maids for the evening, at least. We will need some ladies' maids, as well."
"Well. I suppose I could inquire," the housekeeper said.
"Excellent. Now, we shall have music and a little dancing for our private assembly," Meg said. "The drawing room will be large enough if some of this furniture is removed to the upstairs rooms. The carpet should be rolled and placed elsewhere, too."
"The musicians can set themselves in that corner, near the garden doors," Mrs. Larrimore said, pointing to a roomy area beside the wide glassed doors leading to a small conservatory. "And we'll set conservatory plants about in pots."
"That will be lovely," Meg said. "Our own roses in the conservatory are still plentiful. We could use some of them. Mrs. Shaw, are the other flowers ordered?"
"Yes, madam. Yellow and ivory roses, mixed with other flowers for variety and color. They will be set about the room, and the buffet table will hold an arrangement of a tower of sugared fruits, very pretty. I personally made some tiny nightingales of silk and paper in the Japanese method to set among the flower arrangements, in honor of Miss Lind, since she is called the Swedish Nightingale."
"Splendid idea, and I'm sure very lovely. You have a delicate hand for craftwork." Meg turned to look around the room. "We'll use this room for music and dancing and the dining room for the supper buffet, with the doors left open for mingling. We'll need to designate two upstairs rooms for dressing rooms, one for the ladies and one for the gentlemen."
"Aye, madam," the housekeeper agreed. "I've told the maids to ready the blue bedroom and the upstairs sitting room. The rooms will be comfortably heated and well lit, and there will be plenty of soap and water, towels, combs, brushes, pins, and so forth set out for the guests."
"Excellent. And it will be a nice touch to provide rose water, lavender water, and some almond-rose cream for the ladies to use. And, of course, add salts and cologne as well."
"Aye, I'll see to all of it. And I'll order the grooms to lessen the fires in the grates toward evening. With so many guests, the fires will make the place too warm. We don't want anyone fainting!"
"A good thought. And we'll need two maids to take the cloaks and hats and store them for the evening in one of the bedrooms."
"Aye. A wee slip of paper pinned to each cloak with the owner's name on it will prevent a kerfuffle later."
"Good. I'll leave the rest of the details to you, Mrs. Larrimore. We'll be coming in that evening from the concert at the Music Hall, and most of the guests will be arriving from there, too. All must be in readiness by eight o'clock, I think. Oh, and I'd like a lady's maid exclusively for Miss Lind, as well, who will arrive later than the rest, of course."
"Katie will do. She's a good lass. What of the menu, madam?"
"I would not change a thing," Meg said, and she looked at Angela. "Mrs. Shaw, what is your opinion?"
"I like Mrs. Larrimore's suggestions to provide fruit ices and lemonade earlier, with a light buffet supper served at midnight," Angela answered.
Meg nodded agreement. "It will be a very late evening, but the concert from seven to nine dictates that it must be so."
"Very good, then," Mrs. Larrimore said. "I'd best get back to work, madam and Mrs. Shaw. Cook will start baking long before dawn on that day, and there will be a great deal to do—meats to roast for chilled slices later, dishes and punches to prepare, extra ice to be ordered and stored. And of course, the whole house cleaned and polished, top to bottom. It will all be done, though. Do not fret a bit about it. Oh, and the dressmaker from Paris will be here this afternoon."
"Thank you, Mrs. Larrimore." Meg smiled as the housekeeper bobbed her head and left the room.
"It promises to be a lovely event," Angela said.
"This is not a large house for such a party," Meg replied, glancing around. "I... oh, I suppose I am nervous, Angela."
"Strathlin Castle offers more room, but this house is more convenient for most of the guests, who can return easily to their homes afterwards. And it will be convenient for Miss Lind, as well, since she plans to travel the next day. I believe she has a concert in Perth the following evening."
Meg nodded distractedly. "None of that makes me nervous," she said. "I know that you and Mrs. Larrimore, and all the others, will work together to make this a wonderful party. It is... well, it is something else entirely."
Angela tilted her head sympathetically. "Can I help?"
"I'm afraid I must puzzle it out on my own." She thought of Dougal walking the machair of Caransay deep in the night, puzzling out his theorems as well as his feelings for her.
Seeing Angela's keen glance, Meg smiled brightly. "You are always such a help. We call you Angel for a reason," she said, tucking her arm in her friend's. "We had best hurry. We're expected at the opening of the new exhibit at the National Museum of Antiquities at one o'clock. They are displaying some recently discovered Celtic treasures, which I hear are quite stunning. It promises to be very interesting."
"Yes, I'm looking forward to it. The museum directors are delighted that you are free to attend, madam, as you and Matheson Bank are among the museum's chief contributors. They may ask you to say a few words."
