The Best Intentions by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub

Chapter 9

"You look right pretty, miss."

Hannah surveyed herself in the cheval glass while Lily gave one more fluff to the puffed sleeves of Han­nah's ball gown. Truth be told, she did look rather fine. She had fussed and complained when Charlotte had ordered the dress and forced her to stand still for fit­ting after fitting. She was glad now her sister had gone to such trouble. She really felt very grown-up.

"I must go see to her ladyship now," Lily said.

Charlotte had agreed that Hannah might share Lily while at Epping Hall. Fortunately for the overworked girl, Hannah never required much from a maid. But tonight, for her first real ball, she was loathe to let the maid go.

"Are you sure I do not look like a Bartholomew doll?"

Lily chuckled. "No, miss. You look very pretty."

"Are you certain I am not showing too much bosom?" She tugged at the blond lace trim along the low-cut neckline. "I have never worn anything quite this daring. I can't imagine Charlotte thinks this to be proper for me. I am not a dashing widow, after all."

"It is the fashion, miss," Lily said, readjusting the lace. "And it looks very well on you."

"But what about this thing?" Hannah asked, reach­ing up to finger the fillet that held her hair in place. It was made of twisted bands of stiffened satin and seed pearls, and sat tightly on her head like an open cap, her masses of dark curls spilling all around it. "Are you sure this will work?"

"It is perfect, miss," Lily said, gently coaxing Han­nah's hand down. "And it is secure enough to hold the curls in place."

"Even mine? Nothing ever seems to hold my hair in place." Hannah reached up again to nervously finger the headpiece. If pins couldn't hold her hair, how was this little bit of fabric supposed to do it? "Perhaps we should have used combs instead. Or perhaps I ought to have had it cropped."

"Oh no, miss. That would be a right shame. Other ladies would sell their souls for your natural curls." Lily once again coaxed Hannah's hands away from her coiffure. "Now, if you'll just stand nice and straight," Lily continued, "hold your head up tall—that's it— then everything should stay in place, all right and tight. So long as you don't get too lively during the country dances!"

Even the maid knew more about proper behavior than she did.

"Now, I really must go to her ladyship."

"Of course, Lily, go on to Charlotte. And thank you ever so much. I declare I feel fine as five pence. I shall not move a muscle until it's time to go down."

If only she could get through the rest of the evening without moving a muscle. One of the tricks to being a lady, she suspected, was to move as little as necessary so as to maintain the condition of one's dress and coif­fure. Or, at the very least, to sit and stand and move and dance only in such a way as to cause as little dam­age as possible.

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