The Arrogance of Elegance

Part the Twenty-Eighth

I brushed my hand over the newly embroidered rose, before poking the needle through the cloth. How I wished to get over Nicolas but he was, once again, all that occupied my head. I picked my needle back up to start another stitch on my embroidery cloth. Yet, he once again entered my mind. Yesterday, I had wanted so much to tell him how I still wished to marry him, even though I wouldn't try to force it anymore, but I knew it wouldn't have been right to say so.

I pricked myself with the needle which only seemed to annoy me more. I set it down disgruntledly to stand up and look out the window. To my surprise, I saw Papa and Nicolas Burns outside mounting their horses. It looked like Nicolas had finally taken me up on my offer to go hunting with my father. I smiled as I watched them before Nicolas turned his horse around to look up at Fernsbury, before eventually making eye contact with me. Startled, I blinked before giving him a smile in which he returned with a tip of his hat. And they rode off.

I stepped back from the window, returning to my chair at my desk. I picked my embroidery back up to continue creating a flowery masterpiece—or at least I was trying. My thoughts, once again, drifted to a certain auburn-haired man. It had been since before Nicolas' four-year departure when he and my father had gone hunting together. They used to do it often, but Nicolas' absence had broken the habit, so I was happy that they were getting back together to do it. Like old times.

A knock at the door, made me flinch as I pricked myself again. It was Claudia. She entered the room with my mail, leaving it on the desk beside me. She was about to leave but I called her back.

"Claudia, where is Adrienne?" I asked, turning in my seat to face the young girl. I wondered where my lady's maid was. "She was here to do my hair this morning, but when I tried to summon her, they said she no longer worked here. Is that true?"

"Yes, ma'am," Claudia said, with a curtsy. "She was flirting with the steward's son for the fifth time, and Peter told on her. Mr. Jennings sent her away immediately."

"Oh, my," I said, thinking over the news. Now I didn't have a lady's maid. "Do you by chance have any skills to be a lady's maid? I think the pay is higher."

"I— I do my own hair, ma'am," Claudia said, instinctively touching her head of curls. From what I could see from beneath her maid's bonnet, she made nice curls.

"I'll talk to Mr. Jennings and see if we could arrange a trial week," I said, thinking about the girl's family she had mentioned long ago. "How has your family been?"

"Better, ma'am," Claudia nodded towards me. "Thanks for asking."

"Of course!" I smiled, picking up a letter which was from the Grahams. "I'll get back to you shortly on the opportunity, Claudia."

"Thanks, ma'am," Claudia curtsied before exiting the room quickly.

I opened the letter, revealing an invitation to their upcoming ball. I quickly scrawled a reply, before walking downstairs to talk to Mr. Jennings about the possibility of letting Claudia be my lady's maid. After hearing about how poor her family was, all of them living in one room, I knew I had to do something to help her.

--

I looked at my reflection, amazed at how well Claudia was doing on her first big event. Adrienne had gotten fussy and frantic on her first bigger hairstyling day. But Claudia was great at nimbly weaving ribbons in and out of my hair. I was quite satisfied.

"Have you ever worked at another estate, Claudia?" I asked as my new lady's maid pinned part of a braid into a bun.

"Yes, ma'am," she replied, pinning in the rest of the braid. "I used to be a laundry maid at an estate near London. Didn't last for long since I'm afraid I was too emotional to deal with all the bickering and fighting that happened there."