TURNING PAGE | ❝I surrender who I've been for who you are.❞
After the loss of her husband, Winifred Erstwhile must come to terms with her new life amidst her grief. In a world where society views her through the lens of marriage, the widow slow...
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"YOU LOOK LOVELY, ABIGAIL," OCTAVIA SAYS. Her eyes are glowing with pride as she steps back to admire her daughter, currently stood on a small podium in front of a mirror in the modiste's shop. Abigail's hair is pinned up to allow her personalised dress to be seen fully — it is made of silk in a light peach shade, with fine shimmering embellishments and a ribbon bow tied around the back of her waist.
As it turns out, if you need a new dress for the ball, Genevieve Delacroix is your woman. Running her own business quite successfully, she is the most sought-after modiste in the ton. Winifred notices, while perched on a small cushion seat, that debutantes keep flocking in like sheep to place orders for new gowns, pelisses and beyond. Madeline brought the Seymour girls here so that they could have something special for the next ball... hosted by none other than Queen Charlotte herself.
"The shape is very flattering, no?" Madame Delacroix gestures to her handiwork, in her seemingly French accent. "I have tried to modify the sleeves to your liking, Miss Abigail, not too puffy, but—"
"Oh, I love it! I don't think I have ever had a dress so exquisite, Madame Delacroix, thankyou," Abigail beams from ear to ear, almost to a point of appearing anxious.
"De rien, it is my pleasure. I am just pleased you thought to come to my shop."
"Well, you are the best in town," Madeline says with a grateful smile.
There seem to be delighted smiles and chuckles all around — Madame Delacroix has a small smile playing across her face, something like satisfaction. Perhaps it also has something to do with the Seymours being such courteous customers. Just before it was their turn to be fitted, the Featheringtons had been in here, apparently too lacking in funds to buy new dresses, but still just as insistent to live vicariously through those on display until the next Lord Featherington came along.
Rather unwillingly, Winifred is slowly catching up to the news in the ton through her sisters and Lady Whistledown. It turns out that the last season ended quite dramatically for the Featheringtons, finding the late Lord Featherington presumably dead, which left the mother with her three girls to flounder until a new candidate for the man of the house came along and could provide for them. Winifred didn't even have to learn this from Whistledown... the Featherington girls simply complained so loudly, all except for Penelope, who remained the quiet wallflower ushered to the back by her bold family.
Whistledown certainly seems very on top of things — she has already published her latest take on the upcoming ball thrown by Queen Charlotte, the copy of which is clutched in Winifred's hand, only half-read:
