My Sweet Daisy

Chapter 24 - A Trip to the Market and Trouble

Chapter 24

A Trip to the Market and Trouble

It had been seven days after Bair Havel's opening ball which, take aside the incidence involving Daisy and the prince, had been largely a success from the viewpoint of the countess. There had been numerous invites to afternoon teas and coming-out parties and balls she had had to strain them to identified the relevant ones that would boast the profiles of her young ladies. She was delighted to discover Daisy hadn't been ostracized for what everyone concluded as a rejection by Prince Richard. Yes, they had been a few invitation that hadn't bore her name, but overall, she had been included in all the important events, and those that didn't, she had also tossed aside the invitations. Lord Perribea's power in government might have influenced the hosts to forget easily. Then too, the Prince had come by their house twice since, one to take Daisy for the tour and the other to escort all three girls to carnival fair he said was popular.  

In preparation for the next coming-out ball being held in honour for Lady Raphael, the grand duke of Kestshire's first daughter, the countess had allowed the girls to accompany Francis and Jane, the housekeeper and her son, to the market so they could pick out items of their own liking they would want to accessorize their gowns. She even permitted Daisy and Juliet who wanted to ride in the morning sunshine to go on horsebacks instead of joining the carriage with Cynthia. 

Daisy and Juliet rode alongside Francis's old Shetland pony behind the carriage to the market. They followed Jane around the shops to get the vegetables, legumes and cereals needed while Francis went off to get the meat.  Cynthia who'd been tired out from the long journey rested in the carriage with the drivers. After Jane and her son had gotten all the ingredients and had them loaded into the wagon, they took Cynthia along to browse the other side of the market where they could get the pretty accessories they came for.

"Do we have to stay together. Why don't we all go our own way and agree to converge by the vehicles in the next hour?" Juliet suggested. The two of them agreed eagerly, each having her own plans and knowing they couldn't fit them all within the time they had.

They dashed off in different directions. Daisy saw Juliet disappear into a jewellery shop and Cynthia went skipping down the lane before she steered off to the area she had seen the colourful paint and brushes on display. She wound through the wide market streets, gripping the reins of the chocolate coated mare she had borrowed from Juliet. The city market was exactly as Miriam described, a one-stop-shop. The stalls were streaking with fruits and vegetables of different varieties from the locally cultivated ones to the very rare, imported wild berries and herbs, some she hardly even recognized. A few shops had apron-cladded butchers noisily hacking meat behind their counters with heavy matchets and there were also the sounds of grinding mills munching down sacks of wheat, adding the sweet-smell of flour to the mouth-watering blend of rice cupcakes in chili sauce, roasted beef fat, spinach soup and fish side dishes prepared here and there along the street. She happily sampled every delicacy she saw with some of pences left from the money her aunt gave her after buying the items she needed to continue painting and two books from the bookstore.

Down the backend of the market, the stalls gave way to very tall, huge storey buildings on either ends of the paved roads and the crowd thinned considerably until she could have ridden freely on Cherry if she had desired. Gowns of the latest fashion, and glamorous, expensive jewelleries were on display from the long glass windows of those tall buildings.

Mrs Julia's modern Wedding Home had glorious wedding gowns in white chiffon and silk with various lacy accessories draped over wooden models of the female form on the ground floor of The Western Tower, the biggest building on the lane. In that same building was also Everyday Bakery. Its windows displayed shelves of delicious bread loaves and artfully designed cake, cookies made of chocolate and other goodies. Adjacent to the bakery was Miss Tina Moore's Glittering Jewelries and Accessories and Madam Pomphrey's Cut and Sew. Madam Pomphrey's store hosted some good-looking, workable and not-too-expensive day clothes, and seemed the ideal place to look for the gifts she had come to town to buy for her sisters. She could likely get a beautiful dress for Lily, a nice pair of stockings for Rose and for Hyacinth, the cream hat with lace trimmings and petite hand-made cream roses on the wooden head of the statuette would be a compliment on her. She hoped the amount she had painstakingly saved over the weeks from her pocket money would be sufficient to cover all the expenses.

She tied Cherry's reins around one of the lamp poles by the side of the street and walked up the steps to Everyday Bakery where she purchased a small bag of chocolate chip cookies for a late-night dessert she could share with her cousins, before moving to Madam Promphrey's store. The plump lady who rose to greet her in front of the shop had a merry face and a pleasant, big smile.

"Well, lassie, you're looking the part of a lad, aren't you? But you're so pretty any sensible person won't fall for your costume as easily," she beamed, looking her over in the pair of oversized trousers and old shirt she had borrowed from her younger cousin, Robert.

Daisy smiled toothily. Neither of her cousin's had minded that she wore boy's clothes to town or that she rose astride like one. They were used to her oddities and didn't even bat an eye when they saw something out of place with her anymore. Of course, she hadn't let her aunt catch her in the apparel. She would have made her wear the appropriate riding habit including the air-squeezing corset.

"Running an errand or on a secret mission to conduct an investigation?" Madam Promphrey said.

"On an errand, ma'am," Daisy replied and got busy going through the selection of gowns hanging up for inspection. The woman quickly fitted Daisy's chosen gown according to the measurement she gave and wrapped it up together with her other purchases. When she had paid for everything, Daisy was glad she still had some spending money left. She would be able to buy a stylish silver hair pin from Miss Tina for mother, and still have a little more to keep. She looked down Madam Promphrey's window to check on Cherry and her stomach dropped.

"My horse is gone!" she shrieked

"Your 'orse?" Madame Pomphrey frowned.

"Yes. I stationed him behind the pole right there," she pointed to the pole where she had last seen Cherry, "Now she is gone."

"I did see a good-looking 'orse trotting by itself down the lane. I thought it queer but I assumed the owner must be hanging around somewhere. A dark-brown 'orse."

"Which way did she go?" Daisy demanded. She gathered her parcel under her armpit and ran out in the direction Madam Pomphrey pointed.

"Don't worry, Lassie. A 'orse always finds its way back home. I'm sure she is on her way home even now," Madam Pomphrey called after her.

Daisy looked down the street. Cherry was nowhere in sight. She searched the alleys and the pits but there was no Cherry.

Would Cherry really find her way to the manor? And if she doesn't...? She would have to bear the fury of Juliet for losing her dear Cherry. Juliet wasn't all that fond of horses, not enough to endear them to her, but she was firmly convinced the matter wouldn't be allowed to rest without her being yelled at, at least.