The Season (Season Series #1)

Chapter 5: New Friends

The next morning, Ella's ladies' maid gently shook me awake before the sun had fully crested the horizon. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I wondered aloud why she was rousing me so early. Instead of replying, however, she mimed for me to be quiet and backed into the sitting room. With a sigh, I followed, wrapping a robe around myself as I reluctantly crawled into the cold room from my warm bed.

"Miss Marks-Whelan, the seamstress has asked that you come to her for a fitting this morning before your social activites commence," the maid said, setting out the plates and cutlery for breakfast. I yawned in reply.

"Why so early?" I asked, eagerly looking around to see if she'd brought any food.

"She has a set of dresses for you, but they will all need tailoring. It does not do for a lady to be seen wearing the same dress two days in a row," the maid said, as if explaining the obvious. I yawned once more.

"Very well. Where am I to go?" I said.

"Once you are dressed, I will accompany you to the seamstress' quarters," the maid said, shooting a pointed look towards my nightgown. I sighed, trudging back into the bedroom to dress quickly in the darkness.

Ella's maid reappeared, motioning for me to follow her to the door hidden behind the tapestry in the corner. I rubbed my eyes once again, willing my fatigue-addled mind to remember the route we followed through the dim corridors. She picked up a candle as we descended a set of stairs, leading to a narrow hallway that I deduced must run parallel to the main hallway between the debutantes' rooms.

The maid was silent as we descended another set of stairs, this one leading to that same carpeted stone-walled hallway that I had seen the night of my arrival. We continued through until the carpeting ended, taking a left turn into a hallway that ended in a window with multiple doors on either side. The maid stopped in front of the last one, giving two sharp raps with her knuckles.

The same apprentice that had helped tie and pin me into my gown last night opened the door with bleary eyes, wordlessly throwing it open when she saw who was knocking.

"Ring me to fetch her when you're done," the maid said, bobbing me a quick curtsey before she hurried off down the empty hallway. I watched her go before the brunette apprentice cleared her throat.

"If you would, Miss Marks-Whelan, we have quite some work to do before your breakfast with the royal family," she said. Her words cut straight through the groggy fog in my brain.

"With the royal family?" I parroted, following her in to a small room cramped with bolts of fabric, partially attired dress forms, and dozens of spools of colorful thread and pincushions.

"Of course, it's the morning after the inaugural ball," she said, motioning for me to step up onto a pedestal before a mirror that dominated most of the far wall. Two small windows flanked it, the sun creeping up over the distant horizon. The view wasn't much, looking out towards the stables, but at least the windows gave the room some light.

"I'm terribly sorry about this dress," she said, seizing a handful of the peach day dress that they'd provided me with the day before.

"Sorry? Why?" I asked, stifling another yawn. The apprentice made a little face as she looked at the dress.

"If I may be honest, Miss Marks-Whelan?" she said, shooting me a tentative look.

"Please, just Libby is fine," I said, my yawn finally escaping. A tentative grin spread across the apprentice's face.

"Libby then. The head seamstress only informed me yesterday morning about your need for a full wardrobe, so I had to gather what I could and alter it quicker than usual with your measurements. Had I known your hair color I never would have sent up something in such a shade,"

I chuckled, looking at my reflection in the mirror.

"You'll soon see that vanity is not one of my flaws, Miss...?" I smiled, prompting her for her name. Her freckled cheeks blushed.

"Audra. But not Miss Audra, Miss is reserved for ladies," she said, ducking her head as she gathered a few bolts of fabric, "Now that I have you here, I wanted to try these,"

She handed me some of the fabrics for me to hold up to my face and the messy braid of my hair, the two of us discussing which color would best be suited for the day dresses she had yet to make me. Once we'd decided on navy and a dark mossy green, she set to adjusting the peach dress I was wearing.

"I'd planned to add some darker accents, but I don't know that there's much for saving this one," she said finally, twisting her mouth as she looked at the newly bustled and fitted peach dress.

"I'm not much for peach, but I can't very well be seen in my uniform dresses," I said, "It'll have to do until I can find something new to wear,"

"I'll have at least two more day dresses done for tomorrow, along with a formal gown you'll need for the museum opening," Audra said, chewing her thumb in thought as she circled me, "But I have an idea for today. It'll only take a minute, but you may have to hurry to breakfast..."

"Anything would be better than this peach horror," I grinned. Audra's freckled cheeks spread in a grin as well.

*****

Ella's ladies' maid - whose name, it turns out, was Darby - arrived just as Audra had finally arranged me into a new day dress that was a hastily stitched concoction of a bodice from one dress and the skirt from another.

"No quick movements!" she'd insisted, "Or you'll prick yourself with a pin or three!"

Thankfully it was a much more flattering shade of camel brown that didn't clash as badly with my hair. The cut was much more modern as well, without all the fussy frills of the peach dress. I'd been of half a mind to tell Audra to burn it, but I had little enough to wear as it was. I didn't want to be caught in my dull grey uniform dresses if it could be helped.

I was hastily re-braiding my hair as Darby nearly jogged through the service corridors, urging me to hurry. I'd only just managed to twirl my braid into a bun at the nape of my neck when Darby skidded to a halt beside a service door, yanking it open and hurrying me through it.

I came out in the entrance hall, Harriet Smith and her three ladies in waiting passing me without a glance as they hurried towards a hallway that led back and around the ballroom. I fell in behind them, picking up my skirts to keep up. Harriet paused at a set of double doors, a pair of footmen pulling them open while she and her ladies sank into curtseys. I hung back, curtseying next to them and following a few steps behind as they entered a formal dining room.

Rosanna beckoned me over with a tilt of her head, my seat glaringly empty beside her. They were sharing a table for eight with Emmeline Townsend and her three ladies in waiting, the loud debutante dominating the chatter at the table. She'd been the one who'd come around in her robes yesterday so her ladies could tighten her laces every half hour. I took the seat between Rosanna and the freckled lady in waiting who had shown me her corset laces-burned hands yesterday.

"I hope your fingers got some good rest last night," I whispered to her, as I pulled my napkin into my lap. The freckled girl looked around at me, all too eager to join into a conversation that didn't revolve around Emmeline's many prospects of suitors. Ella had been drawn into the louder girl's conversation, nodding and agreeing whenever it was proper. Emily looked bored to tears between the two of them.

"Thankfully her dress was tailored much more realistically this morning," Emmeline's lady in waiting whispered next to me. I stifled a laugh with a cough.

"I'm Libby," I said, inclining my head to her.

"Georgina," she replied, smiling, "You're the-"

She was cut off as as coronet blew the three note salute to the royals. Automatically we all rose out of our chairs as another set of double doors opened at the far end of the room.

******

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