Emily's Choice (Rough Draft)

Chapter Nine

In a rare gesture of generosity, Mrs. Lawrence sent her personal maid to assist Emily that night. Studying her reflection, Emily was amazed at the transformation. White pearls peeked through her brown hair, which was pulled to the back of her head, leaving little ringlets framing her face. Her mother's pearl necklace was around her throat. She turned each way in front of the mirror and deemed her appearance acceptable.

Nodding her thanks and dismissal to the maid, Emily smoothed the fabric of her gloves over her fingers and rose from the dressing table. Humming, she located her white, satin slippers and slipped them on her feet. She spun around and danced a few steps, hearing her bedroom door open as she did so.

"Are you so eager to begin dancing then that you must do so on your own?" Rosalind asked as she came in.

"I am," Emily responded merrily. "I can hear the musicians warming their instruments. I am also too excited to eat a bite," she added frowning at the tray of food that still sat on her bedside table.

Rosalind smiled. "Then, it is a good thing there is to be supper planned later on," she said. "By that time, I am positive you will be more than ready to eat, else you faint in the middle of a dance."

"I would not faint," Emily responded with a laugh. She straightened her spine and put her nose in the air. "A Lawrence never faints."

Shaking her head, Rosalind studied her cousin's appearance. "You look lovely, Emily," she said. "You will be the belle of the ball tonight, even if Miss Smithson is going to be here."

"Miss Smithson will find she has strong competition tonight in us both," Emily decided, examining her cousin's appearance critically. "You look beautiful, Rose!"

Rosalind's dress was as white as Emily's, though it didn't have the gorgeous lace overlay that Emily's had. Tiny red roses were embroidered across the sleeves and around the bust. Rosalind's hair, however, was in its normal, simple knot.

"Oh, this just will not do at all," Emily exclaimed in dismay. She pointed to her dressing table. "Sit down. You simply cannot attend a ball with your hair looking as it does!"

"Why ever not?" Rosalind asked as she obeyed her younger cousin's order. "You have always said it suited me."

"It may suit you for everyday life, but it is most assuredly not the thing for a ball," Emily told her. "Oh, I should not have sent Aunt Lawrence's maid away. She has the most remarkable talent for taming hair."

"Now that, I know Aunt Lawrence would have objected to," Rosalind said as her cousin undid all the work she'd put into her hair. "Do you know what you are doing?"

Pins in her mouth, Emily made no answer, but waved a hand. Several minutes later, Rosalind's hair was up in an almost exact replica of Emily's hair. The only difference, was that Rosalind's curls were natural, and there were tiny roses, that Emily had shamelessly pulled off a hat, showing amidst the brown curls.

"Emily, how did you do that?" Rosalind asked in astonishment, staring at her changed appearance in the mirror.

"I paid attention and remembered," Emily said, shrugging her shoulders. She pulled Rosalind up and stood next to her in front of the mirror. "We are going to shock and amaze everyone."

Shaking her head, Rosalind laughed. "You are not nervous anymore, are you?"

Immediately, Emily started to bounce up and down, like a child. "I wasn't, but now you have reminded me," she responded. She came to a stop and breathed out slowly. "Rosalind, can you keep a secret?"

Puzzled at the sudden question, Rosalind blinked. "What kind of secret?" she asked cautiously.

"Oh, it's not a terribly bad secret," Emily assured her. "Only Father and Aunt Lawrence will be very unhappy with me when they find out."