Read Online Polly's Story by Jennie Walters - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jennie Walters
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of the evening. ‘Polly? It’s me!’ came a familiar voice, and the mask was snatched away to reveal -
‘Iris?’
I stood there staring at her, lost for words. ‘What are you doing?’ I managed to gasp eventually. ‘Where has that dress come from? And the mask? What if Mrs Henderson sees you?’
‘She won’t know who I am. You wouldn’t have, would you, unless I’d decided to take it off? I couldn’t resist giving you a surprise.’
I could not stop looking at Iris. She was the equal of anyone in that ballroom and finer than most, with her beautiful eyes shining and such a mischievous grin on her face that you could not help but smile back at her. I lifted a ruffle on her dress, feeling the silk cool and smooth against my fingers. ‘Wherever did you get this?’
‘It’s an old one of the mistress’s in my last place. I was keeping it for our servants’ ball in the new year.’ Her face changed and she added quickly, ‘I’m sorry. You won’t want to hear about that.’
‘No, it’s all right,’ I reassured her. ‘I was going to tell you - Lady Vye’s changed her mind, after what happened with Master John. I am not to be dismissed after all.’
‘Quite right too! I knew Mrs Henderson would stick up for you.’
‘Have a care, Iris,’ I warned. ‘She’s bound to notice if you’re away too long.’
‘Don’t worry, I am only going for the one dance. She won’t even know I’ve gone.’ She slipped past me on the stairs, then turned back with one last dazzling smile. ‘There’s a gentleman waiting for me, Polly. I can’t let him down - not after he has gone to the trouble of finding me a mask and these lovely gloves.’ She stretched out both arms to show me the swankiest pair of white kid gloves, right up to the elbow. Oh, she did look a picture! I’d have given my eye teeth for some gloves like that, with my hands being so rough and chapped from hard work.
‘Wish me luck, Polly,’ she said, before the mask went on again and she had turned back into a stranger.
‘Good luck then,’ I said, but she had already disappeared.
I went on my way upstairs, more worried than ever. Iris was bound to have admirers, being so pretty, but she was playing a dangerous game if there was a gentleman involved. The stakes were high, and she had a lot to lose. Trying to pass herself off as a lady would land her in a great deal of trouble, I thought, even if she got away with it so far as Mrs Henderson was concerned. Real life wasn’t like those romantic novelettes Iris was so fond of reading, where the master of the house would end up marrying the governess, or the scullery maid would turn out to be the long-last daughter of a duke, who happened to recognize her when she was throwing out the pigswill. (She had leant me one of them once.) Gentlemen weren’t in the habit of marrying maidservants, so far as I knew, no matter how beautiful they were.
I don’t think any of us servants went to bed that night. By the time supper had been cleared away, we had to start preparing tables for the hot breakfast at three in the morning: devilled kidneys, rump steak with oyster sauce, roast partridges and lamb cutlets. And by the time that had been cleared away, some of the guests who had gone to bed at a reasonable time would shortly be getting up; they would need fires made up in their rooms, and hot water to wash, and then another ordinary breakfast as usual. Even with the extra footmen, we were rushed off our feet. I only saw Iris for a moment again - back in her black uniform and apparently no one but me and her gentleman friend any the wiser about what she had been up to.
At seven in the morning, we all sat down in the servants’ hall for our own breakfast, half dropping with tiredness but in one mind that the ball could be declared a great success. Eugenie had looked lovely and danced all night, Master Rory’s cavalry officer friends had charmed all the ladies and been as dashing as anyone could have
‘Iris?’
I stood there staring at her, lost for words. ‘What are you doing?’ I managed to gasp eventually. ‘Where has that dress come from? And the mask? What if Mrs Henderson sees you?’
‘She won’t know who I am. You wouldn’t have, would you, unless I’d decided to take it off? I couldn’t resist giving you a surprise.’
I could not stop looking at Iris. She was the equal of anyone in that ballroom and finer than most, with her beautiful eyes shining and such a mischievous grin on her face that you could not help but smile back at her. I lifted a ruffle on her dress, feeling the silk cool and smooth against my fingers. ‘Wherever did you get this?’
‘It’s an old one of the mistress’s in my last place. I was keeping it for our servants’ ball in the new year.’ Her face changed and she added quickly, ‘I’m sorry. You won’t want to hear about that.’
‘No, it’s all right,’ I reassured her. ‘I was going to tell you - Lady Vye’s changed her mind, after what happened with Master John. I am not to be dismissed after all.’
‘Quite right too! I knew Mrs Henderson would stick up for you.’
‘Have a care, Iris,’ I warned. ‘She’s bound to notice if you’re away too long.’
‘Don’t worry, I am only going for the one dance. She won’t even know I’ve gone.’ She slipped past me on the stairs, then turned back with one last dazzling smile. ‘There’s a gentleman waiting for me, Polly. I can’t let him down - not after he has gone to the trouble of finding me a mask and these lovely gloves.’ She stretched out both arms to show me the swankiest pair of white kid gloves, right up to the elbow. Oh, she did look a picture! I’d have given my eye teeth for some gloves like that, with my hands being so rough and chapped from hard work.
‘Wish me luck, Polly,’ she said, before the mask went on again and she had turned back into a stranger.
‘Good luck then,’ I said, but she had already disappeared.
I went on my way upstairs, more worried than ever. Iris was bound to have admirers, being so pretty, but she was playing a dangerous game if there was a gentleman involved. The stakes were high, and she had a lot to lose. Trying to pass herself off as a lady would land her in a great deal of trouble, I thought, even if she got away with it so far as Mrs Henderson was concerned. Real life wasn’t like those romantic novelettes Iris was so fond of reading, where the master of the house would end up marrying the governess, or the scullery maid would turn out to be the long-last daughter of a duke, who happened to recognize her when she was throwing out the pigswill. (She had leant me one of them once.) Gentlemen weren’t in the habit of marrying maidservants, so far as I knew, no matter how beautiful they were.
I don’t think any of us servants went to bed that night. By the time supper had been cleared away, we had to start preparing tables for the hot breakfast at three in the morning: devilled kidneys, rump steak with oyster sauce, roast partridges and lamb cutlets. And by the time that had been cleared away, some of the guests who had gone to bed at a reasonable time would shortly be getting up; they would need fires made up in their rooms, and hot water to wash, and then another ordinary breakfast as usual. Even with the extra footmen, we were rushed off our feet. I only saw Iris for a moment again - back in her black uniform and apparently no one but me and her gentleman friend any the wiser about what she had been up to.
At seven in the morning, we all sat down in the servants’ hall for our own breakfast, half dropping with tiredness but in one mind that the ball could be declared a great success. Eugenie had looked lovely and danced all night, Master Rory’s cavalry officer friends had charmed all the ladies and been as dashing as anyone could have
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