Read Online The Abandoned Bride by Edith Layton - Free Book Online Page B

it was a fine day.
    But no sooner had she swallowed down the first of her eggs, when old Miss Constable, a pensioner who was living out her days at Mrs. White’s and always took a dawn constitutional, came bursting into the dining room to banish all thoughts of plans or posts or interviews. “It is over!” the old woman gasped in a reedy voice as she brandished a newssheet, so breathless and disheveled that it was clear she had actually run back to the house. “See, see for yourselves! The Duke has won out! Napoleon is vanquished . ”
    The excited ladies rose from their breakfast and gathered about Mrs. White, who, as proprietor, had won the right to read to them all from the broadsheet. Then all the ladies hugged each other and raised gallant toasts with their tea cups. For it was printed plain, Wellington had won the day at a place in Belgium called Waterloo, even as Julia had been journeying all unaware to London: on the eightee n th of June. Napoleon was routed, and must surely abdicate again.
    There was nothing for it but that they must celebrate. Mrs. White gave her maid a half day off, and she then advised her ladies to get their wraps, for they would go out into the city to participate in the joyous day. In ordinary times, it would have seemed odd, the six assorted respectable gentlewomen strolling along the streets with no purpose in mind, exactly like fops on the strut. But this was no ordinary time.
    The churchbells pealed wildly in every sector of the city as the news became generally known. All sorts of odd groups wandered the streets: clots of bakers, collections of school children with their masters, knots of common workers, all laughing and congratulating each other. But there was no actual dancing in the streets, and the most abandoned revelry that Julia experienced was toward the end of the afternoon when a wild young apprentice happened to spy her and swung about to catch her up and give her a sound kiss upon the lips before the shocked cries of her companions and the boisterous laughter of his fellows ended the encounter.
    Mrs. White and her ladies were safely within their house again when evening came, for then, they speculated rightly, the more rowdy celebrations would be enacted by the lower classes. But as though they felt they must apologize to Julia, who was newly come to town, for the relatively mild reaction of the populace, they recounted tales of the previous year’s extravaganzas when Napoleon had first been defeated. Then, they told her, there had been fireworks in all the parks, and public fairs, and balloon ascensions, and mechanical displays so marvelous and enthralling that they dreamed of them still.
    “It is possible,” Mrs. White said knowingly, “that we may never celebrate so wildly again, for victory was snatched from us too soon after all our jubilation. We may never again be so quick to embrace happiness.”
    Julia nodded wisely when she heard this, for it was an attitude which she could readily approve.
    But there were some further festivities, for victory, impermanent or not, is sweet, and the city did not return to normal for several more days. Only then could Julia at last go to see the Misses Parkinson.
    Miss Lavinia Parkinson eyed Julia thoughtfully after she had done writing out her cards of introduction.
    “There,” she said, handing them to her young applicant. “Dame Franklin only wants a biddable girl to companion her daughter, and the post wouldn’t be for long, as they must have the chit popped off soon, since rumor has it their pockets are emptying quickly. Lady Kirkland wants a companion, but don’t get your hopes up, for she’s a high stickler. Lady Cunningham wants a governess, but she is a foreigner and they are impossible to understand. I have no idea of what she’s after, no one yet has pleased her. You may as well have a try at it, every other client I have has in the past days.”
    Julia agreed, took the cards, thanked Miss Lavinia prettily, and