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Authors: Anna Caltabiano
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eyes examined me. I suppressed a shiver, not wanting him to get the better of me.
‘Henley, say hello to your cousin,’ Mr Beauford said, still cheerful. He was oblivious of the tension that had passed between his son and me.
‘Hello, cousin.’ His voice sounded detached from the rest of him, but his father didn’t appear to notice. His lips flickered momentarily but, apparently deciding on a smile, he grinned. I drew a shaking breath, then replied with what I hoped was a polite but tart nod. Something about him made me uncertain – I just didn’t know what to make of this intense young man.
Mr Beaufort motioned with his cane to the servant, who was standing silently to one side, and said, ‘Please escort Miss Margaret to her room.’
‘Yes, sir.’ It appeared to be all she ever said. She mutely motioned for me to follow her. Having no notion how to extricate myself from this ever more complicated situation, I allowed her to lead me up the main staircase and along multiple hallways before she cracked open a random door.
‘I hope this room is to your liking, miss.’ She lit the candles in the wall fixtures one by one, and I watched the room come alive.
‘Yes, thank you,’ I said distractedly, hoping to dismiss her and finally have some time to myself. This was becoming complicated, and none of Miss Hatfield’s lessons had covered being mistaken for a member of the family.
‘Would you like me to help with undressing?’
I told her I would see to it myself and excused her, shutting the heavy wooden door behind her. I sighed, realizing it was the first time I’d been alone for a while. I was stuck. I had no one I could talk to, no direction to go in and no one I could trust. Just myself.
I was still confused, only barely starting to comprehend the recent events that had occurred. But I knew I could never return to the way things had been – the only way to endure it was to continue and move forward, trying to survive.
I closed my eyes, letting my emotions run untempered through me. For the first time, I simply let go. Sadness. Uncertainty. Despair. Shock. They rushed at me as soon as my defences fell and I found myself surrendering to them. For the first time I let myself feel it all, including one emotion I felt above all else – terror.
My back fell heavily against the door, making no sound except a rustle of fabric as my dress slid down the wood and I collapsed into a crumpled heap on the floor.
Chapter 6
I woke to a knock at the door and stumbled out of bed to answer it. I wondered vaguely how I’d managed to drag myself to bed the previous night, but I felt more rested than I had in days.
‘Yes?’ I said as I opened the door.
‘Sorry to wake you, miss.’ It was the servant I’d met yesterday. ‘But Mr Beauford asked for your presence at breakfast in an hour and sent me to assist in dressing you.’
I fumbled for words, and once I’d found some, managed to croak out a single phrase: ‘How kind of him.’
The servant slipped into the room before I could stop her and audibly gasped at what I was wearing. I must have taken off Miss Hatfield’s dress and corset before I fell asleep, being careful not to crease it, and now I was wearing only the undergarments Miss Hatfield had lent me.
They’d been quite comfortable to sleep in. But it was obvious that the woman in front of me didn’t think they were fit to be used as sleepwear.
Nellie, as I learned was her name, took every care to dress me properly and in a manner ‘befitting of my station’. She found the dress I’d worn yesterday and smoothed it out before dressing me in it once again. She took pains to put my hair up exactly as it had been the night before, and once again I became the very picture of a well-bred gentlewoman.
I thanked Nellie and was making my way downstairs when a small laugh erupted from my lips. If only my mother could see me. What would she think of her little daughter dismissing servants and dressing
‘Henley, say hello to your cousin,’ Mr Beauford said, still cheerful. He was oblivious of the tension that had passed between his son and me.
‘Hello, cousin.’ His voice sounded detached from the rest of him, but his father didn’t appear to notice. His lips flickered momentarily but, apparently deciding on a smile, he grinned. I drew a shaking breath, then replied with what I hoped was a polite but tart nod. Something about him made me uncertain – I just didn’t know what to make of this intense young man.
Mr Beaufort motioned with his cane to the servant, who was standing silently to one side, and said, ‘Please escort Miss Margaret to her room.’
‘Yes, sir.’ It appeared to be all she ever said. She mutely motioned for me to follow her. Having no notion how to extricate myself from this ever more complicated situation, I allowed her to lead me up the main staircase and along multiple hallways before she cracked open a random door.
‘I hope this room is to your liking, miss.’ She lit the candles in the wall fixtures one by one, and I watched the room come alive.
‘Yes, thank you,’ I said distractedly, hoping to dismiss her and finally have some time to myself. This was becoming complicated, and none of Miss Hatfield’s lessons had covered being mistaken for a member of the family.
‘Would you like me to help with undressing?’
I told her I would see to it myself and excused her, shutting the heavy wooden door behind her. I sighed, realizing it was the first time I’d been alone for a while. I was stuck. I had no one I could talk to, no direction to go in and no one I could trust. Just myself.
I was still confused, only barely starting to comprehend the recent events that had occurred. But I knew I could never return to the way things had been – the only way to endure it was to continue and move forward, trying to survive.
I closed my eyes, letting my emotions run untempered through me. For the first time, I simply let go. Sadness. Uncertainty. Despair. Shock. They rushed at me as soon as my defences fell and I found myself surrendering to them. For the first time I let myself feel it all, including one emotion I felt above all else – terror.
My back fell heavily against the door, making no sound except a rustle of fabric as my dress slid down the wood and I collapsed into a crumpled heap on the floor.
Chapter 6
I woke to a knock at the door and stumbled out of bed to answer it. I wondered vaguely how I’d managed to drag myself to bed the previous night, but I felt more rested than I had in days.
‘Yes?’ I said as I opened the door.
‘Sorry to wake you, miss.’ It was the servant I’d met yesterday. ‘But Mr Beauford asked for your presence at breakfast in an hour and sent me to assist in dressing you.’
I fumbled for words, and once I’d found some, managed to croak out a single phrase: ‘How kind of him.’
The servant slipped into the room before I could stop her and audibly gasped at what I was wearing. I must have taken off Miss Hatfield’s dress and corset before I fell asleep, being careful not to crease it, and now I was wearing only the undergarments Miss Hatfield had lent me.
They’d been quite comfortable to sleep in. But it was obvious that the woman in front of me didn’t think they were fit to be used as sleepwear.
Nellie, as I learned was her name, took every care to dress me properly and in a manner ‘befitting of my station’. She found the dress I’d worn yesterday and smoothed it out before dressing me in it once again. She took pains to put my hair up exactly as it had been the night before, and once again I became the very picture of a well-bred gentlewoman.
I thanked Nellie and was making my way downstairs when a small laugh erupted from my lips. If only my mother could see me. What would she think of her little daughter dismissing servants and dressing
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