Chapter 13
Cilly, shortened from Cillette by seven-year-old Cam, had been Cam’s maid and companion since she’d been five years old.
She said as she walked into Cam’s room holding a basket of mending, “Word downstairs is you won’t have to apologize to that overenthusiastic nitwit Teddy Jewel tonight because he isn’t coming to dinner and isn’t that a grand relief?
Evidently he’s coming on Friday night, so you have a reprieve.
Evidently there are other guests tonight, friends of your father, according to Osbourne, there are no wives involved. ”
No Teddy Jewel. It was a huge relief. Cam said, “You always know everything before I do.”
“You know as well as I do servants know everything, sometimes even before it happens.”
Cam nodded. She’d learned when she was five years old there were no secrets in the household.
“Oh yes, I even heard that pinch-mouthed Elvira talking about it. Evidently your sister’s fiancé will be here as well.”
She sank into a chair, folded her hands beneath her chin. Cilly sat beside her, pulled out a lovely linen chemise and began mending a small tear, humming to herself.
She paused, looked up and said, “I remember when you were a little girl, you were as skinny as a townhouse porch railing. Ah, but I saw promise of beauty in you even then, Cam. You have your mother’s glorious chestnut hair, your father’s hazel eyes, lovely eyes, not as beautiful as mine”—this said on a grin—“but still very nice.”
“Thank you, Cilly.” It was true. Cilly’s eyes were, in Cam’s opinion, a gift from God above since her father and mother, now deceased, had mud-brown eyes so Cilly had told her.
Cilly was now nearly thirty. She’d turned down at least three proposals of marriage Cam knew about.
When she’d asked her why, Cilly had said calmly, “I want to marry a man who will love me for myself and not my glorious eyes.” And, of course, she’d laughed.
Cilly looked down at the watch pinned to the belt on her waist, smoothed the mended chemise, and said, “It is time for you to get ready for dinner. I’ll fix your hair in that special way that makes you look like a queen. First, let’s give it a good wash.”
After Cilly brushed Cam’s hair dry she began to plait thick hanks to twist into a crown on top of her head.
Then came the threading of a dark blue ribbon through the plaits.
Still, she wasn’t done. “Sit still.” She carefully pulled down several little curls to lie against her cheek and neck.
She then stood back to admire her handiwork.
“I must say I’ve outdone myself. You look perfectly grand, Cam.
Now, you’re going to wear the matching blue evening gown. ”
It was a beautiful gown, a fitted speared waist, her shoulders quite bare, and the satin fell in smooth folds to her feet.
It was a marvel and fit her perfectly. Cam stood in front of the Cheval mirror, Cilly behind her.
She grinned at herself. “Well, I’m at least two inches taller.
” She kissed Cilly’s cheek. “Thank you. If Teddy isn’t coming tonight and I won’t have to apologize to that idiot with his damp hands, why am I dressed fit for the queen?
This gown is new, from Madame Giselle. All I can ever think about when speaking with her is a tumbril on its way with me to the guillotine. So do you know who is coming?”
“Mr. Slipper told Mrs. Willig who told Mr. Osbourne and Cook that his lordship had invited Mr. Sherbrooke and his ward Mr. Ivanov. Little Alice overheard that twitchy-nosed Elvira commiserating with her mistress, both of them bemoaning the wasted evening since it would be all that financial drivel. Evidently her ladyship was hissing like a snake she was so mad it wasn’t Teddy Jewel who was coming because it meant you wouldn’t be going to Bath tomorrow.
But his lordship overrode her, which, I must say, is a surprise.
She was yelling it was all your fault, somehow you made this happen.
” Cilly gave her a big grin. “His lordship told me you were to wear the new gown.”
Cilly paused, gently tugged on another curl, became serious. “I believe her ladyship wants you gone because she’s jealous of your relationship with your father. Perhaps too she’s afraid of you.”
Cam gaped at her. “Afraid? Of me? That makes no sense, Cilly. She holds the power in the household, she can do whatever she wants. Only my father can overrule her. Why would she care if I got along well with my father?”
“There’s something else you should know.
Little Alice was dusting in the hallway outside her ladyship’s bedchamber and heard Elvira tell her ladyship the servants believed your mother knew things before they happened.
She concocted medicines for servants who became ill, and the household was healthy.
Evidently they believed your mother was magic and passed it on to you.
Just maybe Averil is afraid you will give her a wart on the end of her nose or make her bosom disappear,” and Cilly laughed.
“Papa once told me Mama learned medicinal recipes from her own grandmother, nothing more nothing less. As to her knowing things …” Cam shrugged, sighed. “If only I could manufacture a wart.”
Cilly said, “Henry told me when he accompanied you to Westminster Palace yesterday you actually sat on a bench with a young gentleman who was a perfect stranger and he didn’t know if he could fight the gentleman off if he became forward.
Then he said, in a shocked voice, mind you, that you laughed and the two of you had your heads together, all that before you met your father.
Henry said at least fourteen minutes passed with the two of you stark alone. ”
Cam laughed. “Fourteen minutes? It seemed like no more than two minutes. I quite liked Mr. Ivanov, Cilly. And Henry stood near, ready to spring into action should the need arise. Oh yes, Henry puffed himself up, claimed he would allow no gentleman to besmirch the Whitsonby honor. But it was clear to all of us Henry was impressed with the young man.”
Cam looked wicked. “Actually, I think if there was any forward behavior it would have been on my part. I have to say the young gentleman is beautiful. And those eyes of his—a shocking wild blue.”
Cilly arched a perfect brow at this information. There was a good deal of interest in Cam’s voice and wasn’t that unexpected? “Now twirl around slowly, Cam, let me see you display yourself.”
Cam dutifully shook out her skirts, did a slow pirouette.
“I must say the gown is perfect for you. The blue material shimmers, makes your skin glow.”
“And it’s so lightweight, Cilly, I feel like a feather. I’ll wager I could raise the skirts and outrun a cutpurse. And don’t you think it sparkles like stars in the candlelight?” She turned to look at herself again in the mirror.
“That image with you running like a hoyden with your knees showing burns my eyeballs. Now, the style suits you, thankfully no bows or flounces. You have lovely shoulders and they’re on full display.
I very much like the style with the fitted short sleeves and the bodice fitted at the waist—and the arrowing down a point, very elegant. ”
Cam thought so too. She particularly liked the gentle pleats flowing from her waist, and only two petticoats to give it a lovely bell shape.
“You know Father took me to Madame Giselle, just the two of us. He chose the gown and the material, said I would look far more elegant than the queen because I was so much taller and my hair was more interesting. He then allowed it was perfect. Then again, he’s my father. ”
Cilly twitched another pleat into place, stood back. “His lordship has an excellent eye.”
Why did he want her to wear it tonight? That toad Teddy Jewel wasn’t coming, but maybe—
“Oh yes, Henry also admitted, after a glass of Mr. Osbourne’s ale, that even from a man’s point of view, he recognized young Mr. Ivanov was a prime beaut.”
Cam smiled. “He is, Cilly. He’s quite the handsomest young man I’ve ever met here. But more important, he has a brain and wit and he made me laugh.”
“A brain and wit are all well and good, but does he have money? Breeding? Does he have a sweet breath and no nasty habits?”
Cam laughed. “His breath is ambrosia and any bad habits he might have can’t be all that nasty, he’s too young for any unpleasant masculine habits to have embedded themselves in deep. And he’s foreign, Cilly, his real name is Alexi and he’s Ukrainian.”
“Oh dear.”
Cam laughed again, patted Cilly’s arm and sailed out of her bedchamber.
She was humming as she walked down the long hallway with its deep inset niches, each with a bust of a former Whitsonby viscount going back three hundred years, and only one viscountess from the last century wearing an incredible white wig towering nearly to the top of the niche and looked to weigh three stone.
She stood a moment at the top of the wide staircase and looked down to the large chessboard entryway.
She remembered clearly sliding down the staircase to an appalled Osbourne who nonetheless caught her and set her on her feet.
So many years ago, a lovely memory. She drew a deep breath. Soon she would see Alex Ivanov.
“Well, and don’t you look as well as possible for a beanpole?” Eliza’s frown quickly smoothed out because Claudine, her maid, had told her if a lady wrinkled her forehead it made a line that never left, even after you were put in the ground.
“Why are you wearing that gown? Averil wasn’t happy our father took you shopping and selected it for you, but then she smiled, said he must have done it because you needed to look your best to encourage Teddy to propose, make him forget at least for a little while what you’re really like.
“But alas, he’s not coming tonight and surely the gown is much too fine for the gentlemen who are coming to dinner, financial men Averil told me, crashing bores, no doubt, and who cares what they think?
At least Winnie will be here to amuse me.
A pity you don’t have time to change into a gown more fitting for you. ”
The flow of insults didn’t make a dent in Cam’s excitement. She only smiled at her sister, wondered what she’d think of Alex Ivanov.