Chapter 5 #2
I wanted to protest the expense but knew it wasn’t my place. If she wanted to spend the money, she would. And I was under the impression that money was no worry—unless Mrs. Garfield married her daughter to a duke and people started going to their resort instead.
I struggled to wrap my mind around the sheer waste of it when I knew that Imogen was sitting at my workstation for hours a day, earning pennies for each shirtwaist she sewed, and only owning one hand-me-down dress.
I should have given her my entire nine dollars and fifty cents when I left the apartment yesterday.
At least then she might have something to give her a bit of hope for the future.
The dressmaker stayed until suppertime. Before she left, she helped me into an evening gown of fine blue silk. It had a large bustle in the back, with layers of fabric, a tight-fitting bodice with gold silk thread, and golden embroidered leaves.
Gallagher styled my hair high atop my head and placed a blue clip in the shape of a butterfly just behind my ear, before handing me my long, black gloves.
As I looked into the mirror again, I was starting to believe that all of this could be real. It was both exciting and terrifying.
“You’ll want to go to the back parlor,” Gallagher said to me. “Mrs. Hill will be waiting there for supper to begin.”
Aunt Maude had told me what to expect. She said that they dressed for supper each night and gathered in the parlor before the butler, Higgins, came in to announce dinner.
From Alec’s tour earlier, I knew right where the back parlor was.
I left my bedroom and walked across the short distance in the gallery to the head of the main stairs.
The dress felt heavy and burdensome with the layers of fabric, the tight corset, and the bustle.
And I felt shaky.
What would I talk about at supper? Several times that day, Mrs. Hill had chastised me for not speaking clearly or loud enough. She criticized my accent and had me practice several words over and over again.
I was exhausted.
But I had agreed to this, and I told myself it had to get easier every day.
So I descended the stairs and walked across the front hall to the parlor.
When I entered, I found Maude sitting on the sofa, sipping from a small glass and staring into the fire.
But Alec wasn’t there.
“Clara,” she said as she pulled her gaze away from the flames. “How lovely you look tonight. Come join me.”
I tried not to let my disappointment show. Where was Alec? Would he not join us? I recalled Aunt Maude’s words to him earlier, asking him to be present. He had told her that he didn’t want to be lectured about his club. Was he at his club now?
The dress felt awkward as I tried to take a seat. There was so much fabric to manage that I felt like I was sitting atop a small mound.
“Here,” Aunt Maude said as she set aside her glass. “Let me show you.”
She stood and demonstrated how to move aside the bustle with a quick flick of her hand before taking a seat.
“Now you try,” she said.
I practiced several times and then finally was able to settle my dress properly.
“See,” she said with an approving smile. “You’re doing quite well.”
“Will Alec be joinin’ us?” I asked her.
“‘Will Alec join us this evening?’ is the proper way to speak and enunciate the words. You try.”
I repeated the phrase, trying my hardest, but it didn’t sound anything like hers.
“We’ll have to hire an elocutionist,” she said with a sigh. “And to answer your question, I don’t believe Alec will join us. He often dines at his club and doesn’t return until late in the evening.”
My heart sank a little more.
“Now,” she said, “I have some news. I was able to secure passage for us on the SS Oregon, leaving New York on March 26. We will arrive in France a week later and visit the House of Worth for your London season wardrobe.”
“I’ll have another wardrobe?”
“Of course. One doesn’t go to London for the season without a Worth wardrobe.
” She waved aside my concerns and said, “Then we’ll arrive in London right after Easter, when the season starts.
I have secured help from the Viscountess, Lady Mandeville.
She is arranging a home for us and will work on our introduction to court. ”
I nodded, though I felt sick to my stomach just thinking about it.
“Before that,” she said, “we will work at home on your lessons and have you ready to debut at my Christmas ball. There, we’ll announce that you’ve been adopted.
I’ve already spoken to my lawyers, and everything is moving along nicely.
They believe the adoption will be final before the end of December. ”
“Adults can be adopted?” I asked—though it was a question I should have asked before now.
“Anyone can be adopted. It’s not unheard of for a widow to adopt an heir or heiress, to secure their fortune.”
My head was spinning, but I was torn from my thoughts as the door opened and the butler, Higgins, stepped into the room. “Dinner is served, madam.”
Before either of us could respond, Alec appeared behind Higgins, wearing a black evening coat and white vest.
Both Aunt Maude and I looked toward him with surprise.
“I’m sorry to be—” He paused as I rose to greet him. He looked me over in the blue gown and his admiration shone from his gaze. “You look lovely tonight, Ke—Clara.”
I had been practicing how I would respond to him. I bent my head in acknowledgment and said, in an accent as similar to Aunt Maude’s as I could manage, “Thank you.”
Aunt Maude rose, pleasure on her face. “You didn’t stay at the club tonight.”
“And miss a pleasant evening in the company of New York’s finest ladies?”
She smiled. “Alec, take Clara’s arm and show her how she’ll be escorted into dinner at the parties we attend.”
He gave me a short bow and then offered me his arm. “May I escort you into dinner, Miss Hill?”
I nodded, still uncomfortable with the new name, and took his arm. I felt just a little less awkward than I had earlier that day.
Aunt Maude led the way out of the parlor and down the hall to the dining room.
We followed behind her at a slower pace.
“Every time I see you,” Alec said to me, “you look lovelier and lovelier. How is that possible?”
Was he flirting again? I needed to learn how to respond without embarrassment.
“’Tis the gowns,” I said. “There are so many o’ them—of them—and they’re so expensive. If I didn’t look lovely, Aunt Maude should ask for her money back.”
He laughed and then shook his head. “I don’t think it’s just the gowns, Keira.” He said my name quietly, so Aunt Maude wouldn’t hear. “You’re glowing.”
“I’m happy.”
He grew serious. “Then I’m happy.”
We entered the dining room. Aunt Maude sat at the head of the table, while I sat at her right and Alec took a seat at her left, across from me.
“The man of the house usually sits at the head,” Aunt Maude said to me as a footman stepped forward and laid her napkin on her lap. “But this is my home, so I sit here.”
“This isn’t Alec’s home?” I asked.
“I’m only a guest,” Alec corrected.
“But I thought you inherited the business. I assumed the house came with it.”
Something uncomfortable passed between Maude and Alec.
“Yes,” Alec said. “I inherited the business, but Uncle Edmund left the house and a generous allowance to Aunt Maude.”
“It isn’t proper to speak about such things at supper,” Aunt Maude said as she nodded at Higgins to begin the meal and then glanced at one of the footmen, as if gauging how much they were listening to our conversation.
The staff still didn’t know my identity—and no doubt she didn’t want them gossiping about me after the meal.
I had never sat at such a grand table or been served by footmen.
If I thought the meal last night was lavish—this one was extravagant.
Soup, fish, salad greens, vegetables, meat, bread, and more were served in various courses.
Aunt Maude showed me which silverware to use, while Alec watched with a secretive smile—that teasing gleam always present.
The meal felt like it lasted a lifetime—but when it was finally over, Aunt Maude said it was time to move to the back parlor for evening entertainment.
“Alec?” she asked, frowning as she touched her temple. “Will you see to Clara?”
He nodded as he extended his elbow to me once again.
“After dinner,” he said, “the men usually recline with brandy and cigars in the billiards room or at the table and the women retire to the parlor for gossip as they wait for us. But with just the three of us, I’ll join you in the evenings after supper.”
“You’ll come again?” I asked.
His smile was so warm—so sincere—my heart fluttered. “I would not miss an evening of your company, Miss O’Day.”
“Does that mean you’ll be staying away from that club of yours?” Aunt Maude asked.
Again, something passed between them, but Alec only smiled. “I’ll be home as often as possible.”
Before we entered the parlor, Aunt Maude stopped in the hall and let out a sigh as she touched her temple again. “My head is aching tonight. I hope you won’t mind if I retire early.”
“Of course not,” Alec said.
“Please see to the evening activities without me.” She laid her hand on my arm. “Clara has much to learn, so I trust you’ll do your part to see that she’s instructed in parlor etiquette.”
He nodded.
“And,” she said as she started to walk away, “don’t forget to flirt.”
We stood still—neither of us responding to her. What did I say to such a comment?
As she walked up the stairs, Alec turned me toward the back parlor. “It’s not usually proper for an unmarried man and a woman to be alone together.”
My pulse ticked up a notch at his words. “Then why is Aunt Maude going to bed?”
He glanced toward the stairs, his gaze inscrutable. “I imagine she thinks of us as cousins—though I’m struggling to see it that way.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant.
We moved into the parlor, and it felt large and imposing with just the two of us.
“Do you play an instrument?” he asked me.
I shook my head.
“Do you sing?”
I opened my mouth to say no—but that wasn’t true. “Sometimes, for meself.”
“Wonderful. It’s desirable for a young lady to perform during evening entertainments.”
“I will need to perform? In front of a duke?”
He laughed. “Even dukes are just men.”
There was so much to learn.
Alec took a seat at the piano and ran his fingers along the keys. The sound filled the room with a melody I’d never heard before.
He played piano, too?
“Do you know ‘I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen’?” He began to play the familiar song, its gentle, haunting beauty coming alive beneath his fingers. Then he joined the piano with his voice, and it was mesmerizing.
“I’ll take you home again, Kathleen
Across the ocean wild and wide
To where your heart has ever been
Since first you were my bonny bride.”
He smiled at me, and a wave of affection overwhelmed me. I hardly knew what to do with myself, so I began to sing.
“The roses all have left your cheek
I've watched them fade away and die
Your voice is sad whenever you speak
And tears bedim your loving eyes.”
He stopped singing as he listened to me, a tender look on his handsome face.
When I hesitated before the last verse, he nodded with encouragement for me to continue.
“Oh, I will take you back, Kathleen
To where your heart will feel no pain
And when the fields are fresh and green
I'll take you to your home again.”
He played the final notes and his hands rested on the piano, the sound slowly dying.
“That was beautiful, Keira.” He shook his head, almost in disbelief. “I’ve never heard such a sweet and pure voice.”
“Thank you.” I looked down at the piano, not used to hearing so many compliments.
“If your blushing cheeks or sweet disposition don’t win over a duke, surely your singing will.”
I caught the teasing gleam in his eyes and decided I would give him back a little of his own medicine.
“And what about you?” I asked him, leaning against the piano. “You must have a line o’ young ladies waiting for you to turn their way.” It hadn’t occurred to me that he might already be courting or engaged.
The realization stung more than it should after such a short amount of time.
Alec looked down at his hands and played a simple tune as he shook his head.
“You aren’t interested in gettin’ married?” I asked him.
“One day,” he said, finishing the tune. “I’d very much like to be married.”
“You haven’t met anyone?”
“I’ve met many young ladies.”
“And?” I watched him, surprised he wasn’t forthcoming when he was usually so eager to tease and flirt.
Alec finally looked up at me, his blue eyes shining in the light of the piano lamp. “Most have only one thing in mind and that’s to marry well. They don’t usually care who the gentleman is, but what he has to offer. I’m not interested in being loved for my money or position.”
I lowered my gaze, my cheeks warming with embarrassment. I was guilty of that exact thing, wasn’t I? Marrying a duke for his title.
Alec laid his hand over mine and I lifted my eyes again.
“I didn’t mean to imply that you’re like the others, Keira.” He slowly pulled his hand away and set it on the keys again. “You’re nothing like them. I would hate to see you become a copy of all the rest.”
“You hardly know me,” I said, thinking of all the reasons I shouldn’t stay as I was—yet realizing he knew more about me than most.
His smile was sad as he ran his fingers over the keys again, playing another tune.
“It’s been a long day,” he finally said as he lifted his hands from the piano. “I’m sure you’re tired and Aunt Maude will expect you to be up early tomorrow for more lessons.”
He stood and offered me his elbow.
I took it and he walked me out of the parlor, up the stairs, and to my bedroom door.
When we arrived, he let go of my arm and faced me.
“For what it’s worth," he said, "we haven’t known each other long, but the little I’ve learned about you has told me everything I need to know.”
And, with that, he walked away.