Finding Self.

Preparations

Charity hung back, knowing that it would be harder to hide with so many gone but she was starving. She seemed to always be hungry here lately. Sure enough she no more than entered than one of the Aunts called her over. Showing none of her feelings she went and took the seat next to her. The Aunt looked at her and nodded. "That is better dear. With so many gone there is no sense in you seating clear down there. We need to have a chat, this is the perfect time with the men folk gone. Now you might think it is to soon to be thinking of your future, but you are fourteen. You are a young lady now, after all we have been sending the servants to you for over a year now. I am sure you must have mastered their lessons. Not that I would check. That would be unseemly, it is not right to speak of such things of course. I do so only to point out that you are getting older. It is time you start thinking of the image you present to possible husbands. Men often look and measure before approaching your Father. They need to make sure that you are well behaved, the right person for their house. It is important, therefore, that you are always well put forth, and gentle in barring. You are too old to be loud of voice and movement. It is well you remember it. There are going to be a number of men around who will be looking to add to their family. It is all so time you started taking a hand with the littlest, it will be your place to once you are married."

The Aunt stopped talking, Charity smiled and in put the proper. "Yes Ma'am, it is just Sally enjoys the littlest so much I feel wrong to interfere. I am better with the plants. Surely there is a need for that as well?" Thinking lord don't put me in the nursery I would go insane in that windowless hole!

The Aunt looked at her oddly. "Well, yes but it is harder. Well not all are the same." Charity was saved from answering by the arrival of the food. But that caused more trouble. The Aunt watched as the servant put the food on the plates. "That is more than enough. Charity you should not let them give you so much. It does not look good. Remember a lady is delicate. You do not want to scare anyone away dear. A man doesn't want a lady who can not control herself. Never clean your plate, and never put much meat on it, salad is best for a woman. Our bodies do not handle the rich foods as well." Charity nodded and picked up her fork and went to get a bite. "Not so much dear, like this see." The Aunt pick up her fork and had barley anything on it. Charity sighed, and copied the Aunt. Looking up she saw Mother was eating the same way and was beaming at her. Charity ended up eating maybe a half a cup of food that meal. Not enough for a child that had grown as she had in the last month, and was still growing. Plus she was not one to set around the house, but it made the Aunt happy with her. "There now don't you feel better?"

Charity wanted to scream that she did not feel better, she wanted some food. She didn't though she had enough troubles as it was. "Yes Ma'am, thank you. I did not realize that I was scaring anyone away."

The Aunt nodded pleased. "Do try and remember you are always on display. Now we had best see to the guests. So good of you to take the north wing on. It is perfect as it is out of the way, but so hard for the very thing that makes it right." With that she left. Charity sat a bit longer then headed out, fully intending to double back and get some food. Plus Beth would know who would be willing to help get the north rooms turned out.

When she doubled back she found Uncle was all so heading to the kitchen. He smiled at her. "Sure is interesting how close he came to saying it was all a divine revelation. Bet anything in a few years it will have been. So where are the visitors to be housed?"

Charity laughed knowing he would not have said anything if there were ears around. "I thought it was just me, man did he make something out of it. To think he had no idea until he got woken up last night, and was outraged that the troops were on the move. No one would or could seem to come up with were to put them. So I suggested the North wing and volunteered to over see the setting up. As I knew it had been closed for years since it was so out of the way. That did it, well that and the fact of the separate entrance. I think they forgot that it is just as grandly furnished as the East rooms."