12

1. Twelve Grand Sisters

A golden glow filled the room slowly turning the walls amber and sending the sleeping shadows into a crazed waking dance.

Bare feet touched down on the wooden floor and slipped silently across the boards to the adjacent bed. Hands gently shook the sleeping form awake and the pattern was repeated until twelve waken maidens assembled all at the foot of their beds in the center of the room. Stifling their giggles they put on their stocking over their long underwear and lastly slipped on their dancing shoes.

One by one, single file they stepped out of the room into the restful bowels of the house. Like swans ascending on the lake they floated down the stairwell and lighted on the landing. When the youngest snagged her gown they eldest reproached her for making too much noise.

They crossed the dim house to the front door then stepped outside into the embracing warm winter night. Free of the dwelling they spoke more freely as they trotted under the trees in up the lane.

The girls kept up until they reached the new pavilion where hopeful minds of the town dreamed that come spring would be alive with flowers from the trees that crowned it. For now, however winter's bare touch would suffice.

The girls assembled perfectly and prepared for a night of dancing. First to come was Miriam the eldest. She was followed by Ladybird who was followed by Selene. The rest to come went as so: Taitiann, Wysteria, Beatrice, Astrid, Ottaline, Providence, Heloise, Alifair, and Hannah.

It was here that they liked to assemble for a secret night of dancing.

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Chapter 1. Twelve Grandsisters

The needle slid gently through the fabric repeatedly until the layer was firmly attached. The fabric was fine. The buyer had spent good money and there was no room for error. The client, Bessie Borough was soon to wed the son of the wealthy Mr. Christenson of Angel Veil.

Selene put down her needle and stretched. The smell of breakfast in the kitchen alerted her that the house was waking for the day.

"Do you think I captured her likeness?" Ladybird said from across the workshop. It had been divided down the middle. On one side Selene sewed and on the other Ladybird painted. She put the large portrait up on the easel for Selene to see then held up the hand seized cabinet card.

Selene rose to her feet and stretched her back. "It looks wonderful," she said looking from the portrait to the photograph. "How do you determine hair and eye color from black and white if the subject isn't right before you?"

"I first send for specific details," Ladybird said. "There are so many shades of hair color, mind is going gray trying to sort them all out. I should just stay with landscapes."

Ottaline stepped down into the workshop at the back of the house. "Breakfast is served," she said with a curtsey and Ladybird and Selene followed her out the workshop. "I wish I could go to Louisiana," Ottaline said as they went into the kitchen. "They have a whole strange cuisine that I can't wait to try."

"Taitiann says that the food is very spicy," Heloise said as she sat down to the table.

"And they eat crawdads," Hannah gagged. "They look like bugs. That's almost as bad as eating potatoes."

"But you eat shrimp," Alifair said. "They are really just the same."

"Shrimp don't look like bugs," Hannah objected.

"That's because they've already been prepared before they get to your plate," Providence said and Hannah scrunched up her face.

"She eats crabs too," Alifair continued. "They look a lot like spiders."