Finding Self.

Preparing for Dinner

Clare said "That was Lady, she is Lady Jane's maid. I wonder how Molly got her to come up here."

Charity frowned a bit. "She is a visitor and is hunting under dresses for me. I think I just landed myself in trouble again. Just what I need."

Clare replied. "They were giving the west rooms, and we were told to leave the things in the closets there, as the guests would have limited baggage with them. So that is likely where she went. Don't worry so. She has been a maid most of her life, she knows what she is doing. Unlike me, now I think that is all the shoes." With that she stood up and dusted herself off. She then started going though the shoes. Laugh she held up one pare of high black boots. "How about these for trouble? I can just see Patience's face if she saw you in them." That image was enough to get Charity laughing to.

With a glint in her eye Charity pulled her stockings on. "Hand them over, I have to try them. I won't truly wear them, not that brave, but I have to see if they fit all those shoes look to be around the same size." Still laughing Clare handed them over and Charity pulled them on. They fit as well as if they had been made for her. She walked across the room and looked at them in the mirror. "If the dress fits me half as well as these shoes it will be amazing. I wonder where these things came from, whose they were. Just hope no one minds me using this stuff. But then I am not the one who left them here."

She was walking back to her chair when Lady came back in she took in the boots, "Nice, but not for that dress. Here these under things will work better." She took and laid them on the bed.

Charity laughing said. "Let me get these boots off and I will start getting in them. Clare found the boots in the closet and I just had to see if they fit. Even though I would never dare wear them." With that she sat down and took the boots off.

Lady said. "There is nothing wrong with those boots they just are not right for this dress. I bet there is another dress in there for them. That closet looks to be full of them. Clare let me see those blue ones there by your foot." Charity decided it would not do to explain about Mother and boots. She just took them off and went and began getting dressed. Once she was done she started to the mirror, to see how the dress looked. Lady stopped her and handed her a pair of low boots. "Shoes first then you can look before we start the hair. Now Clare it is the hair that is the hard part. Let me see what we have to work with." With that she started laying out combs and beaded ribbons.

Charity got the shoes on, and started brushing out her hair, thinking she would wait to look. The dress fit that was enough for now. If it had looked horrid one of the others would have told her. Lady did not seem the type to pull punches. Once she had it brushed Lady took over and explaining to Clare on what to do, and why to do it she took care of dressing the hair. Charity found it hard to set there and let them do it, she had always done her own or at lest helped, some took two. But she managed to keep her hands in her lap.

When they were done she got up and went to the mirror. She froze she could not believe her eyes. The person in the mirror could not be her. She just stood there staring, not believing what she saw. It was not a little girl who was looking back at her but a lady. One who was way older than her. Hesitantly she spoke. "Wow, I can't believe it is me. I look too done, to old for my years. What do you two think? Is the dress to old for me?"

One of the Aunts spoke from the doorway. "Why you would ask servants that is beyond me. You look fine, just like Prudence di" Her voice trailed off, recalling that was not something spoken of. "How old are you now anyway child? It is hard to keep up."

Charity turned to the Aunt, relived it was Jasmine, one of the kinder ones. "I turned eleven last month Aunt. Is the dress really ok? I mean, it is all right that I wear it? I'm not stepping on any one? I found it in that closet when I moved in here."