The Perfect Finish

Chapter Five - London

The journey passed in meals, quoits and strolls along the decks.  The motion of the ship became natural. So did the smell of coal and the shouts of the crew as they worked. The second night on board was better than the first. Anna slept well and was almost sorry the journey was coming to an end.

Sorry, but excited too.  One's first view of London was a great moment.

The dark made everything difficult. Anna stood very still and tried to see riverbanks through the creeping fog. There were some lights - little glows in the dark. And as the moon emerged for just a few seconds she saw the silhouettes of old buildings.  Mere outlines silhouettes in the dark, but still .. it was something she could tell Papa.

The boat creaked. Planks and ropes, stretching and pulling and contracting and scraping, as if they were all about to break. And the hiss and bubble of steam coming from that giant chimney in the centre of the ship.

Mrs Cosgrove was not coming to meet them. She'd written a letter, very apologetic. But, she told Anna, a cab would be waiting. The driver would make himself known.

The cab was there.  In its wonderfully dry interior Anna closed her eyes at last.

This was London. Dirt roads, paved roads, rocky roads, roads full of puddles. Just a maze of streets and roads.  A strange place. 

 A misty morning turned into a smoky afternoon. The roads were cobbled, the houses surrounded by high walls. But London went on forever.

Was this really the land of balls and polite society and lace and silk?

The sun pierced through the smoke, just in time to show them Mrs Cosgrove's home.

She'd had an image in mind. A gracious old hall, something like the mansions in Edinburgh. Dignified and antiquated with sleepy style.

Baron Street was not it. The tall house before her was set back from the street but squashed between its neighbours as if it hadn't quite enough room. The window frames were deep mahogany, they made the bricks look dark. It was nothing like the gay whitewashed cottages she'd seen in the approaches to the city. It was also nothing like the sagging derelicts along the riverbanks. 

Anna's heart sank. 

The area was respectable but not lavish, and this house was so altogether blank that she couldn't glean an insight into its occupant from the exterior. 

A solemn butler, a highly polished hall. Nothing ostentatious about the furnishings, but the furniture shone and the flowers were fresh. The butler took her to a dark-panelled door and opened it for her. 

She entered.

An elegant parlour with a roaring fire and one waiting occupant. Mrs Cosgrove was an ample woman with a tired but kind smile who stood and held her hand out.

"My dear Anna, I hope you travelled well! Such a long way! I've never been so far as the northern counties."

"Thank you, Mrs Cosgrove. The journey was quiet." The relief was enormous. She had feared an aggressive woman with no real entree to society. Mrs Cosgrove seemed above that.

"Sit down, dear. I was afraid you might be afflicted with the north country burr, but your speech is as clear as any you will meet here." Mrs Cosgrove seated herself as she spoke. "I have made a few arrangements.   A fitter will attend you, and I have hired another upstairs maid." She took a long look at her guest. "I dared not hope to find you a beauty, but you will be very taking when my woman dresses you. Of course a belle must have golden hair, but your colouring is quite appealing. Will your hair take a curl, do you think? No? A pity, but I think we shall do well enough." 

Food was brought and a maid took Sukie away. Anna sat, a delicate teacup in one hand, and looked at the boat grime on her dress.   

"I've devised a schedule." Mrs Cosgrove continued. " We will allow you time to settle in. Thursday is the open day at Huntsworth and we shall visit my dear friend  on Friday morning, after which we shall meet with Madame Cecile." She leaned forward, her wide face beaming. "I have a great surprise for you, Anna. I have secured a court introduction to the Prince Regent!"

"You have?" Anna's heart jumped. But the expense?  "Can we maintain such a standard?"

"I think we can." Mrs Cosgrove sat back, well pleased by her guest's reaction. "Your family, reclusive and isolated though they be, are very well born. Your breeding is unexceptionable." She wrinkled her nose a little. "With the possible exception of your new stepmama, but we need not worry about her. She is the reason you have come to London, is she not?"

Anna sighed. "She is. I cannot submit to her rule in the house I managed for so many years." She stared into her cup. "I worked so hard to improve the house and grounds, and to see it undone in a single command! My rose garden, levelled in favour of a croquet court. My dear mama's sitting room, emptied in readiness of the child who will shortly enter our family. It is better that I find a home of my own."

"Indeed it is." Mrs Cosgrove nodded. "There are many eligible gentlemen in town this spring, you have every chance of success. You are not wealthy, Anna, but you are not penniless either."

"No." Anna looked at her frankly. "No, I think I have enough to bring to a marriage to encourage an eligible suitor. I am not fanciful, I can get along with anyone of respectable habits."

"You have all you need." Mrs Cosgrove spoke with certainty. "Though you may find it harder work than you expect. Well, if you have finished your tea, I will show you to your room." She heaved herself up with effort and Anna followed her out of the room.

The real work began now.