When Clare got to the kitchen she wasted no time in making sure that Beth knew the shape she had found Charity in. "She rang the bell, I went in to find her barley standing. She said all she needed was a bath and some tea and she would be fine. So helped her in to the bath, but I would have preferred to put her in bed. Several of those rocks hit her hard enough to leave marks even with all the padding of dress and under dress in between her and them. I made certain to put plenty of bruise medicine in the tub, and left her in it. Making sure her head would not slip under when she fell asleep. Now I am here for her tea, but I must wait for it to brew, and someone else will need the first pot. Also how formal is dinner to be? Someone seems to have forgotten to inform her."
Beth shook her head. "Poor things nothing but skin any ways, now this." She busied her self, taking up a sweet bun. "This goes with the tea, when it is ready, in another ten minuets. Wish it could be more but it will take a good thirty to get her ready for dinner. They are going full formal tonight and a ball after."
Molly ran in. "That is so, and Miss Chastity is in a fine temper, at having to get herself ready. She tried ordering Kat to do her hair. Then when she did not she threw a brush at her. Luckily it missed, but stay away from that part of the house. I need some tea for the ladies dressing room."
Clare laughed. "Hear take this pot, it is ready, and I want to wait a few more minutes. Let Charity sleep a bit. But can you tell me what full formal means? Or better yet send up someone to Charity's room in thirty minuets or so? I have no idea and as worn out is she help will be needed."
Molly looked at her. "That bad? I will send someone to help you. That is far easier than explaining what is needed. This is your first formal, you should have help." With that Molly took the tea and ran.
Clare chatted a while longer than head back up the stairs. Charity woke at her entrance, but Clare pretended not to notice. "Ok here is you tea. Diner is to be full formal, and as I have no idea what that is Molly will be sending up someone to help in a bit. So I would suggest you get the leaves out of your hair. I might not know what full formal is, but I am fairly sure leaves would not fit in."
Charity laughed and ducked her head under the water, getting the leaves and dirt out of her hair. Then got out of the tub, wrapped up in a big towel, and accepted a cup of tea took a drink then sat the cup down and went over to her closet. "Both of us will be grateful for the help. This" she pulled out a bunch of frilly fabric, "is the under dress I must put on over my slip. If you will lay it out on the bed, while I dig out the next layer." Clare took it and did her best to spread it out on the bed. Then turned back to Charity who was reemerging from the closet. "This is next." Handing Clare another under dress. "Then if it will work, I want something new." She crossed the room and pulled out a long, full, sky blue dress that had little flowers on it and white trim at the neck. "I found this in here and I think it will fit. What do you think, am I to young for it?"
A voice from the door said, "I think it is perfect. I know just what to do with your hair for that dress. Is there shoes, or should I send some one to hunt for them?"
Charity turned to the new comer. "There are a bunch of shoes in the closet, I am sure one pair must have been for this dress. I am not sure this dress will work with my under dresses though, and I did not see any in there."
The new comer went and looked at the bed. "Hum it does not look good, but I think I know where to find some that will. You set down and eat that roll cook sent. Clare you dig out those shoes. I will be back. Oh put the dress on the bed." With that she left.
Charity put the dress down and stared at the door then changed her towel for a dressing robe. Sitting down and taking the roll she asked. "Just what was that?"
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."
The Aunt looked at her. "You look fine dear. It is time we were reminded you are growing up. Time we took care of it. Yes indeed. Now what I came up for, you are missing some of your belongings." With that she handed her a box. "It is more than time you received this. Open it and you will understand, see you at diner." She turned and left but her voice carried back, whether intended or not it was hard to say. "Just wait tell Patience sees she will regret leaving those things. Looking like that she'll wake them up." Then she was out of range.
There was no sign that Charity heard, she was staring at the box. The other two had heard though, and were intrigued. There would be extra eyes at the kitchen door that night. They turned back to Charity and noticed she was staring at the box. Clare said. "Well are you going to open it or just stare at it?"
Charity started, looked at Lady and then drew a breath. "I am not sure I should. It is trouble whatever it is."
Clare said. "How do you know that?"
Charity answered, speaking more to herself then them. "Just a feeling, but all the same I want to know." Her hand moved to the lid. "Do I dare?" Clare nodded, but Charity did not see her. She saw nothing but the box. She opened the box reviling nothing worse than a wealth of jewelry. Older yes but nothing that looked dangerous. Charity set the box on the desk and picked out a long blue stone necklace with yellow flowers on it, then a pair of flower earrings. "What do you think, a set made for the dress? Or a coincidence?" Not waiting for an answer she put them on. "Well how do I look? Think I am complete now?"
Lady was looking at the box. "Not quite done." She pulled out a long sparkling white chain. "I believe this goes around the waste, instead of the sash I put there, just a minuet." She undid the sash and put the belt on in its place. "Now you are ready, just look." She turned her to the mirror. "I don't think it was a coincidence."
Charity said. "I was afraid of that. I am not going to change even so. It is not my fault they left her things here. I had no way to know, until I saw the box and what was in it. No wonder she said I looked like her." She turned back to the other two. "I know you two need to get to your places but I need one more thing, if you can." She took a deep breath. "This outfit requires an entrance. I don't want to slink down the back stairs. So I need one of you to disarm the traps on the main staircase as I go down. I can take the back on the up, but not down. Patience is not going to be happy."
Lady replied. "What do I care, I don't belong to her. I will get you down, I have been going that way anyway as it is faster. So you are the reason for those traps, I know where they are, it will be no trouble to get you though them. None at all."
Charity made it to the dinning hall with out mishap. She paused outside the door for a bit before entering. But she had not yet mastered the art of the entrance. Therefore she entered too soon, or too late, whichever, she did not get everyone's eyes, but she got enough. A murmur went though the room some of the Aunts were looking and they knew the dress, who had worn it last. They were not pleased to see it, then they saw the jewelry. Charity went on to her seat, pretending not to notice the stir she was causing. She took her place in-between Chastity and another girl of marrying age. She turned to the other girl, who was the same one she had talked to outside. "Do you ever feel like you are just playing dress up in theses gowns? Or am I just strange?"
The girl answered. "I felt that way when I first wore one too, seemed odd to leave the childhood gowns behind. There are still times when catching a glimpse of myself I wonder who that is I see."
Charity nodded. "Yes exactly. I could not believe it was me in the mirror. The person I saw there looked to old." She might have said more but Chastity hit her arm. Charity turned to see what she wanted.
Chastity said. "What are you doing? Do you want to get in more trouble?"
Charity replied blandly. "I was told to get ready for diner. Therefore it stands to reason I am to be here."
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