11-22-2025, 09:41 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-22-2025, 09:42 PM by Catherine Ennington.)
The driver had dropped the young mistress off and had gone to drink and commiserate with the other coachmen. He certainly had reason to be miserable. He had had the horses and carriage ready at six as instructed, but Miss Catherine was nowhere to be seen. He had sent a footman to tell the butler to tell the lady’s maid that the carriage was waiting. He was told that Miss Catherine would only be a minute. It was in fact a full twenty minutes, before mademoiselle came out of the mansion looking like a depressed peacock.
“Oh, please, do hurry, or I’ll be late,” she cried as if he needed to be reminded of the time! But then she stopped, “she bloody stopped!” he recounted to the McAllisters’ coachman, who listened with evident glee.
She had turned round and shown him the back of her head. Could he tell that the ringlets were not the same size? Was it very obvious? He couldn’t see anything the matter with her hair, but he suddenly understood what had kept her for so long, and he cheered up just a little in the knowledge that there was a poor lady’s maid who had already had a worse night than he could possibly have.
Still, it had taken him another five minutes to convince her that he couldn’t tell the difference between the ringlets.
“It’s these two,” she had said breathlessly, reaching up to find the ringlets she meant. “Sarah just wouldn’t listen. She kept looking at the wrong pair!”
“I promise you, Miss, I have never seen ringlets so well organized.” Or young ladies so spoiled, he had added privately.
When she was finally in the carriage, she had alternated between noises of dismay (at more flaws she had discovered in her ‘ruined’ hairdo, no doubt) and begging him to go faster. He had had to drive like a madman to get here in time. “That little brat’s out of control. Almost makes me consider going back to the Carringtons,” he told his colleague, before taking a swig of his bottle.
***
Miss Catherine Ennington glided into the room with a pleasant smile, good posture, and an air of perfect poise. Her rose-coloured mousseline de soie over ivory silk dress, with a low neckline and a tiny waist, and her pale, thin face, gave her an almost ethereal quality. Only the light blush that appeared in her neck and cheeks as she looked wide-eyed around the room, hinted at the immense pressure she had experienced ever since she had received Lady Selby’s invitation.
“Oh, please, do hurry, or I’ll be late,” she cried as if he needed to be reminded of the time! But then she stopped, “she bloody stopped!” he recounted to the McAllisters’ coachman, who listened with evident glee.
She had turned round and shown him the back of her head. Could he tell that the ringlets were not the same size? Was it very obvious? He couldn’t see anything the matter with her hair, but he suddenly understood what had kept her for so long, and he cheered up just a little in the knowledge that there was a poor lady’s maid who had already had a worse night than he could possibly have.
Still, it had taken him another five minutes to convince her that he couldn’t tell the difference between the ringlets.
“It’s these two,” she had said breathlessly, reaching up to find the ringlets she meant. “Sarah just wouldn’t listen. She kept looking at the wrong pair!”
“I promise you, Miss, I have never seen ringlets so well organized.” Or young ladies so spoiled, he had added privately.
When she was finally in the carriage, she had alternated between noises of dismay (at more flaws she had discovered in her ‘ruined’ hairdo, no doubt) and begging him to go faster. He had had to drive like a madman to get here in time. “That little brat’s out of control. Almost makes me consider going back to the Carringtons,” he told his colleague, before taking a swig of his bottle.
***
Miss Catherine Ennington glided into the room with a pleasant smile, good posture, and an air of perfect poise. Her rose-coloured mousseline de soie over ivory silk dress, with a low neckline and a tiny waist, and her pale, thin face, gave her an almost ethereal quality. Only the light blush that appeared in her neck and cheeks as she looked wide-eyed around the room, hinted at the immense pressure she had experienced ever since she had received Lady Selby’s invitation.
