Lady Rose's Education (6 page)

Norah walked towards Lady Rose's room. She didn't like crossing the corridor which led to the family's rooms. She didn't want to meet any of them on her way. Walls had eyes. Norah always scurried along the corridor with as soft and soundless half-run as she could muster.

She had not seen the Earl yet. As Lady Rose had told Norah, he was spending he whole spring season in the family's London house. The Countess Norah had seen several times. Nellie's prickly comments had given her an inkling that Her Ladyship was not too happy about Norah's being in the house. Therefore she felt uneasy every time their paths crossed. Generally the Countess did not have any reason to speak to her: if she would have a particular task for Norah, Norah would get the assignment from Mrs. Motley. So far there hadn't been any.

One of the doors of course led to Lord Charles's room. Norah passed that door quickest of all.

Norah was relieved when she arrived at Lady Rose's door. In the chilly house it was always like coming across a warm front. Today she was especially excited to come, because she came bearing gifts. She had finished the camisole she had been making for Lady Rose. She had worked on it every evening for two weeks, and she was exceedingly proud of it. It had pretty little pin tucks radiating down from the collar, and the decorative stitching next to the armholes looked like rows of scripture.

She had even started to harbour a new illusion: maybe she could develop her new skill further and learn to make actual frocks.

She knocked on the door and stepped in.

”Morning, Norah!” Lady Rose said.

”Good morning, My Lady. You seem to be in high spirits.”

”I am, rather,” Lady Rose said. ”I feel quite transformed. There is nothing that a good night's sleep can't do to one's mood.”

”I'm glad to hear it, My Lady,” Norah said. ”I have something for you.”

She had folded her accomplishment inside brown paper just like she had seen seamstresses do.

”It is a camisole that I have made for you.” She shook out the garment and held it proudly in front of her.

”Did Mrs. Motley ask you to make one?” Lady Rose said, surprised. ”I don't believe I did.”

Norah's smile froze a little.

”No, but Nellie said it is part of my job to make your underlinen. I wanted to practice.”

”Oh dear. You must have spent a lot of time on it,” Lady Rose said. Then she seemed to notice Norah's expression. ”Thank you, Norah. I can see you have made a lot of effort, but it is all effort with your hands. I would rather see you use your mind! Put it in with the rest of them, why don't you.”

She handed the camisole back to Norah. Norah folded it gently and took it to her clothes' room. She gave it one more appreciative glance. It did not shrink in shame next to the other underthings in the shelves, she thought to herself. Her sewing had really come along, even if she was the only one that noticed.

Lady Rose called after her and casually asked, ”Have you seen Lady Letitia and her fiancée, Lord Alderton, yet?”

”No, My Lady, not yet.”

Norah looked longingly at the dresses hanging in the clothes' room and stroked the blue velvet and brown batiste gently with her hand.

”Lord Alderton has brought his friend, Mr. Cowley. He seems quite interesting,” Lady Rose said, as soon as Norah appeared. ”He looks like something of a haunted artist.”

Norah had her antennae up. ”Oh, yes, My Lady?”

”Have you ever come across someone that simply has an aura about them? Even if such a person hardly says anything, he has such a commanding presence and intense gaze that it is as if he is the only one in the room.”

”No, I can't say I have met such people, My Lady.”

”Yes, well, I suppose you have been exposed to a limited circle, but I assure you, they exist.”

”If you say so, My Lady.”

”Can I ask you something, Norah?” Lady Rose said, studying her hands. ”Do you think that affection can be aroused by a mere look, by only a fleeting conversation?”

”I don't read as many romantic poems as you do, My Lady –”

”No matter how many times I have urged you to. Obviously sewing takes up too much of your time.”

”– so maybe I have been protected from such a notion.”

Lady Rose had a pensive look about her. She was not similarly protected. Her ardent wishes were finally taking shape, a distinctly male shape.

Norah saw her dreamy aspect, and said, slowly and carefully, ”If you want my advice, My Lady, I think the first impressions can be deceiving. Find out whether the gentleman has true character before you make any final judgements about him.”

”You speak as if I'm planning to marry the gentleman. I only said that I found him interesting. I am Lady Rose Travers. Obviously I could not marry a Mr. Cowley.”

”No, My Lady. I see that.”

July, 1891

Lady Rose was alone in her room. Looking out of the window she saw her sister and Lord Alderton walking in the garden. As always, Lady Letitia walked with her head held up high, so as not to spill any knowledge out. She was gesturing around with her hands, and it was not difficult to guess she was introducing the settings of her childhood to her fiancée. Lady Rose had only seen them together in a large group, but alone they looked like a much cosier company. At least from the distance. Lord Alderton's tilted top hat seemed to reflect the avid attention with which he was listening to Lady Letitia talk.

Lady Rose crossed her arms in front of her and pressed her shoulders down, exhaling one long and melancholy time. Then she rang the bell for Norah. She wanted to change her dress and take her restlessness for a walk around the house.

She struck lucky in the library. Mr. Cowley was sitting on the edge of one of the little sofas, reading a book. He had most likely judged the big armchair the Earl's inviolable territory, and he was right in this assessment.

Lady Rose stood by the door, looking at the gentleman. He had not noticed her come in, and she did not want to make her presence known yet. She waited for her breath to steady.

”Good morning, Mr. Cowley,” she then said cheerfully. She entered the room properly and sat on the other sofa.

”Morning, Lady Rose,” he said. ”If you wanted to see your sister and Lord Alderton, they are having a stroll in the garden. We were all out for a walk, but I returned early.”

”That is quite alright,” Lady Rose said. ”I am not in the mood for a walk just now. I think I will sit here and give you some company, if you don't mind.”

The gentleman politely consented and put his book down.

”I didn't mean to interrupt your reading,” Lady Rose said. Mr. Cowley said he liked to be interrupted, though not very convincingly. He marked the page with his finger, keeping the book closed in his lap. Lady Rose couldn't help but feel that he meant to go back to it as soon as the exchange was over.

”You must feel very fortunate, to have grown up with this huge library,” Mr. Cowley said.

That gave Lady Rose pause. Did she feel fortunate? She probably must.

”Did your childhood home not have a good library, Mr. Cowley?”

”No, goodness, no.”

There was something lazy and deliberate about his way of speaking. Everything he said seemed bold and full of significance.

Now he sat up and said, ”Can I ask you something? What is it that you
do
all day? I don't just mean you in particular. I mean, what does one do here to pass the time?”

”Well, there is reading, which you of course have discovered,” Lady Rose said, a bit flustered. ”We socialize somewhat with the neighbours –”

”Yes, we met some of the neighbours on our walk and other ones on yesterday's walk,” Mr. Cowley said, and something in his tone suggested that he hadn't been too impressed with the people he had met. ”Both sets of neighbours asked me if I was related to the Cowleys of Norfolk, which I am not.”

There was a ponderous silence.

”You seem to have a good head on your shoulders,” Mr. Cowley said. ”Did you ever consider doing academic studies, like your sister?”

What a remarkable talent he had of wrapping a compliment and insult in one neat package.

”No, of the two of us Lady Letitia is the one that yearns for knowledge. I only ever craved for words and more words,” Lady Rose said. The openness of this odd exchange was making her feel quite exposed.

”I must say, I pity you country-dwellers,” the gentleman said. ”I suspected that I wasn't cut out for country life, and now I know it for sure. What befuddles me is how anyone can stand the tedium.”

Lady Rose laughed. ”What terrible things you say, Mr. Cowley. I don't mind, but I would not say that in front of my father. He might feel slighted hearing it.”

”I do not want to slight you, by any means. I am only genuinely curious. How do you stand for the boredom of having so little in the way of company?”

”Country life or, indeed, life in general does not have to be boredom, Mr. Cowley. One has to make it a conscious effort of improving oneself. And because the project of self-improvement is a never-ending one, there needn't ever be empty hours of tedium to fill.”

”I cannot vouch for such noble self-containment, Lady Rose. You have the advantage over me there. I find that I can't always content myself with books and my own thoughts. I must admit that I am in perpetual need of stimulating conversation.”

”Are you mocking me, Mr. Cowley?”

”Only very gently. My admiration for your character is perfectly earnest.”

Mr. Cowley had moved to the window, which overlooked the same gardens where Lady Letitia and Lord Alderton were still prancing about.

”By the way, is it not scandalous that those two should be seen alone like that, without a chaperon?” Mr. Cowley asked.

”Well, no. Once an engagement is firmly established, it is quite proper for a man and a woman to be seen alone, especially outdoors,” Lady Rose said, amused by Mr. Cowley's pretended ignorance.

”If I am not mistaken, you and I are alone too, without any such social structure in place to protect us,” he said. ”Would you call this quite appropriate?”

”Since we are in the drawing room and there are servants right outside the door, yes, I believe we are quite safe. This is all quite above board,” Lady Rose said, but to her annoyance, her voice was quivering self-consciously.

”Well, you don't have to worry, Lady Rose. I am not intending to make racy suggestions to you, apart from maybe suggesting that we have a cup of tea?”

”That would be quite acceptable, Mr. Cowley.” Lady Rose was happy to ring the bell and thus have an occupation for her hands, which otherwise seemed to hang idly in her lap.

Norah thought of the welcome dinner for Lord Alderton and his friend as her first big professional challenge. Dinner guests were a rare event in the Abbey, and for Norah this was an occasion to show everyone, but most importantly the Countess, how presentable she could make Lady Rose look. She was determined to shine.

Norah began to work on Lady Rose's hair with a detailed plan for the coiffure. She had seen it in a magazine and practiced it on aunt Sarah on her half-day off. After combing the hair she collected the bounty of it in her hand and divided it into parts with her fingers.

”Did you have a happy time with your aunt and uncle?” Lady Rose asked her.

”Yes, very happy. Thank you, My Lady.”

”In your absence I had time to ponder on many things and no one to converse with, except for Lord Byron and Madame de Staël.”

Norah looked up from what she was doing.

”My Lady?”

”Madame de Staël writes, 'Men err from selfishness; women because they are weak'. What do you think about that, Norah?”

From her wording Norah gathered that Lady Rose was talking about the written word and not real people, as usual. She turned her attention back to hair. She had come to a critical junction in her effort. It was important to make four equal parts of the hair, so that once the parts were interlocked and divided the second time, the whole would not be uneven.

”I really could not say, My Lady,” she said.

”I will tell you what I think, Norah,” Lady Rose said. ”I would not wish to have myself called selfish, but even less I would want to be thought weak. It seems to me that selfishness may make one steal room and opportunity from others, but weakness may result in not living one's life at all. Do you not agree?”

”Yes, quite, My Lady,” Norah said. The hairdo was coming together much better than when she had tried it on aunt Sarah. It was because the dough in her hands was easier to mould. Lady Rose's mane was longer and more supple, and the individual hairs were more even in length. Aunt Sarah's hair was enviably dark considering her age, but it was brittle. If her hair resembled dough for a crumble, the younger woman's hair was the stuff that makes a plump loaf.

”Therefore I have come to a decision,” Lady Rose said. ”I will not conform to the straight path that I see drawn in front of me. I will digress.” She searched for Norah's eyes in the mirror. Norah could feel her gaze and looked up.

”What do you mean, My Lady?”

”I want to have a love affair,” Lady Rose said coolly, ”the less appropriate, the better.”

”My Lady!” Norah's eyes widened. If Lady Rose had been hoping for a reaction, her wish was satisfied. ”You don't mean it.”

”Yes I do. Undoubtedly mother will have me married to the odious Lord Ashbury within the next few months. Until then I will make something substantial of my freedom.”

After a brief pause, she said, ”To love, to suffer, even to die of love like Young Werther. What could be more glorious?”

Norah was slowly getting used to Lady Rose's habit of littering her remarks with names of phantom people. She didn't ask who Young Werther was.

”I think I should rather have a long life with little suffering, My Lady,” she said.

”You are free to choose your aim in life, as am I,” Lady Rose said.

Then she couldn't contain herself anymore. She turned to Norah and said eagerly, ”Oh, Norah, I believe I have caught the eye of Mr. Cowley. His feeling manifested itself clearly yesterday when I talked with him in the library.”

”But you said that you wouldn't consider marrying Mr. Cowley. He is not your equal in stature,” Norah pointed out.

”I am not talking of marriage.”

”But, My Lady!” Norah said and blushed.

”Don't go thinking anything vulgar, Norah,” Lady Rose said sharply. ”I am only speaking of engaging in a small flirtation. Naturally I would not let it go further than that.”

”Either way, you should be wary of appearing too keen, My Lady. If a gentleman wants to get better acquainted, he will make his wishes known. Men are not known to shy away from showing their interest.”

”Aren't you knowledgeable all of a sudden,” Lady Rose said. ”Do you have plenty of experience with this area?”

”Of course not, My Lady,” Norah said. ”You asked for an opinion –”

”And I got one, thank you.”

Lady Rose looked indignant, but then she softened again. ”I guess we can't think alike in everything.”

The scandalous subject had to be buried for now, because there was a knock on the door and the Countess came in. She did not make a habit of coming to her daughter's room, so Lady Rose looked surprised and pulled her back very straight. Instinctively Norah followed her lead.

”I hope I am not disturbing,” the Countess said, ”but I have a present for you, Rose. I wanted to give it to you now so that you can wear it for the dinner.”

She gave the parcel to Norah. It was packed in brown paper and tied with a pretty yellow ribbon. Norah understood that she was meant to open it.

”My maid has just picked it up from Mrs. Myrtle,” the Countess said. Mrs. Myrtle was the seamstress the family used. ”I believe she has outdone herself.”

Norah carefully pulled open the ribbon, unwrapped the rustling paper and revealed the object. It was a corset.

Lady Rose stared at the tortuously adorned thing.

”Do you not think it a little old-fashioned?” she asked mildly. She of course owned a few corsets, and they had had boning at the front and thin cords shaping the other seams. This one looked like a potent steamboat of a garment.

”Certainly not. I had it made for you,” her mother said triumphantly, ”as a preparation for your debutante season. We have time to remove at least two inches from your waist.” Norah was still holding the garment. She felt unable to put it down or to take it to the dressing room while it remained the object of conversation.

”Norah,” the Countess said, ”please help Lady Rose put it on.”

Lady Rose closed her eyes briefly.

”Mother,” she said, ”Norah is doing my hair. Can I not try it on later?”

”I would very much like to see how it fits you,” the Countess said. ”Please do me the favour.”

Lady Rose gave Norah a little nod. Norah unhappily pinned the separated sections of hair temporarily along the lady's scalp and removed the towel from her shoulders.

”A young lady's best assets are a pretty smile, a small waist and impeccable gloves,” the Countess said and flashed them both a charming smile. ”And these days no one will berate a lady, if she applies some coal in her eyes.”

Lady Rose got up on her feet in her chemise and drawers and stood with her arms slightly spread out. Norah wrapped the corset around her and attached it at the front. As she started to pull at the lacing at the back to tighten it, Lady Rose breathed in and constricted herself in the middle. She could feel her soft flesh pushing out above and below the corset.

”How wonderful it looks,” the Countess said. ”Do you not think her waist looks infinitely smaller, Norah?”

”Yes, Your Ladyship,” Norah said and curtsied almost unnoticeably.

Lady Rose threw an annoyed glance at her. ”Pull a little harder, Norah, I feel perfectly fine,” she said breathlessly.

”Norah,” the Countess said. ”I have been meaning to come and talk you. You and I need to work together and talk to your mistress. Lady Rose is still distressed after that horrible accident, and she cannot see her future clearly. She does not realize that whatever happens during this short period will determine the course of her whole life. We have to get her to focus on the task at hand.”

”The only task that matters,” Lady Rose remarked disdainfully. ”Finding a suitable husband.”

Norah looked conflicted.

”I see, Your Ladyship,” she said to the Countess.

”You understand, Norah, that Her Ladyship desperately needs your help with her stubborn creature of a daughter,” Lady Rose said. ”The silly girl refuses to believe what everyone else knows to be true.”

The Countess took the bait. ”What is that, Rose?”

”The perfect match is one in which the lady's beauty matches the thickness of the gentleman's pocketbook. It is probably the first sentence in the etiquette book.”

The Countess seemed to gather all of her patience, which she had not much to begin with. She let out a long sigh.

”Lady Rose would rather join the penniless as a sovereign entity than marry a handsome gentleman and continue the life she is used to,” she said, once again addressing Norah, who looked self-conscious and attached her eyes tightly on the lacing she was fiddling with. ”Believe me, there are many gentlemen who are only waiting for her signal, and one very commendable one. You do not see marriage as such an evil prospect as Lady Rose, do you?”

Being asked directly, Norah had no other recourse than to respond.

”No, Your Ladyship, I suppose I don't,” she said. Lady Rose's shoulders stiffened.

The Countess said, now to Lady Rose, ”I ask you to make a virtue of necessity, Rose. You do not have to embrace the thought whole-heartedly. Keep your high-minded ideas, but marry you must. You will do everything you can to help me convince her, won't you, Norah?”

Norah blinked. Two sets of demanding eyes were on her.

”I will do my best for Lady Rose, Your Ladyship,” she finally managed.

”Thank you, Norah, I was hoping you would say that,” the Countess said.

Lady Rose concentrated on standing perfectly straight. Anger was rising from within her like a fountain. She was afraid it might gush out and drench the two women around her. She took a fast breath and compressed her ribcage further.

”Pull tighter, Norah,” she said, breathing shallowly. ”I can't stand a slack figure.”

”I can see that you want to be a good, loyal servant to my daughter. Assist her in getting up from the depths of this melancholy,” the Countess said.

Lady Rose scowled and said, ”Yes, Norah, with your help I will shoot up like a cork.”

”You are accustomed to a certain way of life, whether you like it or not,” the Countess said, now directly to Lady Rose. ”If it were taken from you, you would not know what to do with yourself. Do not trifle it away.”

There was a knock on the door. This time it was Nellie. When the Countess saw her, she said, ”Oh yes, Rose, there was another thing I meant to say to you. The new vicar is coming to see you. Has he arrived, Nellie?”

”Yes, Your Ladyship,” Nellie said.

”Now? I was just going to take a walk. What in heaven's name does he want?” Lady Rose asked.

”I suppose he is keen to meet his new parishioners,” the Countess said evasively. ”Hurry up and get dressed. Nellie, go tell him that Lady Rose will be right down.”

The Countess and Nellie went. Lady Rose was still standing in the middle of the floor, tightly bound and steaming.