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Chapter 18
“White looks ravishing on you.” Eloise placed a white daisy in Fenella’s red hair, tossing the bonnet to the side of the half-lit guest room. “I think it’s because of your hair.”
During the night, Eloise had snuck Fenella into her temporary bedchambers alongside a dress and an armful of accessories, trying not to draw the eyes of Sally or any of the other servants. Miss Antonia was still feeling under the weather, making the task of sneaking away for a secret date a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the two lovebirds, who jumped at the chance. Now, as promised, Eloise helped the young maid dress for her very first official courtship—though she still denied it being as such.
“I hope you’re right, Milady,” Fenella said. She brushed her loose hair with her finger, then trailed her hands over her body, admiring the dress Eloise had explicitly chosen for her. It was a white A-line dress, with an open collar and crepe fabric that revealed Fenella’s sleek collarbone. Her arms remained covered—she had insisted on it herself—and she refused to wear gloves as Eloise proposed. It would appear far too formal and unlike her; Fenella’s words.
“You’re nervous,” Eloise stated. Fenella had taken hold of the daisy in her hair and changed the placement of it more than two times while also aggressively trying to keep her untamed hair in place. “You should let your hair loose,” Eloise continued, patting it softly, “it is quite unique; I haven’t met many people with hair like yours.”
“I don’t like my hair—I wouldn’t want Gregory to see me like this…” Fenella sighed, staring at the mirror once more and gesturing at her loose ends.
Eloise sat on a wooden chair beside her. “Nonsense. You look beautiful, and I’m certain Gregory will appreciate it if you give him the chance. It’ll be different.”
“Gregory has only seen me with my hair loose once,” Fenella confessed, “and then I hid away for the rest of the week.”
“You should definitely keep it loose for him this one occasion then.” Eloise smiled, standing up once more and pointing at the mirror. “It’ll be a special gesture for just him.”
“Oh, I’m not sure…” Fenella paused, looking between the pin in her hand and the mirror in front of her. “I’ve been told my hair makes me look like a wild animal.”
“And who would ever say such a nonsense thing?”
“The place I was raised in—I mean the people at the orphanage back in Scotland. I was teased for my hair so I prefer it pinned up and hidden away. I don’t feel…comfortable appearing like this,” she held her hair in two fists, slightly pulling them, “to Gregory. I feel as if he might laugh at me too. And that would feel horrible.”
Eloise smiled, holding Fenella’s hands in her own and placing the pin aside. “I promise you, he will do no such thing. He’ll appreciate it, and he’ll only admire how beautiful you are. Besides, it’s about time you prove those teasers wrong,” she continued, “I’ve had to deal with similar people in the past, and that’s the best way to silence them.”
“You’ve also been teased, Milady?” Fenella’s eyebrows raised for a moment in stark disbelief.
“I have, indeed. It was silly, and it only bothered me for a few years, until Uncle reminded me that it reflects who they are as opposed to me,” Eloise crossed one leg over the other. “They used to tease me about my parents' deaths.”
Fenella held a hand to her mouth, almost in shock. “That is horrible. I hope I’m not being too forward, but…what happened?”
“You’re absolutely not. You shared something with me, so I’ll share something with you.” Eloise held the pin in her fingers once again, playing with it. “I was an easy target, so I can’t say I hold any disdain toward them, kids can be immature after all. However, rumors were going around that I was responsible for their death,” she half-chuckled, “And with how my cousins treated me, I sometimes believed it.”
Eloise thought back to those memories of her childhood, parts that she had suppressed. The subject didn’t bother her as much today; thoughts of her parents felt far more evocative and bittersweet, but it was still an open wound at the time.
“People can be cruel, Milady,” Fenella said, “You aren’t at fault for it.”
“I was too young to realize it at the time. Well, that’s water under the bridge now, but tell me more about yourself. I’d love to know.”
Fenella smiled, wrinkling her nose. “There isn’t much to say, I’m afraid. I was raised by my sister, who eloped somewhere in Europe—I think Spain, but I never found out. I only assumed so because she always told me stories about the beauties of Spain. And soon after, I ended up in the orphanage where I stayed for most of my life until I ended up here thanks to His Grace.”
“His Grace took you in?” Eloise asked.
“He did. He did the same with Walter and Sally and most of the staff. Many of us were orphans, you see. He is a good man.” Fenella looked away for a moment while Eloise’s stomach fluttered at the thought. She knew Simon was a good man now, no matter the misconceptions she previously held of him, but she never learned to what extent.
“Did you ever try looking for your sister? I’m sure it has been years since you last saw her. Are you not curious about what happened to her?”
Fenella shook her head. “No, Milady. She left me, so I never even thought of it. If she truly cared for me, she would return and explain herself.”
“It’s easy to stay angry at her—”
“I’m sorry for interrupting you, but I’m really not angry at her—I mean, I don’t have a reason to be. It simply doesn’t seem fair to find her when she was trying so desperately to get away from me.” She started crumpling her dress, a sign of her obvious discomfort. “I thought of it once only. But a friend helped change my mind.”
Eloise pushed her lips into a tight line. “I’m sorry about that.”
“No, it really doesn’t bother me anymore. If it hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have met Sally, Ralph, Gregory…or you, Milady. I like to think of you as a friend.”
“We are friends, Fenella,” Eloise said, “and I’ll be sure to keep in touch even when I leave this place.”
