AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Lady Blythcourt was a woman in her forties, shorter than Isabel, and very plump. Her red hair was starting to go white with impressive curls, leaving her handsome face clear of obstruction. She had an air about her that exuded confidence. She looked like the sort of person who could command a room. Lady Hester was taller, a little older than Isabel herself, with raven-black hair pinned severely to her head. She also looked so thin Isabel was surprised she was upright. But even with the severe appearance, there was a warm, bright glint in her eyes.
They were sitting on the settee when Lady Dunley and Isabel entered the room. As soon as she saw them, Lady Blythcourt gasped and jumped up, hurrying over to Lady Dunley.
“Marjorie! Oh, my goodness!” She clasped Lady Dunley’s shoulders and enthusiastically kissed both cheeks. “It’s so wonderful to see you. You’re looking as lovely as ever!”
“Thank you, Elizabeth.” Lady Dunley nodded at Isabel. “I think you remember my daughter, don’t you?”
“Oh, of course I do!” Lady Blythcourt advanced on Isabel and pulled her into a hug, almost making Isabel topple over. Then she looked Isabel up and down. “Last time I saw you, you were two years old and running around like a mad thing. Such a cute little button as well.”
“Th ... thank you?”
The smell of the other woman’s scent was overwhelming, and Isabel could feel her eyes watering. Then she heard a squeak and a snuffling noise. Looking down, she saw a small brownish-gold Yorkshire terrier sniffing her skirts.
“Oh, that’s Macaroon. Don’t mind him. He’s just curious.” Lady Blythcourt took Isabel’s arm and led her to the settee. “Come on, darling, let’s sit. Oh, this is Lady Hester, my companion. She goes with me everywhere.”
Lady Hester gave Isabel a nod and a smile. Isabel barely had time to respond before she was tugged onto the settee, sprawling across the cushions. Lady Dunley sighed.
“Elizabeth, would you slow down? Isabel’s not a toy you can tug about, and we are still recovering from our journey.”
“Don’t worry so much, Marjorie. Your daughter can handle me.” Lady Blythcourt winked at Isabel. “I’m a pussy cat, I am.”
Isabel didn’t doubt that. One that could be full of claws if you did the wrong thing.
“I did say we were arriving yesterday.” Lady Dunley sat on an armchair, smoothing out her skirts. “And it is rather early to be calling, Elizabeth. Wouldn’t it have been better to come over later?”
Lady Blythcourt tittered.
“Honestly, dear, you’re so uptight. You haven’t changed at all. There’s nothing wrong with calling at this time of the morning.” She nudged Isabel. “It helps get things out the way, don’t you think?”
Lady Dunley frowned.
“What does that mean, exactly?”
“You asked me to come and help make sure your daughter could manage polite Society without making a fool of herself, didn’t you?”
“I did, but I was hoping for a day or two for us to get our bearings.” Lady Dunley sighed. “Although that’s gone out the window. The Earl of Davenport has a ball in two weeks, and we’re not ready.”
Lady Hester sucked in a breath.
“Oh, dear. They’re not giving us much time.”
“Much time?” Isabel asked. “Much time for what?”
“To get you behaving like a lady,” Lady Blythcourt said brightly. “Your mother said it might be useful to have my expertise, and I’m more than happy to help.” She stood up, almost stepping on her dog, which she nudged aside with her foot. “Oh, Macaroon, could you stop getting under my feet? Up you get, Isabel darling.”
Isabel squeaked as she was hauled to her feet and tugged into the middle of the room. Lady Blythcourt began to walk around her, making humming noises. Whether they were disapproving or not, Isabel had no idea. She looked pleadingly at her mother, who simply gave her a slight shake of her head.
“You’re a pretty girl, so you’ve got that going for you.” Lady Blythcourt moved behind Isabel. “But being pretty is only going to get you so far. You need to sort out that posture of yours.” She grabbed Isabel’s shoulders and tugged them back abruptly. “Lady Hester was much like this when she came to me. She loved to hunch over that ant farm of hers or inspect butterflies she had caught. I don’t know why she does it, but it does nothing good to your posture. That really needs to be adjusted.”
Even after a few seconds, Isabel’s back was hurting. She hadn’t thought her posture was that bad, and standing like this just made it worse. She tried to slump again, but Lady Blythcourt tugged her shoulders back again.
“Don’t you dare slump, darling. A woman needs to walk with her back straight and her head high. You need to have poise and composure, not slumped shoulders. It shows you have confidence.”
She came around to the front and looked Isabel up and down again.
“Yes, that’s looking better. I think walking up and down with a book on your head will help enormously with posture.”
“A book on my head?” Isabel squeaked.
