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“Ellie, please?” Dorothea pouted. “You said we could do this.”
Her sisters were counting on her for this. She closed her diary and stood up, hugging the little book to her chest.
“Alright. Let’s get ready. Regina, will you let Chalmers know that we’re going to be using the other carriage?”
“Of course.” Regina shut her book with a snap and jumped up. “I hope he’s not going to tattle on us to Emma, though.”
“The butler is the one in charge of the household, along with the housekeeper. He’s a better option than going to Mrs Michaelson; she would certainly tell Emma once she came home.”
It felt like fate as the housekeeper had the evening off herself and was out visiting her family. If she were around, this would be a lot harder. In the short time they had been here, Ellie had guessed that Chalmers was a soft-hearted individual. He would be easier to persuade not to say anything. She made a mental note to make it up to him.
Regina hurried out first, and Ellie left with Dorothea, going upstairs to their respective rooms. It didn’t take long for Ellie to change, finding the plainest dress she had, one that wouldn’t make her stand out. Taking a look at herself in the mirror, she certainly appeared frumpy already. She didn’t need to do much after this, hopefully.
There was a knock at the door, and it opened before Ellie could respond. Hannah, the maid Emma had assigned to her, entered the room. She stopped when she saw Ellie.
“Forgive me, Lady Eleanora,” she said, bobbing a curtsy. “I didn’t realise you were in here.”
Ellie thought about telling Hannah a little lie but decided against it. Besides, she needed help with the next part of her costume. She gestured for Hannah to close the door.
“Hannah, can you keep a secret?”
“Of course. What are you doing?”
“I’ll explain while I get ready.” Ellie went to the dresser and sat down. “Can you help me with my hair? I need it in a style that says I’m a spinster.”
“A spinster? What…?”
“Like I said, I’ll explain. Can you do it for me?”
“I… of course.” Hannah shut the door. “Whatever you need.”
Ellie took a deep breath and explained as Hannah gathered her hair, pulling it back into a tight bun at the base of Ellie’s head. Hannah frowned at her in the mirror.
“Are you absolutely sure you should be doing this, Lady Eleanora? It’s very risky, and what if you get caught?”
“I don’t think we were thinking about it at the time. But my sisters will go whether I’m with them or not. This seemed logical at the time.” Ellie sighed. “I suppose we don’t think too clearly at our age.”
Hannah’s mouth twitched. “If you don’t mind me saying so, your sisters are rather… spirited.”
“You don’t need to tell me that. Someone needs to look after them.” Ellie surveyed herself in the mirror as Hannah put pins in to keep her hair in place. It hurt, but it pulled everything away from her face and made her look rather severe. She already looked a little older. “I’m hoping this will work. If we get found out…”
“Seeing as you’re all new to London, there’s a chance that you will get away with it.” Hannah paused. “But there’s a chance that Lady Mansford will find out what you’ve done. Even if we don’t say anything.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Ellie touched her face. “Is there something we can do to my face to make me look older? Maybe add something to look like wrinkles.”
“I think I might be able to help with that. You have some paintbrushes, don’t you?”
“Yes, they’re in the case by my bed.” Ellie turned to watch her maid hurry to the small leather case propped up against the bedside table. “What are you doing?”
“It’s a little trick my mother learned when she was a maid. You have some charcoal, don’t you?”
“Yes…”
“Perfect!”
Hannah opened up the case and brought out a stick of charcoal Ellie used for her drawings. She came back and adjusted Ellie’s face so she could see better.
“Now, Lady Eleanora, if you will stay still, I can make a few adjustments to your appearance. If you move, it’s going to smudge.”
