Simple Twists in Reality - Part IX

When we arrive home mother insists that I go up to my room and try on my new dress. It is a lavender piece with a ruffled and layered skirt. The torso is embroidered with black, silver and gold beads arranged in a flowery pattern. It is a lovely dress but nothing to compare to that of the one I will wear tomorrow night. I walk down stairs to show mother and she is delighted with how well it has turned out. She informs me that I should start getting my hair ready with Catherine as we will need to leave soon and she does not want to be late.

An hour later we are finally on our way, with mother having made Catherine redo my hair three times before she was happy with it. I had not seen the issue but I usually never do. As we head towards the Winchester’s house I notice that it has not rained or snowed at all today but that the clouds are dark and ominous. I can only hope for snow tomorrow night.

***

Simple Twists in Reality - Part VIII

The fitters is a lovely place. It is small and has a similar feel to a house. You enter and wait in a small living room with magazines and sketches of all the new designs. Some of the most famous designs have been framed and hung around the room. It gives the area a lovely feel.

The head seamstress, Amanda, brings me into a fitting room with a large set of mirrors arranged to make a semicircle, allowing one to view oneself from any angle. Amanda brings in some rolls of fabric to allow me to choose a colour. I spent a majority of yesterday thinking about what I might like to wear and have decided to go with a midnight theme. I have never seen anyone wear such a dress but feel like it will look very dashing.

I pick a midnight blue sheer fabric to go over a black satin, all this being for my torso. I ask Amanda if it would be possible for the sheer to be embroidered with silver beads and such to make it look like a night sky. I also asked if beads could be very thickly done at the top and to slowly thin down until there are only about six beads at the bottom of the torso. I ask for a similar thing to be done for the sleeves.

Amanda says that it sounds absolutely marvellous and that I should start designing dresses for the company. I don’t tell her that I do design dresses for myself at home, but mother believes it is a silly fascination that does not deserve my time. I love designing dresses but know nothing will ever come of it.

Next I ask Amanda if we could make the skirt of the dress a light-to-mid charcoal grey. This is easily done. Above the charcoal grey we have the midnight sheer with only some randomly placed silver beads throughout the fabric. The sheer, however, is cut in sections so that the dress appears to have panels of the grey and of the midnight sheer alternating.

Amanda says that the dress is one of the loveliest she has seen and that she will spend the remainder of the day working on it and all of tomorrow to make sure that it is ready for my father’s party. I cannot express to Amanda how grateful I am for her help.

Finally I ask Amanda if it would be possible to add a trim of loose white silk to the top of the dress, the top of the shoulders and the bottom of the sleeves. In the end the dress design that Amanda has drawn for me looks lovely. My shoulders and upper chest are left bare and the sleeves start at my upper arm and end at my wrists. The dress looks better than I thought possible. I thank Amanda profusely and go back to mother so that we can pick up the other dress and return home.

***

Simple Twists in Reality - Part VII

I wake up to beautiful sunlight streaming through my window, but to my surprise, the light is blue rather than yellow. I glance out to the street and notice that the road, houses, trees and all have been covered with a thick layer of small white snowflakes. It looks to me like Christmas may have come early.

I get dressed, with the help of my maid Catherine, and go down stairs. This is when I realise why my mother had not come in to pester me to wake up and get ready; she is talking to Michael. I am at a loss as to why he is here. I walk down to the parlour, where they are situated, and greet Michael with a pleasant smile.

“Oh darling, there you are! Michael has just come over to ask if you would like to attend the ballet with him this evening. Isn’t that a lovely thought? I am sure you will have no trouble in finding something to wear as we are going to the fitters very soon and will be able to pick up that new dress you ordered.”

“Well that is very kind of you to ask Michael, however we have a prior engagement. We are having dinner at the Winchester’s tonight for their son has recently been away to visit his cousin and we are celebrating his return. Also I believe that father would not approve of the outing as he has banned me from going to any theatre events with anyone other than family. I am, however, very honoured by your proposal. Maybe another time.” I smile innocently and see that Michael seems both insulted and relieved. His mother must have put him up to this. Mother on the other hand looks outraged.

“Oh, Elizabeth, I am sure your father could make an exception when such a marvellous and rare offer has been made. We may see the Winchesters another time and you will be able to talk to Lewis tomorrow night at the ball. I can make the apology for your absence and explain the situation. And anyway, you would love the ballet. I really think you should go.”

“Ms Elliot, please. If Miss Elliot has a prior engagement then I have no wish to interrupt. On the contrary, I would much rather that she attend her dinner and send my regards. I will have the pleasure of seeing your daughter tomorrow night.” Michael, having said something, shocks my mother into silence.

“You… You would?” she stammers.

“I would.” replies Michael.

“Oh… Well in that case I am afraid that Elizabeth and I really must be off to the fitters. We have an appointment and mustn’t be late. Elizabeth, I will just grab my coat. Do you want me to get yours for you?”

“Yes, thank you mother.” I reply.

As mother leaves I walk over to Michael. “Going to take one of your harlots to the ballet instead are you?”

“Elizabeth, just because you have never participated in anything fun does not mean that the remainder of the world has to be chaste. If you knew the women that I surround myself with, you yourself may want to be one of them.”

“I can assure you that there is nothing about the girls you surround yourself with that appeals to me in any way. And I am sure that I would never fit. You would probably remove me.”

“Persephone, you are a very beautiful girl.” Michael’s knowledge of Greek Mythology surprises me. “Let us be honest. You have the figure every girl desires, your face is very pretty, and you have a flowing river of deep brown hair. You would not do so bad as a ‘harlot’ as you call them yourself” I am so astonished I can hardly speak, how can he be so crude?

“Men do not approach you due to your infamous reputation. Then again there is that of your mother’s reputation which also sends them away. Half the men are afraid that your mother may think that they are going to ruin your reputation and thus they will be tortured and lectured to and still not have anything to show for it, and the other half think that there is no way that you will be interested in having any fun.”

Michael walks closer to me, takes my hand and kisses it. The kiss is one that suggests passion. I can feel my glove being sucked away from my skin. And then it is over. Far too short to be considered a respectable goodbye. Then Michael is gone and I am left standing alone in the parlour and feeling very confused. Does he like me or is he just teasing?

Mother comes back in and herds me out the door, on our way to the fitters.

***

Simple Twists in Reality - Part VI

The remainder of the day passes without any further excitement and I find myself at the end of it, wishing that I had gone to Lewis’ with my mother when she had gone to complain. Ever since I discovered that Lewis has returned from his trip I seem to want to spend almost all my time with him. I am sure, however, that my nagging feeling can be tamed until tomorrow night.

I go into the sitting room and find my father by the fire. Small drops of water are colliding violently with our windows, making a thunderous noise. I suspect that tomorrow they will all have turned to ice. I hope that it snows for father’s party. That would give the evening a lovely feel.

I decide to go to bed early so that I am energetic and refreshed for tomorrow. I only hope that I am able to get to sleep in this noise.

***

Simple Twists in Reality - Part V

This morning mother is quite mentally unstable and is telling me that I am never to see Lewis again, that he is a terrible young man and that she is going to go over to their house to tell his mother about this ridiculous incident. I feel absolutely horrid knowing that what Lewis actually gave me is something my mother would love. I also hate the idea of mother banning me from seeing him again. Though I am sure that there must be something good in all this otherwise Lewis would not have planned it.

As it turns out, when mother went over to their house, Lewis had already told his mother what he had bought me and shown his mother the earrings. She had thought that as Lewis and I had been friends forever it was not so inappropriate and she knew that I would take it as a joke. She also thought that the earrings were to die for and would make up for any grievance over the garter.

Due to my mother’s pride and want for a working social life and good reputation, she pretended to find the whole incident very funny and had only come all the way to thank Lewis personally for being so considerate as to give her daughter such a lovely pair of earrings.

I have only just learnt all this. As mother relays the information of her adventure I am quite astonished to hear that Lewis’ mother would find such a thing funny, though she does have that slightly inappropriate streak that seems to run so strongly in her son. Mother tells me we are still invited to dinner tomorrow. She also informs me that father is holding a ball in honour of a great business deal he has just secured and that everyone will be invited. She explains that it is on Sunday evening and that we are going to get me a new dress at the fitters tomorrow, prior to going to Lewis’ house.

It is no surprise that, of course, both Michael and Henry are invited to father’s ball but I am never the less excited for the occasion. It will be one to remember. An added advantage is that it will give Lewis and I some time to catch up properly. I decide that I will wear the new earrings that he has given me.

***

Romantic Quotes

 “I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart’s affections, and the truth of imagination.”- Keats

“Imagination is the real and eternal world of which this vegetable universe is but a faint shadow.” - Blake

“ The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity… and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.” - Blake

“A poet is a nightingale, who sits in darkness and sings to cheer its own solitude with sweet sounds.” - Percy Shelley

“Poetry is a mirror which makes beautiful that which is distorted.”- Shelley

“The pleasure that is in sorrow is sweeter than the pleasure of pleasure itself.” - Shelley

Simple Twists in Reality - Part IV

At home we all collapse into our parlour chairs. “Well, that was a good night don’t you think?” asks father.

“Elizabeth, I don’t understand why you fraternize with that ridiculous young man. What he does is simply not respectable.” Wonderful, another lecture from mother.

“Mother, he is my friend. You can’t just make me stop seeing him. Father, I am feeling quite tired after that. Thank you so much for taking us. I truly loved it. Now, if you will excuse me, I will make my way to bed.” I kiss my father on the cheek and leave the room, walking up two flights of stairs and into my bedroom.

I take the gift that Lewis gave me from my bag and look at it. It is small and looks like a box. It is wrapped in gold and cream paper and there is a card with ‘Elizabeth’ written on it is atrocious penmanship. I can identify it immediately as Lewis’. I can’t help but wonder why he would have given me this. I open the letter first and read what it says:

Dear Elizabeth,

We have been friends for a long time, as I am sure you remember. I am terribly sorry that I missed your seventeenth birthday while I was visiting my cousin in England and am thus determined to make up for it. This is a small gift, not only as a birthday present but also as a token of appreciation for being such a dear friend and companion all this time, against the obvious wishes of your mother.

I hope that now I am back we will be able to spend more time in one another’s company. I have missed you immensely and it is my dearest wish that we will not be separated for such a lengthy period of time anywhere in the near future.

Your dearest partner in greatness,

Lewis

I look at the small square box for a moment before I reach over and start unwrapping. Inside is a jewellery box that has clearly come from Hutchinson & Co. the most respectable and expensive jewellers in town. I open the box to find a pair of beautiful white gold and diamond earrings. They are the most exquisite things I have ever beheld.

I lift them up to admire them further and place them in my jewellery box. When I come back to what I assume to be an empty box, I see a white lace garter with a blue streak in it. Placed neatly on the garter is a small note that says:

This is for your mother, to make sure that her opinion of me never improves. Tell her that this is what I gave you. Say nothing of the earrings.  

I laugh to myself, knowing that when my mother sees this she will become the living embodiment of Mount Vesuvius, ready and about to erupt. I rip off Lewis’ signature from the note and place it back on the garter. Then I close the box and put the real card and the remainder of the note in a drawer. Then I get ready for bed, intending to let mother find the present when she comes to me in the morning.

***