Tamsin gave the russet calico a dismissive look. “That’s not my color. I’d think any sort of proper lady’s maid would know orange doesn’t go with red hair.”
“I know that wearing a dress that doesn’t fit you will look a lot worse. Sloppy, even.”
Tamsin wavered a moment and then snatched the dress from me, tossing back the green in return. It was too long for me too, and I handed it to Mira, the tallest of us. That left me with a gray-striped dress of lightweight wool. As the others began to undress, I backed up, suddenly feeling self-conscious. It was silly, I supposed, considering I’d had people dressing me my entire life. But that had been utilitarian. It was my servants’ job. Changing clothes now, with others around, was a reminder of the new lack of privacy I had. The room suddenly felt small, like it was closing in around me.
I turned my back to them and began working through all those buttons that had given me such trouble before. It was slightly easier than initially fastening them up, but the loops they went through were sewn under the edge of the fabric, requiring some dexterity. And good grief, why did there have to be so many of them? When I finally made it to the bottom of the dress, I glanced behind me and saw Tamsin and Mira staring in astonishment. Both were already in their new chemises and dresses.
“Our best bet, huh?” asked Tamsin.
“It’s harder than it looks,” I retorted. “A new style. One I’m not used to.” I turned away from them again and at least managed to wriggle out of it in a timelier manner than the unbuttoning. Ada’s chemise was of better quality than this new one, but I removed it too and put on the whole ensemble.
“Are these dresses torn?” asked Mira, studying one of her sleeves.
It was clear neither girl had ever worn a chemise as anything other than a basic undergarment. In fact, I was pretty sure Mira hadn’t had one on at all. These new dresses were the same style of many I’d worn before—albeit mine had been more expensive materials—where the chemise was meant to be displayed as part of the dress. I knew how it was supposed to look but wasn’t entirely sure of how to implement it. I did my best to explain it, and after a fair amount of tugging and straightening, we all finally managed to look fashionable. The delicate white fabric of my chemise was pulled and puffed out through slashes in the overdress’s arms, creating a color contrast. Lace from the chemise’s neckline peeped out around my bodice.
All of our extra maneuvering had taken time, and we were the last ones to arrive downstairs. We weren’t exactly late, but Mistress Masterson’s sharp eyes told us we shouldn’t have cut it so close. Then, taking in our appearance, her expression turned approving. “You three have styled those chemises very nicely. I’ve been trying to teach the others all week, but they just keep bunching up the fabric.”
I gave Mistress Masterson my sweetest smile. “Thank you, ma’am. We’re happy to help the other girls if they keep having trouble. I see Clara’s is really bunched up in the back. I can help her out after today’s lessons.” Clara shot me a murderous look, and I noticed much of her makeup had been scrubbed.
“That’s very kind of you,” said Mistress Masterson. “And such a refreshing attitude. Most girls come here being so . . . cutthroat. Mira, is there something wrong?”
Mira had a hand to her mouth, trying to cover her laugh. “No, ma’am. Just a cough.”
Mistress Masterson gave her a wary glance and then beckoned for us all to follow her to the conservatory. Mira and Tamsin fell into step with me, one on either side.
“That was excessive,” said Tamsin. But she too was smiling—and this time, there was no show or calculation.
I smiled back. “Best. Bet.”
And so my life as a commoner began, the days flying by faster than I expected.
Cedric didn’t need to worry about my hair giving me away. I’d never styled it on my own in my life, and after its first washing at Blue Spring, there was no way I could have ever replicated what I’d come in with that first day. No one demanded that level of detail on a regular basis, and mostly we were expected to pull our hair back neatly into buns or braids. I wasn’t very good at that either. Disheveled became part of my daily life.
And Cedric was right about the other things. Although we were being trained to fit into the upper classes, freeing the girls from many of the labors they’d grown up with, there were still a lot of skills taken for granted that I couldn’t perform. I did what he’d advised, watching the other girls avidly and imitating them as best as I could. I succeeded with varying degrees of luck.
“Don’t mix it!” Tamsin exclaimed. She darted across the kitchen, jerking a spoon from my hand.
It was a month into our stay at Blue Spring, and we’d fallen into a regular routine of classes and activities. I pointed at the open cookbook on the counter. “It says to break the butter into the flour.”
“That’s not the same as mixing. This thing’ll be as dense as some tosser’s skull.”
I shrugged, not understanding, and she nudged me aside to take over. Culinary skills weren’t something I’d expected to learn here. The hope was that most of us would have servants or at least a house cook to prepare meals in Adoria. But the mistress of a large household was still expected to oversee what was being cooked, and that meant instructing us in the preparation of finer food. The dishes we made here were beyond what most of the girls had ever dined on, but a lot of the basic principles were still familiar to my housemates. Me? I’d never cooked a thing, nor had I had to supervise anything. I’d had servants to supervise my other servants.