you.” Lucia waved toward the bed. “Please, do go ahead.”
Helen shot a resentful glance at Eugenie. “I don’t want her to watch. Does she have to be here?”
“Helen! That is very rude. And it is Eugenie’s house, after all. She has perfect right to go wherever she chooses.”
“No, no that’s just as well.” Eugenie retreated to the door. “I think I had better start settling in for the night myself. You will come and say goodnight to, uh…”
“Sophie! I don’t believe I said goodnight to Sophie before we came up.” Lucia smiled. “Her room is down next to yours, is it not?”
“Yes.” Eugenie nodded, relief evident on her features. “Goodnight, Helen,” she called.
Helen’s only answer was an impatient scowl before she returned to her silent contemplation of the pillows.
Lucia offered an apologetic smile before she closed the door. Then she turned around to face her sister. “You showed very little consideration for our hostess’ feelings just now.”
“She’s not our hostess. Mrs. Bayles is our hostess.” Helen tucked under one corner of the pillow on the right side of the bed. “She’s just a younger daughter, the same as me. Why do I owe her any special courtesy?” She eyed the pillow critically.
“It is by her invitation that we stay in this house at all. And all I ask is the same courtesy you should show toward anyone. Why do you need a reason to behave decently toward someone?”
“I don’t think she showed much consideration for my feelings this evening.” She patted down a perceived lump just past the midpoint in the pillow.
“She did not know you would want to visit her room and so—”
“There is that as well,” Helen cut her off, “but I was thinking of earlier, at dinner. She did not invite me into the kitchen to collect a sample of the wash water.”
Lucia winced. Here was another of Helen’s habits gone out of control. “In London, ladies do not frequent the kitchen, and a guest would never be invited into such a working environment. She meant you no discourtesy—the opposite, in fact.”
“Well, she could have had a sample brought up from the kitchen.”
“I do not believe she is aware of your collection. Nor was I aware that you now routinely collect water samples from inside the house as well as out of doors.”
Helen looked at Lucia as if she had lost her mind. “How else can I possibly make comparisons?”
“Indeed. How else? And now how does your comparison of the pillows fare?”
“They are about as even as can be expected under the circumstances.” Helen sighed. “It is so hard to get the adjustment right by candlelight.”
“Well, tomorrow you may arrange the pillows right after breakfast, in full daylight, and then—”
“I can’t do it that early, silly. They sink during the day.”
“And I suppose they do not sink at the same rate?”
“Of course not.”
“Very well, you may come up to arrange the pillows in the last possible moments of daylight tomorrow.”
“I want you to leave now so I can undress.”
“I shall go say goodnight to Sophie, then.” Lucia stepped toward the door, hoping Helen would not suddenly change her mind.
“Do not come back in until I am under the covers!”
“I won’t,” Lucia promised, grateful at least that this was one promise she could keep with no difficulty whatsoever.
* * * * *
As Lucia knocked on the door to Eugenie’s room, she checked the passage behind her to see whether Helen, or, God forbid, Geoffrey had followed her.
“Is it you, Lucia?” Eugenie called out in a rather desperate whisper.
“Yes.”
“Are you alone?”
“Quite.”
The door sprang open. “Come in quickly!”
Lucia complied, taking a seat in a chair near the fire. “I believe Helen will stay put now. And Geoffrey has Nicholas to watch over him, so we should be set for the night. You have arranged for someone to keep an eye on Nicholas?”
Eugenie nodded as she joined Lucia by the hearth.
Helen shot a resentful glance at Eugenie. “I don’t want her to watch. Does she have to be here?”
“Helen! That is very rude. And it is Eugenie’s house, after all. She has perfect right to go wherever she chooses.”
“No, no that’s just as well.” Eugenie retreated to the door. “I think I had better start settling in for the night myself. You will come and say goodnight to, uh…”
“Sophie! I don’t believe I said goodnight to Sophie before we came up.” Lucia smiled. “Her room is down next to yours, is it not?”
“Yes.” Eugenie nodded, relief evident on her features. “Goodnight, Helen,” she called.
Helen’s only answer was an impatient scowl before she returned to her silent contemplation of the pillows.
Lucia offered an apologetic smile before she closed the door. Then she turned around to face her sister. “You showed very little consideration for our hostess’ feelings just now.”
“She’s not our hostess. Mrs. Bayles is our hostess.” Helen tucked under one corner of the pillow on the right side of the bed. “She’s just a younger daughter, the same as me. Why do I owe her any special courtesy?” She eyed the pillow critically.
“It is by her invitation that we stay in this house at all. And all I ask is the same courtesy you should show toward anyone. Why do you need a reason to behave decently toward someone?”
“I don’t think she showed much consideration for my feelings this evening.” She patted down a perceived lump just past the midpoint in the pillow.
“She did not know you would want to visit her room and so—”
“There is that as well,” Helen cut her off, “but I was thinking of earlier, at dinner. She did not invite me into the kitchen to collect a sample of the wash water.”
Lucia winced. Here was another of Helen’s habits gone out of control. “In London, ladies do not frequent the kitchen, and a guest would never be invited into such a working environment. She meant you no discourtesy—the opposite, in fact.”
“Well, she could have had a sample brought up from the kitchen.”
“I do not believe she is aware of your collection. Nor was I aware that you now routinely collect water samples from inside the house as well as out of doors.”
Helen looked at Lucia as if she had lost her mind. “How else can I possibly make comparisons?”
“Indeed. How else? And now how does your comparison of the pillows fare?”
“They are about as even as can be expected under the circumstances.” Helen sighed. “It is so hard to get the adjustment right by candlelight.”
“Well, tomorrow you may arrange the pillows right after breakfast, in full daylight, and then—”
“I can’t do it that early, silly. They sink during the day.”
“And I suppose they do not sink at the same rate?”
“Of course not.”
“Very well, you may come up to arrange the pillows in the last possible moments of daylight tomorrow.”
“I want you to leave now so I can undress.”
“I shall go say goodnight to Sophie, then.” Lucia stepped toward the door, hoping Helen would not suddenly change her mind.
“Do not come back in until I am under the covers!”
“I won’t,” Lucia promised, grateful at least that this was one promise she could keep with no difficulty whatsoever.
* * * * *
As Lucia knocked on the door to Eugenie’s room, she checked the passage behind her to see whether Helen, or, God forbid, Geoffrey had followed her.
“Is it you, Lucia?” Eugenie called out in a rather desperate whisper.
“Yes.”
“Are you alone?”
“Quite.”
The door sprang open. “Come in quickly!”
Lucia complied, taking a seat in a chair near the fire. “I believe Helen will stay put now. And Geoffrey has Nicholas to watch over him, so we should be set for the night. You have arranged for someone to keep an eye on Nicholas?”
Eugenie nodded as she joined Lucia by the hearth.
Similar Books
