at the premiere party, finally able to stuff herself with platters of cold meats and creamed potatoes.
‘Try this,’ she suggested, holding the frock out to Georgina.
‘Oh that’s just …’ The words wouldn’t come easily to the girl. ‘I mean … it’s
wonderful
.’
‘I think you’ll look fabulous in it,’ Elizabeth assured her. ‘If only your boyfriend could see you in it, eh?’
‘I haven’t got a boyfriend,’ Georgina admitted. She looked uncomfortable at the admission though not so much that she wasn’t willing to go further. ‘There was one boy, I thought he loved me … he wanted … well, you know what boys always want. But then I never saw him for dust.’
‘Oh, men are such pigs,’ said Elizabeth, ‘though there’s nothing wrong with a bit of pleasure from time to time! God wouldn’t have given us our bodies unless he wanted us to use them, now would he?’
‘I suppose not. I never really thought about it like that.’ The girl looked at Elizabeth, clearly weighing up whether to say any more. ‘I gave him what he wanted,’ she eventually confessed, ‘and it was nice, I suppose, though he obviously didn’t think so as he never hung around for more.’
Interesting
, thought Elizabeth.
Not a virgin, then. Thank God for that. I mean, where the hell do you get virgins in this town?
Georgina struggled into the dress with Elizabeth’s help, lost in the soft fabric and the awkwardly placed buttons.
‘I never …’ The girl looked at herself in the mirror and actually started to cry. ‘I’ve never worn such a thing, never looked so …’
She looks like a child playing at dress-up
, thought Elizabeth,
utterly at odds with the clothes, like a head being cut from one photo and stuck on another
.
‘Now we need to do your hair and make-up,’ she told the girl, ‘to make you perfect.’
‘Perfect,’ Georgina repeated. ‘I never thought I could be perfect.’
Neither did I
, Elizabeth agreed.
Not again … but with your help
…
Nayland spent a little while in the screening room, calming himself down with some Mack Sennett shorts. If he could have stayed down there for ever he would certainly have done so. Let them all go about their stupid games without him. Here he had the best of them all, the perfect versions, the ones who would never let you down as long as the film still rolled and the light still burned.
But rise up he must, and if he did so then let him absorb as much good humour from the foolish antics of Billy Bevan, Ben Turpin and the lovely Alice Day as he could.
The house was quiet when he ascended into the entrance hall, with nothing but a slightly perturbed look on Patience’s face to alert him that all might not be well.
‘Something wrong?’ he asked.
‘Nothing, I’m sure, sir,’ she replied. ‘There was a slight accident with one of the maids. The mistress was –’ Nayland saw her struggle for the least emotive words she could find, ‘– agitated, and she threw some glassware.’
‘Indeed she did, at me.’
‘It hit a maid and I’m afraid she was hurt.’
‘Badly?’
‘The doctor says not.’ There was a discernible and weighted pause. ‘Though the mistress seems determined to make it up to the girl. I believe she said something about taking her out dancing.’
And now Nayland could see why Patience was concerned. Elizabeth was not a gracious woman.
‘Dancing?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Then everything sounds fine, doesn’t it?’ He made it clear that there was only one correct answer.
‘Absolutely, sir. I shall go about my duties.’
‘Indeed.’
Nayland went upstairs, dreading what he might find.
‘Let’s make ourselves beautiful!’ said Elizabeth.
‘What do you mean?’ asked Georgina, as if the concept was still beyond her grasp.
‘I mean we need to bathe, do our hair and makeup and douse ourselves in scent that the men will find irresistible!’
‘Oh.’ Georgina looked down at her dress. ‘So I have to take this
‘Try this,’ she suggested, holding the frock out to Georgina.
‘Oh that’s just …’ The words wouldn’t come easily to the girl. ‘I mean … it’s
wonderful
.’
‘I think you’ll look fabulous in it,’ Elizabeth assured her. ‘If only your boyfriend could see you in it, eh?’
‘I haven’t got a boyfriend,’ Georgina admitted. She looked uncomfortable at the admission though not so much that she wasn’t willing to go further. ‘There was one boy, I thought he loved me … he wanted … well, you know what boys always want. But then I never saw him for dust.’
‘Oh, men are such pigs,’ said Elizabeth, ‘though there’s nothing wrong with a bit of pleasure from time to time! God wouldn’t have given us our bodies unless he wanted us to use them, now would he?’
‘I suppose not. I never really thought about it like that.’ The girl looked at Elizabeth, clearly weighing up whether to say any more. ‘I gave him what he wanted,’ she eventually confessed, ‘and it was nice, I suppose, though he obviously didn’t think so as he never hung around for more.’
Interesting
, thought Elizabeth.
Not a virgin, then. Thank God for that. I mean, where the hell do you get virgins in this town?
Georgina struggled into the dress with Elizabeth’s help, lost in the soft fabric and the awkwardly placed buttons.
‘I never …’ The girl looked at herself in the mirror and actually started to cry. ‘I’ve never worn such a thing, never looked so …’
She looks like a child playing at dress-up
, thought Elizabeth,
utterly at odds with the clothes, like a head being cut from one photo and stuck on another
.
‘Now we need to do your hair and make-up,’ she told the girl, ‘to make you perfect.’
‘Perfect,’ Georgina repeated. ‘I never thought I could be perfect.’
Neither did I
, Elizabeth agreed.
Not again … but with your help
…
Nayland spent a little while in the screening room, calming himself down with some Mack Sennett shorts. If he could have stayed down there for ever he would certainly have done so. Let them all go about their stupid games without him. Here he had the best of them all, the perfect versions, the ones who would never let you down as long as the film still rolled and the light still burned.
But rise up he must, and if he did so then let him absorb as much good humour from the foolish antics of Billy Bevan, Ben Turpin and the lovely Alice Day as he could.
The house was quiet when he ascended into the entrance hall, with nothing but a slightly perturbed look on Patience’s face to alert him that all might not be well.
‘Something wrong?’ he asked.
‘Nothing, I’m sure, sir,’ she replied. ‘There was a slight accident with one of the maids. The mistress was –’ Nayland saw her struggle for the least emotive words she could find, ‘– agitated, and she threw some glassware.’
‘Indeed she did, at me.’
‘It hit a maid and I’m afraid she was hurt.’
‘Badly?’
‘The doctor says not.’ There was a discernible and weighted pause. ‘Though the mistress seems determined to make it up to the girl. I believe she said something about taking her out dancing.’
And now Nayland could see why Patience was concerned. Elizabeth was not a gracious woman.
‘Dancing?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Then everything sounds fine, doesn’t it?’ He made it clear that there was only one correct answer.
‘Absolutely, sir. I shall go about my duties.’
‘Indeed.’
Nayland went upstairs, dreading what he might find.
‘Let’s make ourselves beautiful!’ said Elizabeth.
‘What do you mean?’ asked Georgina, as if the concept was still beyond her grasp.
‘I mean we need to bathe, do our hair and makeup and douse ourselves in scent that the men will find irresistible!’
‘Oh.’ Georgina looked down at her dress. ‘So I have to take this
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