the schoolroom. Even I, who am not notably musical, could hear that this was the real thing.
“That was absolutely wonderful, Catherine,” I said when she had finished. “You didn’t tell me you were a musician.”
My words were simple, but Catherine flushed with pleasure. She said, “The pianoforte is not in perfect tune. I shall have to ask my cousin if I might have it seen to.”
Nothing could have made it clearer to me how important the pianoforte was to Catherine than her willingness to brave Lord Winterdale to ask for something.
“She would play the pianoforte all day long if I did not make her stop,” Lady Winterdale announced, partly with pride and partly with annoyance. “She has quite ruined her eyesight from peering at the notes.”
“I don’t peer at the notes, Mama,” Catherine said. “I have told you that many times.”
Lady Winterdale waved her hand, dismissing her daughter’s words as unreliable. “I have never approved of your spending five and six hours a day practicing, but it did keep you occupied while you were a girl. You are a young woman now, however, and there will be many other things to occupy you while you are making your come out into society.” Lady Winterdale gave her daughter a gimlet stare. “It is always desirable to make a good impression with an instrument, Catherine, but you must take care that people don’t think you odd .”
I stared at Lady Winterdale in astonishment. Couldn’t she see what a brilliant musician she had in her own daughter. Wasn’t she proud of Catherine?
Catherine’s eyes were downcast. She looked quite desperate. “No, Mama,” she said.
The tea tray came in and both Catherine and I sat and listened to Lady Winterdale discourse on the day she had planned for us tomorrow. We would go to the shops on Bond Street during the morning. “That is the time for ladies to shop,” Lady Winterdale informed us. “The shops belong to the gentlemen after two and it would not do for us to be seen on Bond Street then.”
This seemed odd to me. In a country village one could shop at any time one wished, but I wasn’t going to question Lady Winterdale’s superior knowledge.
“In the afternoon, we will write out the invitations to the ball,” Lady Winterdale said. “And I must begin to see about ordering the flowers and arranging for the food. We must serve only the best champagne. And I believe I shall have lobster patties for supper.”
I thought of all the money that the shopping expedition and the ball was going to cost Lord Winterdale and wondered again what he must hold against his aunt that causing her any kind of discomfort was worth it.
CHAPTER
five
W E SPENT A WEEK SHOPPING UP AND DOWN BOND Street. I had never in my life seen so many pretty clothes and I have to confess that I enjoyed myself hugely. We bought morning dresses to wear for when gentlemen called upon us at home in the morning and walking dresses and pelisses to wear if we should go on an expedition outdoors in the afternoon. We bought carriage dresses to wear should we go for a drive in Hyde Park and both Catherine and I got a new riding habit to wear should we prefer to ride. Needless to say, all of these garments required matching bonnets and boots, for which we visited a variety of Bond Street milliners and bootmakers. Then we shopped the Pantheon Bazaar for gloves and stockings.
I must confess that I took to shopping like a duck to water. While it would have been much nicer if I had not been forced to bear the company of Lady Winterdale, whose personality definitely did not improve upon further acquaintance, and whose taste I had constantly to overule, as it was execrable, I had been poor all my life and nothing could destroy my pleasure in the lovely and elegant garments that began to fill the great mahogany wardrobe in my dressing room.
Unfortunately Catherine did not share my pleasure. Nothing could have been clearer to me as we bustled from shop to shop, that she
“That was absolutely wonderful, Catherine,” I said when she had finished. “You didn’t tell me you were a musician.”
My words were simple, but Catherine flushed with pleasure. She said, “The pianoforte is not in perfect tune. I shall have to ask my cousin if I might have it seen to.”
Nothing could have made it clearer to me how important the pianoforte was to Catherine than her willingness to brave Lord Winterdale to ask for something.
“She would play the pianoforte all day long if I did not make her stop,” Lady Winterdale announced, partly with pride and partly with annoyance. “She has quite ruined her eyesight from peering at the notes.”
“I don’t peer at the notes, Mama,” Catherine said. “I have told you that many times.”
Lady Winterdale waved her hand, dismissing her daughter’s words as unreliable. “I have never approved of your spending five and six hours a day practicing, but it did keep you occupied while you were a girl. You are a young woman now, however, and there will be many other things to occupy you while you are making your come out into society.” Lady Winterdale gave her daughter a gimlet stare. “It is always desirable to make a good impression with an instrument, Catherine, but you must take care that people don’t think you odd .”
I stared at Lady Winterdale in astonishment. Couldn’t she see what a brilliant musician she had in her own daughter. Wasn’t she proud of Catherine?
Catherine’s eyes were downcast. She looked quite desperate. “No, Mama,” she said.
The tea tray came in and both Catherine and I sat and listened to Lady Winterdale discourse on the day she had planned for us tomorrow. We would go to the shops on Bond Street during the morning. “That is the time for ladies to shop,” Lady Winterdale informed us. “The shops belong to the gentlemen after two and it would not do for us to be seen on Bond Street then.”
This seemed odd to me. In a country village one could shop at any time one wished, but I wasn’t going to question Lady Winterdale’s superior knowledge.
“In the afternoon, we will write out the invitations to the ball,” Lady Winterdale said. “And I must begin to see about ordering the flowers and arranging for the food. We must serve only the best champagne. And I believe I shall have lobster patties for supper.”
I thought of all the money that the shopping expedition and the ball was going to cost Lord Winterdale and wondered again what he must hold against his aunt that causing her any kind of discomfort was worth it.
CHAPTER
five
W E SPENT A WEEK SHOPPING UP AND DOWN BOND Street. I had never in my life seen so many pretty clothes and I have to confess that I enjoyed myself hugely. We bought morning dresses to wear for when gentlemen called upon us at home in the morning and walking dresses and pelisses to wear if we should go on an expedition outdoors in the afternoon. We bought carriage dresses to wear should we go for a drive in Hyde Park and both Catherine and I got a new riding habit to wear should we prefer to ride. Needless to say, all of these garments required matching bonnets and boots, for which we visited a variety of Bond Street milliners and bootmakers. Then we shopped the Pantheon Bazaar for gloves and stockings.
I must confess that I took to shopping like a duck to water. While it would have been much nicer if I had not been forced to bear the company of Lady Winterdale, whose personality definitely did not improve upon further acquaintance, and whose taste I had constantly to overule, as it was execrable, I had been poor all my life and nothing could destroy my pleasure in the lovely and elegant garments that began to fill the great mahogany wardrobe in my dressing room.
Unfortunately Catherine did not share my pleasure. Nothing could have been clearer to me as we bustled from shop to shop, that she
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