be one of Maggie’s, but she won’t miss it. She hates the thing.”
Lila snapped the white corset from the top of the pile and wrapped it around her waist. “Oh, Nora, you’re an angel! Would you lace it up for me?”
“I’m not going to do it up over your jumper,” Nora said with a laugh. “Take off your dress and we’ll do it proper.”
Lila tossed her jumper over her head, throwing the sailor-style jumper onto the bed as Nora laced the corset over her petticoat.
“Oh!” Lila gasped as Nora tugged on the ties.
“Sorry, miss,” Nora apologized. “The corset will suck you in at the waist. Takes a good yank or two to get some definition.”
“Boys seem to love Maggie,” Lila observed. “I’m as thin as a reed, while Maggie has the most ladylike figure.”
“You have your own appeal, even though it’s different from hers.”
Nora’s words made Lila smile and she went to the mirror to admire her newly corseted figure. She looked so much older in the corset. It was high time that her mother realized she wasn’t a child anymore and let her dress her age. “Could you help me put my hair up, Nora?”
“Your hair up?” Nora gasped. “What will your mother say?”
“She’s so involved with marrying Maggie off that she won’t even notice,” Lila cajoled. “Please, Nora!”
“Well, maybe we could give it a try,” Nora relented, skeptically. “Let me go get a box of hairpins from Maggie’s room.”
As soon as Nora departed, Lila walked over to the window. She knew it wasn’t right to snoop, but she couldn’t help it. Maggie and Teddy were now seated on a bench and Teddy was reading to Maggie from a book. From the love-struck expression on Teddy’s handsome face—and the utter boredom emanating from Maggie—Lila guessed it was a book of love poems. Maggie had always hated love poems.
Teddy’s attention was wasted on Maggie! Didn’t she care a thing for his feelings? He was so wonderful— fun-lovingand clever. When they’d been out riding the other day, he’d gone off the trail only to reemerge further up, jumping out ahead of them on the path, grinning at their surprise. And the other night at dinner, when he’d told of the time while camping in South Africa that he’d been spooked by a herd of zebras, thinking they were ghosts in the night, he told it in such a hilarious way that she thought she’d die from laughing. If he ever paid even an iota of attention to Lila, even noticed she was there at all, Lila knew she would rain affection and tenderness on him that would make him fall forever in love with her.
As Lila watched, Maggie yawned. Had Teddy seen it? He had! Lila could tell from his crushed expression. That Maggie was plain mean. Lila had once looked up to her. Now she realized Maggie cared nothing for other people, only for her own amusement.
Most certainly mean-spiritedness accounted for Lila being left out of the trip to the Continent. Lila was certain her mother would have agreed to bring her along, but whenever Lila tried to bring it up Maggie voiced all sorts of objections. Lila got seasick. Lila was too young to attend the fancy balls. Lila would miss her school lessons. And allsaid as if Maggie was doing Lila a favor by forcing her to stay home! Was she really so dull that Maggie—who was only two years older—suddenly couldn’t stand the idea of spending time with her?
“I’ve got the hairpins,” Nora announced returning. “Now, how would you like it? Shall I roll it all toward the center like I do for your mother?”
“No! No! Too old-fashioned,” Lila objected. “Can you do it in a knot on top with some wispy tendrils hanging loose?”
“It’s a bit daring,” Nora considered uncertainly.
“Oh, please.” Lila crossed to Nora and sat on the cushioned stool by the mirror. “Mother and Father can’t keep me looking like a child forever.”
“All right,” Nora agreed as she plucked up a hairbrush from the dresser and started brushing out
Lila snapped the white corset from the top of the pile and wrapped it around her waist. “Oh, Nora, you’re an angel! Would you lace it up for me?”
“I’m not going to do it up over your jumper,” Nora said with a laugh. “Take off your dress and we’ll do it proper.”
Lila tossed her jumper over her head, throwing the sailor-style jumper onto the bed as Nora laced the corset over her petticoat.
“Oh!” Lila gasped as Nora tugged on the ties.
“Sorry, miss,” Nora apologized. “The corset will suck you in at the waist. Takes a good yank or two to get some definition.”
“Boys seem to love Maggie,” Lila observed. “I’m as thin as a reed, while Maggie has the most ladylike figure.”
“You have your own appeal, even though it’s different from hers.”
Nora’s words made Lila smile and she went to the mirror to admire her newly corseted figure. She looked so much older in the corset. It was high time that her mother realized she wasn’t a child anymore and let her dress her age. “Could you help me put my hair up, Nora?”
“Your hair up?” Nora gasped. “What will your mother say?”
“She’s so involved with marrying Maggie off that she won’t even notice,” Lila cajoled. “Please, Nora!”
“Well, maybe we could give it a try,” Nora relented, skeptically. “Let me go get a box of hairpins from Maggie’s room.”
As soon as Nora departed, Lila walked over to the window. She knew it wasn’t right to snoop, but she couldn’t help it. Maggie and Teddy were now seated on a bench and Teddy was reading to Maggie from a book. From the love-struck expression on Teddy’s handsome face—and the utter boredom emanating from Maggie—Lila guessed it was a book of love poems. Maggie had always hated love poems.
Teddy’s attention was wasted on Maggie! Didn’t she care a thing for his feelings? He was so wonderful— fun-lovingand clever. When they’d been out riding the other day, he’d gone off the trail only to reemerge further up, jumping out ahead of them on the path, grinning at their surprise. And the other night at dinner, when he’d told of the time while camping in South Africa that he’d been spooked by a herd of zebras, thinking they were ghosts in the night, he told it in such a hilarious way that she thought she’d die from laughing. If he ever paid even an iota of attention to Lila, even noticed she was there at all, Lila knew she would rain affection and tenderness on him that would make him fall forever in love with her.
As Lila watched, Maggie yawned. Had Teddy seen it? He had! Lila could tell from his crushed expression. That Maggie was plain mean. Lila had once looked up to her. Now she realized Maggie cared nothing for other people, only for her own amusement.
Most certainly mean-spiritedness accounted for Lila being left out of the trip to the Continent. Lila was certain her mother would have agreed to bring her along, but whenever Lila tried to bring it up Maggie voiced all sorts of objections. Lila got seasick. Lila was too young to attend the fancy balls. Lila would miss her school lessons. And allsaid as if Maggie was doing Lila a favor by forcing her to stay home! Was she really so dull that Maggie—who was only two years older—suddenly couldn’t stand the idea of spending time with her?
“I’ve got the hairpins,” Nora announced returning. “Now, how would you like it? Shall I roll it all toward the center like I do for your mother?”
“No! No! Too old-fashioned,” Lila objected. “Can you do it in a knot on top with some wispy tendrils hanging loose?”
“It’s a bit daring,” Nora considered uncertainly.
“Oh, please.” Lila crossed to Nora and sat on the cushioned stool by the mirror. “Mother and Father can’t keep me looking like a child forever.”
“All right,” Nora agreed as she plucked up a hairbrush from the dresser and started brushing out
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