they were ready and she’s never worn either of them. She says they’re too prim for her taste, but I think they’re beautiful frocks,” Nora told Lila.
“Let me try them, please,” Lila pleaded excitedly.
“I’ll be right back,” Nora said, heading for the door. “Wait here.”
Lila turned in front of the mirror. The corset made her appeared more curvy than pudgy and Lila liked the way she looked in it despite its discomfort. It would be a small price to pay if her newly defined figure caught Teddy’s attention.
“Look at you, all grown-up!” a female voice sounded.
Lila was mortified. Nora had forgotten to shut the door on her way out.
Crossing her arms modestly over her bare collarbone, Lila whirled around, startled to see Jessica Fitzhugh standing in the doorway grinning at her. In the girl’s hand was the small red notebook she always seemed to be scribbling in. Lila had a diary too, but she didn’t write in it in public. Seemed to defeat the purpose.
Jessica didn’t wait to be invited but strolled in and sat on the edge of Lila’s bed, depositing her notebook at her side. “Oh, don’t be embarrassed,” she chided. “You look smashing. It’s about time, too. You couldn’t go about in those little girl jumpers forever.”
Although Lila could feel her cheeks burning, Jessica’s words pleased her. “Do you think so? Really?”
“Positively,” Jessica confirmed.
In the month that the Fitzhughs had been at Wentworth Hall, this was the first time Jessica had sat down to talk to her. Lila studied her there on the bed. Her auburn hair was piled high on her head and she wore a fashionable black tea-length skirt beneath a white blouse with balloon sleeves and a bow at the neck.
“With your hair up, you’re every bit as pretty as your sister,” Jessica went on.
“No one is as glamorous as Maggie,” Lila protested glumly.
“My brother, Teddy, certainly thinks so,” Jessica agreed with a sigh. “He’s utterly abandoned me for her.”
After her last disastrous conversation with Jessica, Lila had come to the conclusion that Jessica was just snooty and looked down on the Darlingtons since she and her brother were about to come into so much greater wealth. Now it struck Lila that maybe she had been right all along, that the girl was shy underneath her seeming brashness. People often mistook Lila’s own shyness for snobbery. And perhaps she wasn’t friendly because she’d always had her outgoing brother to lead the way. But now she was on her own.
“I know how you feel,” Lila sympathized. “Ever since Maggie returned from her year abroad she’s completely wrapped up in herself. It’s as though she thinks she’s grown and I’m only an insignificant child.”
“Well, you don’t look like a child right now,” Jessica said.
“Here are the dresses I told you about,” Nora said, entering the room with two dresses, one gray, the other a navy blue. “Try these.” Nora stopped short when she noticed Jessica sitting there. “Hello, Miss Jessica.”
Jessica stood up from the bed and approached Nora. “Let me see those dresses, Nora,” she said, taking them from Nora and spreading them on the bed. “Dreadful,” she pronounced.
“That’s what Miss Maggie says, but I thought they were rather fetching,” Nora disagreed.
“They were fetching two years ago,” Jessica insisted. “Look at the length of them. They’re to the floor! Everything is well above the ankle this year.”
Jessica snapped up her red notebook with one hand and grabbed Lila by the wrist with the other. “Come to my room. I have some dresses I can lend you. We’re about the same size.”
Lila pulled back. “I can’t go into the hallway. I’m not dressed.”
Jessica yanked the pink satin cover from the bed and wrapped it around Lila’s shoulders. “There! Good enough.”
Lila felt wild and rebellious as she trailed Jessica down the hall in her bare feet covered only in the blanket. Once in the
“Let me try them, please,” Lila pleaded excitedly.
“I’ll be right back,” Nora said, heading for the door. “Wait here.”
Lila turned in front of the mirror. The corset made her appeared more curvy than pudgy and Lila liked the way she looked in it despite its discomfort. It would be a small price to pay if her newly defined figure caught Teddy’s attention.
“Look at you, all grown-up!” a female voice sounded.
Lila was mortified. Nora had forgotten to shut the door on her way out.
Crossing her arms modestly over her bare collarbone, Lila whirled around, startled to see Jessica Fitzhugh standing in the doorway grinning at her. In the girl’s hand was the small red notebook she always seemed to be scribbling in. Lila had a diary too, but she didn’t write in it in public. Seemed to defeat the purpose.
Jessica didn’t wait to be invited but strolled in and sat on the edge of Lila’s bed, depositing her notebook at her side. “Oh, don’t be embarrassed,” she chided. “You look smashing. It’s about time, too. You couldn’t go about in those little girl jumpers forever.”
Although Lila could feel her cheeks burning, Jessica’s words pleased her. “Do you think so? Really?”
“Positively,” Jessica confirmed.
In the month that the Fitzhughs had been at Wentworth Hall, this was the first time Jessica had sat down to talk to her. Lila studied her there on the bed. Her auburn hair was piled high on her head and she wore a fashionable black tea-length skirt beneath a white blouse with balloon sleeves and a bow at the neck.
“With your hair up, you’re every bit as pretty as your sister,” Jessica went on.
“No one is as glamorous as Maggie,” Lila protested glumly.
“My brother, Teddy, certainly thinks so,” Jessica agreed with a sigh. “He’s utterly abandoned me for her.”
After her last disastrous conversation with Jessica, Lila had come to the conclusion that Jessica was just snooty and looked down on the Darlingtons since she and her brother were about to come into so much greater wealth. Now it struck Lila that maybe she had been right all along, that the girl was shy underneath her seeming brashness. People often mistook Lila’s own shyness for snobbery. And perhaps she wasn’t friendly because she’d always had her outgoing brother to lead the way. But now she was on her own.
“I know how you feel,” Lila sympathized. “Ever since Maggie returned from her year abroad she’s completely wrapped up in herself. It’s as though she thinks she’s grown and I’m only an insignificant child.”
“Well, you don’t look like a child right now,” Jessica said.
“Here are the dresses I told you about,” Nora said, entering the room with two dresses, one gray, the other a navy blue. “Try these.” Nora stopped short when she noticed Jessica sitting there. “Hello, Miss Jessica.”
Jessica stood up from the bed and approached Nora. “Let me see those dresses, Nora,” she said, taking them from Nora and spreading them on the bed. “Dreadful,” she pronounced.
“That’s what Miss Maggie says, but I thought they were rather fetching,” Nora disagreed.
“They were fetching two years ago,” Jessica insisted. “Look at the length of them. They’re to the floor! Everything is well above the ankle this year.”
Jessica snapped up her red notebook with one hand and grabbed Lila by the wrist with the other. “Come to my room. I have some dresses I can lend you. We’re about the same size.”
Lila pulled back. “I can’t go into the hallway. I’m not dressed.”
Jessica yanked the pink satin cover from the bed and wrapped it around Lila’s shoulders. “There! Good enough.”
Lila felt wild and rebellious as she trailed Jessica down the hall in her bare feet covered only in the blanket. Once in the
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