“Very well,” she said at last. “I still have some shopping to do. I can pick it up on the way back the next time I go into town.” She turned, looking over her shoulder for another view. “You have done an excellent job,” she told Caroline, who actually smiled at the compliment. “It looks wonderful, and now I can hardly wait to wear it.”
In fact, it pleased her so much she couldn’t resist adding, “Would you like to come to the Welcome Ball? It is usually reserved for the Pennyfoot guests, but you have made me look so elegant, I feel I should reward you in some manner. I would be most happy if you could join us.”
Caroline’s smile wavered. “Thank you, Mrs. Baxter. It is most kind of you, I’m sure, but I have no one to escort me, so I must decline.”
“Oh, that’s a shame.” Cecily turned her back so that Caroline could unbutton the gown. “If you should change your mind and can think of someone to escort you, then you will be more than welcome.”
Caroline bowed her head. “I doubt that will happen. I am quite content to spend my days here with my animals to keep me company. I find them more congenial than most people I meet.”
Cecily thought she heard a wistful note in the seamstress’s voice and felt sad for the woman. She was too young to be spending her life alone with only cats and dogs for companionship.
If it wasn’t for Pansy, she might have encouraged Samuel to court Caroline. Samuel loved animals, too, and had rescued a stray dog himself, so they had something in common.
Shaking off the thought, she returned to the parlor. Baxter was always chiding her for meddling in others’ affairs, and he would no doubt point out that in order for Samuel to make Caroline happy, he would have to break Pansy’s heart.
And that wouldn’t do at all.
She found Samuel petting a dog that looked vaguely familiar. Her stable manager looked up with an air of expectancy as Caroline entered, only to be disappointed when she deliberately ignored him.
“Come, Samuel, we must be on our way.” She waited for him to give the dog a final pat and then, with a hasty farewell to Caroline, hurried out the door.
Anxious now to return home, Cecily urged Samuel to hurry as they rattled and bounced over the country roads. She was thankful when they entered the Esplanade where the ride was a little smoother, thanks to the wheels of carriages and the occasional motorcar that had worn down the ruts.
The moment she entered the foyer she noticed the Christmas tree by the stairs. The footmen must have brought it in for Madeline. Its branches were bare right now, but Cecily knew the kind of magic Madeline was capable of, and had no doubt that she would turn the tree into a breathtaking vision of splendor.
Smiling, she crossed the carpet to the reception desk, where Philip was snoozing on his chair. Punching the bell to wake him up, she asked, “Have Mr. and Mrs. Lansfield arrived yet?”
Philip started, jerked his hand, and knocked over the pen-holder. Scrabbling to right it, he muttered, “Ah… yes, m’m. The Lansfield party arrived this morning.”
“Do you know where they are now?”
“I saw Mr. Lansfield pass by a short while ago. Mrs. Lansfield wasn’t with him.”
“She is probably in her room. Thank you, Philip.” Cecily headed for the stairs and hurried up them to the second floor.
The young woman who answered her knock seemed a little tense, no doubt due to the child crying somewhere inside the room. “Mrs. Lansfield is in the ballroom,” she said, in answer to Cecily’s inquiry. “I believe she’s rehearsing for a presentation of some kind.”
Taken aback, Cecily thanked her and once more headed for the stairs. What was Phoebe thinking of, asking Doris to perform in her pantomime? True, the songstress had obliged her before, but that was when she was still appearing on the stage. Doris was married now, with a child. Phoebe had absolutely no right to pester the woman now.
Cecily stormed down the steps, rehearsing exactly what she would say to Phoebe when she saw her.
She never reached the ballroom, however. Just as she arrived at the bottom of the stairs, Doris appeared in the foyer, followed by Daisy and Gertie’s twins, all chattering at once.
Lillian ran over to Cecily and threw her skinny arms around Cecily’s hips. “We had such fun,” she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “We learned to dance and sing and everything!”
Cecily patted her godchild on the head. “I’m so glad you’re having a good time, precious.”
At her words James came rushing over to her and tugged on her skirt. “I’m having a good time, too!”
Cecily put an arm around each of her godchildren and gave them both a peck on the cheek. “I shall look forward to seeing you both perform,” she told them.
Daisy broke away from her sister and hurried over to take the children by the hand. “I promised Gertie I’d have them back in their room before she had to serve supper,” she said, looking worried.
Cecily glanced at the clock. “You have a few minutes yet. Tell Gertie I kept them talking.”
Daisy grinned. “Yes, m’m.” She waved at Doris, then led the twins to the kitchen stairs.
Doris, who had followed her sister, watched them leave, then turned to Cecily. “It’s wonderful to see you again, m’m.”
“Oh, Doris, this is such a delight. It’s always so lovely to see you. Where is your husband? I’m dying to meet him. And little Essie.” Cecily waved a hand at the stairs. “I was just up at your room and I heard her when your nanny answered the door, but I didn’t like to disturb them without seeing you first.”
Doris looked anxious. “Was she crying? She cries a lot when I’m not there.”
Avoiding a direct answer, Cecily murmured, “Your nanny seems very capable. It’s probably just a phase the child is going through.”
Doris sighed. “She seems to have a lot of phases. Daisy offered to take care of her, but she has her hands full with the twins, and Essie isn’t used to her. Besides, what would Adelaide do all day without Essie to look after?”
“What, indeed.” Cecily glanced at the grandfather clock. “In fact, you should be spending this time with your family instead of performing just to please Phoebe. I’m most annoyed with her for demanding such an obligation from you. Shame on her.”
Doris laughed. “It’s quite all right, m’m, honestly. I’m really enjoying being onstage again. I haven’t done any singing since I got married and I do miss it.”
“But what about your husband? How does he feel about it?”
Doris shrugged. “Well, to tell the truth, he wasn’t all that happy about it at first. I think he was afraid that I’d have such a good time I’d want to go back to it. I couldn’t do that, of course. Not now. Once I told him that, he was all right with it.”
“Well, as long as you don’t mind. As for Daisy, I think she’d enjoy taking care of Essie now and then, if you wanted to give your nanny a little time to herself. Daisy is wonderful with the twins. I’m sure she could handle Essie beautifully.”
Doris nodded. “Maybe I will. You’re right, m’m. Daisy is good with children. I told her she should have some of her own instead of taking care of other people’s children.”
Cecily smiled. “Don’t let Gertie hear you say that. I don’t know what she’d do without Daisy.”
“Oh, Daisy would never leave the twins, m’m. I really think that if she were to get married, she’d want to take them with her.”
Cecily was still smiling about that as she made her way to the ballroom.
There was no sign of Phoebe when she entered, but Madeline was over by the windows, perched on a ladder high enough to make Cecily’s blood run cold.
“What are you doing?” She sped over to the ladder, hands outstretched. “Why aren’t the footmen doing that for you?”
Madeline turned her head to look down at her, her arms full of red velvet ribbons. “The footmen don’t know the difference between a bow and a loop, that’s why.” She tilted her head to one side. “You seem tense, my friend.”
“Tense? I’m practically rigid. Do come down from there before you hurt yourself.”
Madeline’s melodious laugh echoed up to the ceiling. “You know me better than that, Cecily dear. I can take good care of myself. Nevertheless, since it disturbs you so much, I’ll come down. I’m just about finished here, anyway.”
She leaned back to survey the gold and silver garlands she’d strung above the tall windows and looped all the
