Mary took a deep breath and stared atherself in the looking glass, absorbing her reflection. She wouldcertainly need a corset, but apart from that it was perfect. She hadfound the dress that she would wear when she married Edward. They had notdiscussed the finer details of the marriage, but she would like it to be soon,and in Winchelsea church. A smile crept over her face as she imagined theday. It would be a warm summer’s day—but not too hot. The churchwould be crowded with family and friends. The Blackfriars servants alonewould take up a good few pews. Then there would be the Mansfieldfamily. Maybe not all of them, but certainly Lady Rothborne would bethere, possibly even Lady Philadelphia herself. She would dearly love tohave the church filled with fresh roses cut from the ancient Blackfriarsbeds. Mary closed her eyes and allowed her imagination to takeover. She was there, on her wedding day to Edward and it wasperfect. Truly the best day of her life.
She was taken aback when she opened hereyes, but smiled nonetheless. In front of her, quite unexpectedly, stoodMrs Cuff, Miss Herriot and Lady Philadelphia. By the aghast looks on thefaces, they had not run into Lady Rothborne yet. Mary suddenly felt sillyand foolish, yet she didn’t need to—she had been given permission to behere. Still, it would take some explaining.
‘Miss Mercer, kindly explain why you arein my bedroom, wearing my clothes?’ Lady Philadelphia demanded, stepping boldlytowards her. Gone was the charming, kind person Mary had seen when theywere last together in this very room.
‘I…I…’ Mary stammered, unable to formulatean explanation. ‘I’m looking for a wedding dress.’ As soon as thewords were out of her mouth, Mary regretted them. They were silly andunfathomable to the people standing before her, who knew nothing of herengagement.
‘Miss Mercer, you’re making things worsefor yourself,’ Mrs Cuff exploded. ‘What are you doing?’
Mary needed to think fast and explainherself fully. She took a deep breath and began her explanation. ‘I’m engaged to my cousin, Edward, and Lady Rothborne said that I could find adress amongst Lady Philadelphia’s wardrobe.’ It was brief, but it coveredit.
A look of profound astonishment andincomprehension passed back and forth between the three women.
Lady Philadelphia let out a horrible,sardonic laugh that chilled Mary and told her in no uncertain circumstancesthat she had not been believed. ‘Lady Rothborne told you to helpyourself to my wardrobe?’
Mary nodded pathetically. ‘Ask her.’
‘Yes, I certainly would do,’ LadyPhiladelphia said. ‘Except that she isn’t here.’
‘And hasn’t been all day,’ Mrs Cuff added.
Mary’s eyes began to fill with hottears. This can’t be happening! This is a huge mistake. With her lip quivering, Mary tried to speak. ‘She was here. She left about ten minutes ago, I promise.’
‘Miss Mercer, please stop lying, it willserve you no use. You are no longer an employee of Blackfriars, sotelling such wild stories will not help your case,’ Lady Philadelphiaranted. She turned to Mrs Cuff. ‘See that she leaves immediately.’
Mrs Cuff nodded obediently.
The realisation of the situation and itsfar-reaching implications hit Mary just as surely as if she had been struckdown by a speeding automobile. A torrent of emotion was made manifest ina great outpouring of tears.
Mary’s time at Blackfriars was over.
EdithMercer stared into the tiny hallway mirror and smiled. At last, her thickand previously unmanageable hair was obeying her. It fell, in neatringlets just like Ellaline Terriss’s centre-parted locks and she washappy. Using much of her first pay packet, she had visited the besthairdressers in Rye. She had taken the postcard of Ellaline Terriss withher and told the hairdresser to copy the style precisely. Whilst in Rye,Edith also purchased for herself a new summer dress, which she now proudlywore. Just one week from hers and Mary’s eighteenth birthday, her skinand body was finally beginning to behave as she wanted. Things werelooking up for Edith. After being overlooked for the job of thirdhousemaid at Blackfriars, she had secured a promising and exciting job assecond housemaid at Durrant House. With her new job, her new hair andclothes, a surprising wave of confidence filled Edith as she carefully powderedher face. There was just one thing missing: a man in her life. Edward. Although his replies to her letters came seldom and were usuallyof the briefest in nature, she was sure that he wouldn’t be able to resist herwhen he next saw the woman that she was growing into. Edith rememberedhow Mary had disapprovingly commented on their potential courtship owing to himbeing her cousin. But it wasn’t unheard of and it certainly wasn’tillegal, so the family would just have to get used to the idea. Love waslove and that was all there was to it as far as Edith was concerned.
Edith’s growing certainty and jovialityelevated when she remembered the very reason that she was getting all dressedup: it was the day that she and Mary would be collecting their mother from thesanatorium. She was finally coming home, which hopefully meant
