“That’s better,” Lady Rosalie says, making Catherine laugh.
When they exit the shop, MissTeit catches Catherine’s eye as she passes over the box with her new bonnet. Catherine shrugs subtly. It seems to be going well, at any rate. Though it’s hard to tell, really.
At the cobbler, Lady Rosalie sits them all down and then walks the display with the proprietor, Mr. Deetson, directing him to pull shoe after shoe for them to try.
“Is she always like this?” Catherine asks, glancing between Miss Raught and Miss Linet on either side of her.
“Yes,” MissLinet says.
“No,” MissRaught says at the same time.
They glance at each other. “She does this every time,” MissLinet insists.
“Yes, but she doesn’t have so much fun when it’s just us,” MissRaught says simply.
MissLinet frowns and Catherine squirms in her seat. “The three of you seem wonderful friends. I’m sure Lady Rosalie enjoys your outings immensely every time.”
MissLinet smiles at her, though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
“She’s making jokes with you, though,” MissRaught says.
“Henrietta,” MissLinet says firmly.
“You’re funny, is all I mean,” MissRaught tells Catherine. “And you have very dainty feet.”
MissLinet and MissRaught look down at Catherine’s feet and Catherine tries to stop the flare of heat in her cheeks. It does feel a little good to think Lady Rosalie finds her funny. And not only funny, but funnier than her oldest friends.
Lady Rosalie returns with the obsequious cobbler, his arms laden with shoes, and begins directing him to lay them out in front of each of them. She’s picked out the prettiest shoes for Catherine, by far.
“These are beautiful, but they pinch,” MissLinet says, considering her foot, now scrunched in a low-heeled and very narrow brown boot.
“Beauty is pain,” Lady Rosalie says immediately.
MissLinet moves her foot side to side, her long face set in a frown.
Catherine glances at Lady Rosalie and then decides to take a chance. She needs to win over Miss Linet and Miss Raught as well. She needs to get them talking, get them to trust her, so they might share something useful—faux pas Lady Rosalie has made, preferences Mr. Dean has made clear—something she can use to her advantage.
“Those will be awfully hard to walk in, though,” Catherine says carefully. “Mr.Fortes likes the outdoors, doesn’t he? You want to be able to keep up with him.”
MissLinet looks over at her, surprised. “I suppose.”
“Beauty is pain, but practicality, in this instance, might ultimately be more alluring, don’t you think?”
MissLinet stares at her for a moment, and then nods slowly. “You know, I do. I’m sorry, Rose, I think these aren’t for me.”
They both look up at Lady Rosalie, who’s watching their exchange curiously.
“If that’s all right,” MissLinet adds softly.
“I’m not going to buy you a pair of shoes you hate, don’t be daft,” Lady Rosalie says. “Mr.Deetson, please put those back.”
Mr. Deetson hurries to oblige, removing the pinchy brown boots and scurrying away. MissLinet glances at Catherine with a little smile and Catherine returns it.
Catherine looks up, but Lady Rosalie has already returned to wandering the shop, completely unperturbed. A small win, then.
When they arrive at the modiste’s shop, MissLinet is giddy over the new black boots Lady Rosalie purchased for her, MissRaught is ecstatic over her new dancing slippers, and Catherine is the proud new owner of a pair of white lace slippers, which will match the white lace gloves and white lace bonnet Lady Rosalie has gotten for her as well.
Lady Rosalie hustles them into Madame Florent’s shop, directing Henrietta to look for gloves while Miss Linet is to try on the dress her mother recently had commissioned. And Lady Rosalie herself goes to check on the status of her next ball gown.
