She did, however, have a roommate. That hadn't been an ideal circumstance, but it was that or no room at all, the landlady had told her, so Paisley had reluctantly agreed. Now, she and Ava were best friends.
Ava didn't seem to have a surname. If she did, she kept it to herself. Paisley privately thought that Ava was the mostbeautiful person she'd ever met. The girls were around the same age, both cut adrift in a world not designed for them, so perhaps it was natural that they should become friends.
Ava had long, red-gold hair that shimmered in the (rare) sunlight, and large honey-brown eyes. She had a beautiful figure too, one that Paisley secretly envied. She herself had lost weight since leaving home. Her meals were few and far between, and nowhere near as tasty and well put together as the meals she'd enjoyed at home.
Ava had been living in the room at the Crown for at least half a year by the time Paisley joined her and had taken the time to make the place homely and well-arranged. She'd even added a few bits of furniture, including the tarnished, gilt-framed mirror that Paisley was currently inspecting herself in.
"What do you think?" Paisley asked, pursing her lips. "I like this dress, and it's comfortable."
Ava sighed, propping herself up on her elbows from where she was sprawled on her own bed.
"I think that ye are overthinking this. And ye will need the hem taking up."
Paisley glanced down at the hem. It just swept the floor, which was an eminently proper length for an English lady of Society.
"What's wrong with the length? How long should it be?"
"Ankle length, I'd say."
"Anklelength?" Paisley gasped, horrified. "I can't wear a dress that short!"
Ava rolled her eyes. "Fine. Let yer fine dress drag on the floor. I'm sure there's all sorts of things down on a pub floor for ye to scrub out of yer skirts later. Ye are a working woman now, Paisley, not a lady. Skirts that brush the floor might do well enough in a well-swept, polished ballroom, but not on the sticky, filthy floor of a pub."
Paisley's shoulders sagged, and she groaned. "Oh, I suppose you are right. I'll just have to grin and bear it, won't I? I'll be moving around, carrying things... I can't risk tripping on my skirts."
She rambled on, barely listening to herself. The dress she'd chosen was the nicest one she had. Or rather, the nicest one she'd risked taking in the single suitcase she brought from home. It was a lavender color, with a plain bodice, sleeves that ended just above the elbow, and no real decoration or ornamentation except a discreet frill of lace at the cuffs.
Ava arrived home later that night, as was her custom. The girls had fallen into a good routine by now. Ava brought home pies – where she obtained fresh pies at that time of night, Paisley did not know, but did not care to question it – and Paisley prepared a nice, hot bath for her friend. Then they would sit and chat about everything and nothing, before finally tumbling into bed.
Not too late tonight, though. Paisley had work in the morning. Ava had certainly been surprised at her news, and a little skeptical of the barkeep, Dominic.
"He's a deep one, and nay mistake," Ava warned her. "Ye can never tell what he's thinking."
"He offered me a job, and that's enough for me," Paisley responded, experimentally hitching up her skirt an inch or two. "So, what do you think of the dress? Will it do?"
"Aye, I think so. Wear me yellow apron, mind ye. Ye'll get things spilled all down ye at that pub."
"I'm working at apub," Paisley said, a hint of disbelief in her voice. "Me.I have a proper job. I can hardly believe it."
"Nor can I," Ava yawned, levering herself up from the bed. Her hair was wet, hanging in dark strings down her back, and she twisted it nimbly back and around into a knot. "Give me the dress. I'll take up the hem for ye. Ye ought to get some sleep. Did ye get money for rent, by the way?"
"Yes, I did. I left it on the counter. I might not need to resort to card games with smelly men from now on."
Ava didn't smile. She didn't seem to share Paisley's optimism.
Their room was a decently sized one, situated at the top of the house, right under the eaves. It meant that the room was cold inthe winter, but it also meant that their room was slightly larger than the others.
There were two single beds at either end of the room, with a curtain strung up between them for privacy. Ava had found a battered old writing desk from somewhere and had pushed it into the corner. There were two armchairs near the fireplace, a low table between them, and various other bits and pieces. Paisley's contribution was a selection of colorful rugs scattered here and there, nicely brightening up the place.
Stripping off the lavender dress and pulling on her nightgown, Paisley crawled into bed with a sigh, blowing out the candle. Ava settled herself by the fire and the candle on the table and began to work.
"Ye should be careful," she said, just as Paisley was closing her eyes and settling down to sleep.
"Hm? What?"
"Pubs are dangerous.TheSinneris better than most, but still," Ava said, focused on her work. "I wish ye hadn't taken the job."
"What, would you rather have had me playing cards for a living?"
