“Would you like a short jacket to wear over your morning gown, Miss Pierpont?” Bernadette Millersport, a woman who’d recently stepped into the role of Camilla’s lady’s maid, but only temporarily, asked as she placed one last pin into the chignon she’d been arranging. “You’re bound to still be chilled after your immersion in the river, especially when you refused to allow me to draw you a bath.”
Given the distinct trace of disgruntlement in Bernadette’s tone, it was clear the woman was still put out that Camilla had not taken her advice and climbed immediately into the tub to stave off any possible ill effects that might result from taking a plunge into incredibly frigid water.
Frankly, it was a novel experience having a lady’s maid who didn’t hold her opinions in check, especially when Camilla was accustomed to being seen after by Miss Donovan, a reserved woman who rarely expressed personal opinions, and who’d been her lady’s maid from the time Camilla started wearing long skirts until a scant month before.
Miss Donovan, after accompanying Camilla to Paris for a brief shopping excursion, had barely stepped foot into the Pierpont residence on Fifth Avenue before she’d received an urgent messageinforming her that while she’d been gone, her mother had suffered an accident and needed round-the-clock care while she convalesced.
There’d been no question that Miss Donovan would be given an extended leave of absence—with pay, of course—and after seeing her off at the train station, Camilla had returned home, intent on contacting an employment agency to fill the lady’s maid position until Miss Donovan returned.
She was spared the bother of that, though, after discovering that Bernadette had recently been hired as a kitchen assistant for the Pierpont household. It turned out that Bernadette was more of a hindrance in the kitchen than a help. But, as luck would have it, according to Mrs. Barney, Camilla’s longtime housekeeper, Bernadette had mentioned during the hiring process that she’d once spent time at a theater off Broadway. She’d evidently been responsible for dressing actresses before their performances, as well as assisting them with their hair, experience Mrs. Barney felt might make Bernadette the perfect substitute for Miss Donovan. Mrs. Barney also thought turning Bernadette into a temporary lady’s maid might go far with soothing the tender sensibilities of the Pierpont chef, who’d been threatening to quit on a daily basis because of Bernadette’s ineptitude in his kitchen.
Not wanting to lose a chef who turned out spectacular dishes, Camilla had agreed to Mrs. Barney’s suggestion, but only after having Bernadette style her hair to ascertain she had some talent in that area, which, thankfully, the woman certainly possessed.
But while Bernadette was more than competent with arranging hair, as well as getting Camilla dressed, she was also the most forward employee Camilla had ever met, an attitude she wasn’t accustomed to, but one she’d decided to tolerate since it wasn’t as if Bernadette would be in the position long.
“Have you changed your mind about the bath?” Bernadette asked, drawing Camilla from her thoughts.
“Of course not,” Camilla said, rising from the vanity stool andshaking out the folds of her ivory-colored morning gown. “I can hardly leave Mr. Chesterfield lingering about in the parlor for the length of time it would take me to bathe and change again. However, since you’re evidently concerned I’m going to come down with a cold if I don’t take a bath at some point this morning, know that I’ll be happy to climb into the tub after my meeting with him.”
Bernadette frowned. “On second thought, I doubt you’ll come down with a cold, and not taking a bath until this evening will spare me the bother of undressing and then redressing you again.”
Camilla refused a sigh. “It would at that.”
Leaving her lady’s maid saying something about the bath matter being settled, Camilla made her way to the grand staircase that led to the main floor, stepped into the back parlor a few moments later, and found Mr. Timken and Owen standing by a floor-to-ceiling window, engaged in conversation. She cleared her throat, drawing Owen’s attention.
“Ah, Miss Pierpont, there you are,” he said.
“Why do I get the distinct impression you wanted to add afinallyto your sentence?” she asked as she glided across the room and settled into a chair upholstered in a delicate shade of blush pink.
“But Ididn’tadd a finally, which suggests I’m valiantly striving to avoid annoying you again,” Owen said, which left her lips twitching ever so slightly.
After accepting a cup of coffee from Mr. Timken, Camilla took a sip before she tilted her head. “It only took me a mere twenty-five minutes to change, a monumental feat if there ever was one, but one undertaken because you mentioned you needed to return to Wheeling posthaste.”
“You were gone twenty-nine minutes to be exact, and twenty-nine minutes is not what I’d consider returning momentarily, which is how long you told me it would take you to change.”
“Whatwouldyou consider momentarily?”
“Less than five minutes.”
“I can barely get my gloves off in five minutes, and I wouldthink, since you told me you have a sister, that you’re more than familiar with how long it takes a lady to change.”
“Luella prides herself on being able to change in five minutes flat.”
“She must have one extraordinary lady’s maid.”
“She doesn’t have a maid.”
“Why not?”
“She doesn’t think they’re necessary, although I believe her original decision to refuse the services of a lady’s maid was a direct result of my mother hiring Flora when Luella turned fourteen. Flora made it a habit to report to Mother anytime Luella did something questionable, which, unfortunately, was quite often.”
Camilla took another sip of coffee. “Ah, so your mother hired Flora to not only dress your sister but keep an eye on her.”
“Something I never considered, but I wouldn’t put it past Mother to have hired a spy in the form of a maid, given how Luella and Mother shared a somewhat acrimonious relationship back in the day.”
“You might want to ask your sister about that, but tell me this—how does Luella manage to get dressed without the services of a maid, and so rapidly at that?”
“She seems to prefer wearing frocks one can simply toss over one’s head.”
