“It is not the same, Miss Wakefield,” said Mrs. Norwich with a frown and a hearty shake of her head. “Without decorations, the room would be bare and the evening ruined. But you are asking more of the performers than is necessary. There might be a few imperfections, but the evening will still be enjoyable.”
The others nodded, adding various comments about the details, and the more they spoke, the more Marian’s stomach sank. Even with those economies, it was costly and would require hours of labor from the entire committee. Having participated in such planning efforts before, Marian knew too well that the cost and time required were always underestimated and necessitated great sacrifice and anxiety for little reward.
“Again, I feel I must emphasize that the focus of the evening is the music,” said Marian. “Is this the most efficient use of our time and resources? Even if we were to get all the supplies for free, the amount of work to be done seems a tad much. The festival is coming up, and the charity stalls can always use more donations. Perhaps we might sew clothing instead of bunting.”
“Miss Wakefield,” said Mrs. Norwich with a gentle smile, though her tone warned Marian she would not like what was to follow. “Your concern does you credit, but we wish to make the evening a success, and surely we ought to put effort into making it lovely.”
In turn, the other ladies echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the desire to do their best in presenting the concert, and Marian could not argue with them. She did not disagree with the sentiment—simply the manner in which they chose to go about it. They ignored or brushed her aside, acting like so many others who thought efficiency akin to heartlessness. And no matter how Marian tried to defend her position, they paid it no mind, remaining firm in their conviction that the evening would be a disaster without an overabundance of flowers and drapery.
Perhaps this issue was not as dire as some, but the funds the ladies were going to spend could be given to a family in need or help pay for a child’s education. It might be naught but a few pounds to them, but to the people they were serving, it was a fortune. And they were spending it on frippery!
As no one could hear her thoughts, Marian felt no guilt at thinking of it in such terms. It was not but a bit of fluff that (though beautiful) added little to the evening. Simple decorations would not detract from their patrons’ enjoyment and would make the whole ordeal easier on the committee and leave more funds for the charity. Why could they not understand that?
And why must they always cast aside that which she deemed important in favor of their priorities? Surely having a proper program was of utmost importance. It was the highlight of the evening. Yet they were spending more time discussing fabric choices and color schemes.
Marian’s breaths heaved, and her chest tightened as she listened to it all. Even as her temper flared to life, she tried to keep it in check. This may seem a small issue, but it was important, and she couldn’t leave it be. All she wanted was to do good with this concert, and this would lessen the amount they could do.
Keep hold of her tongue. Rein in her heart. Marian clung to those thoughts, trying to do better, but it was impossible not to frown at the logic thrown about or speak her mind with a touch of bite to her tone. The longer they spoke, the more out of place Marian felt amongst them. From their expressions to their words, it was clear they thought her wrong in every sense of the word.
Mr. Clements cleared his throat, casting her a sidelong look. “I believe there are some discretionary funds available for such things. It should cover the decorations.”
At that, the other ladies beamed and tittered, and Marian stared at the lot of them.
“Just because the charity is willing to pay for it, that doesn’t mean we ought to spend it,” said Marian. “What better things might be done with that money?”
But her question fell on deaf ears, and she was left at a decision point—leave it be or press the issue. To choose the former would be to deny her good sense, but the latter would bring about an argument. Though Marian was not afraid to fight for that which was right, her temper was too close to the surface, and she could not be certain she would not let it loose on them.
In the end, she realized it would do no good. No amount of arguing would get them on her side, and they were determined to do as they pleased. All she could do now was count it a victory that she had gotten them to economize some. At least that was something.
The conversation moved ahead without her, and the others discussed the various issues that were of utmost concern to them whilst Marian fought back a frown. Their opinions were not batted aside. Of course, they weren’t. The rest of the group were so identical in their way of thinking that all ideas, however impractical or unnecessary, were readily accepted. Marian kept her mouth shut, for it was clear she had taken things as far as she could without devolving into a brawl.
“As for the program, I feel confident it will be perfect,” said Mrs. Norwich, sifting through the papers on her lap.
Marian forced her smile to soften and nodded, but before she could open her mouth, Mrs. Henshaw spoke.
“Mrs. Norwich and I have put together what I feel shall be a wonderful concert,” she said as Mrs. Norwich handed out slips of paper to each of the ladies.
“Pardon me, Mrs. Norwich,” said Marian, staring at the elegant script, “but I am confused as to what you are referring: I was asked to organize the program.”
The ladies in the circle slanted sideways looks at each other and no one spoke for several seconds as they shifted quietly in their seats. Mrs. Norwich finally lifted her lips into a smile.
“We had hoped your talents might be used in organizing the refreshments,” said Mrs. Norwich. “As we have promised the patrons a fine array of foods after the music, we need to be certain that our offerings are perfect, and we felt you were the best candidate to manage the task. Outside of the music, this is the most important aspect of the evening, and we cannot entrust it to anyone else. As that will be quite a lot of work on its own, we wouldn’t want to put too much on your shoulders with the refreshmentsandthe program.”
Marian blinked, trying to comprehend the shift in her expectations, sorting through what had been said to grasp its meaning. She was no lackwit, but the suddenness of it all stunned her.
“I beg your pardon, but I have already prepared the program,” she said, untucking a sheet of paper from her reticule. She hadn’t thought to bring copies for everyone, but then, she hadn’t expected to defend her position. “I have spent countless hours organizing all the musicians—”
“And I am certain you have done a wonderful job, Miss Wakefield,” said Mrs. Norwich. “But we do feel you are better served handling the refreshments. And Mrs. Henshaw had some splendid ideas for the program. We have already finalized it.”
“Correct me if I am wrong, but Mrs. Henshaw has already made a plan for the refreshments. I fail to see what more I can offer to that task, but as I have the program finished, there is no reason I cannot do both,” said Marian.
Mrs. Norwich leaned forward with a kind gleam in her eye that had Marian rankling, as it had far more than a touch of pity to it. “You have seemed so overwhelmed of late, and we do not wish to burden you further.”
“I assure you I am not overwhelmed.” True, her life was a bit of a mess at present, but the concert had naught to do with that, and there was not a lady among this group who had any inkling of Papa’s edict or Marian’s history with Mr. Finch. If anything, the concert was a blessed relief, giving her something else on which to focus her attention. A refuge of sorts. Or it was when the committee wasn’t being entirely irksome.
“There is no need to be embarrassed,” said Mrs. Hatwell, leaning over to pat Marian on the knee. “We all need assistance from time to time.”
“I am not embarrassed.” Marian’s tone had a touch more bite than intended, but it was hard to keep her voice steady as the pressure grew in her chest. Her posture stiffened, and it felt as though her head might pound itself to dust, but she forced herself to stay calm. They meant well, but how could they possibly know what she was feeling when none of them knew her beyond a passing acquaintance? They may chat from time to time at various social functions, but not one of them knew anything of significance about her.
