“Take the other three and lay them across the bed,” Harriet said.
“Yes, my lady,” Rex replied.
A knock on the door meant Daphne had arrived. Harriet opened the door and led her to the two draped across the back of the two chairs. No words were needed to describe either dress. Harriet knew they were hideous.
“What in the name of God was your mother thinking?” Daphne blurted out as she stood over the first of the two gowns.
“That’s a good question. You do know she went to her modiste who also has made most of my wardrobe and who has my measurements on hand and had her make these. Mother chose the style, fabric, color—everything.”
“You never had a voice in what was being made for your debut season?” Daphne gasped.
Harriet shook her head. “No. The first time I saw them was for a fitting the week before.”
“I do hope you let her know your dislike for them.”
“Yes, I did, though it did little good,” Harriet replied.
“I can imagine. Is this all you brought with you?”
“There are three on the bed. I believe one of them might be fixable for this year.”
“Let’s go look,” Daphne said.
Immediately Daphne focused her attention on one particular gown. She picked it up and began to look closely at the stitching. “I think this one could be modified and work for this year.”
“How so?” Harriet asked.
“Take a lot of this unnecessary beading and ribbons off. Make it a bit simpler, make it elegant. Right now, it looks like a child’s dress. It gives the wrong message.”
“I know. I tried to tell her that. She refused to listen.”
“Well, we don’t have to worry about that now, do we?” Daphne remarked.
Harriet grinned. “No, we don’t.”
Daphne put the gown aside and looked forlornly at the remaining two gowns, shaking her head. “Neither of these will do, though we could take this one with us just in case. There is no way the other could easily be modified. Too much work.”
“I agree.”
“How many dresses did your mother have commissioned for last season?” Daphne asked.
“I brought five and there are five more at home. If you think these are hideous, you should see them.”
“Thank you, but no. These were enough for my eyes.” Daphne laughed. “Come, let’s go over a list of balls we’ve been invited to already.”
“Good idea. Let me tell Rex to keep the two we selected separated from others so we can take them with us.”
Harriet found her in the dressing area folding some scarves. She told the young woman what they had decided on and made sure she thanked Rex for keeping things tidy and in order. She didn’t feel servants got praise when it was due, regardless of if it was their job or not.
Chapter Two
“Would you liketo know about my modiste?” Daphne asked after the carriage pulled away from Jameson House.
“Yes, I would.”
“Mrs. DuBois is French and spent many years working in a shop in Paris. Her husband accepted a job with the French government, which is how they ended up in London. Her husband died about five years ago and she decided to open this shop.”
“She didn’t want to return to Paris?” Harriet asked, her eyes staring at the floor of the carriage.
