skirt. Not that she would have been able to make out anything anyway, but she was sure this wasn't the gown she'd been wearing when she'd spilled the punch. That had been her forest green dress.
'Yes, yes, take her upstairs to change, Joan," Lydia said with obvious irritation. "The girl cannot be in a
stained gown at my first ball. I do hope no one has noticed."
"I am sure they did not, my lady," Joan said soothingly, her hand firm as she pulled Clarissa to her feet.
"But.. ." Clarissa began only to be shushed by Joan, who rushed her through the ballroom and out of it. The maid didn't let her speak until they were in the hall, when Clarissa was allowed to whisper, "But this was not the gown I was wearing when I spilled punch at the Brudmans ' ball."
"I know, my lady," her maid admitted, "but Lady Crambray has a bad memory, and I needed to get you out of there."
"Why?" Clarissa asked with surprise.
"Because there is a boy at the door with a message for you, and he will not give it to anyone but you."
"Oh," Clarissa said. "I wonder what it is?"
"I do not know, my lady. But it was just fortunate I happened to be passing the door on the way upstairs, else Ffoulkes might have answered, and then your stepmother would know."
Clarissa grimaced. Ffoulkes was very proper and upright, and would certainly have informed Lydia. With Clarissa's luck, it would be a message from Adrian and she would never have known what it was, because Lydia would have snatched the letter and burned it right in front of her.
"Do you think it is from Adrian?" she asked Joan hopefully. She hadn't seen him since the night of the Devereauxs ' ball, a week ago, and all she'd been able to think of was how he'd treated her to a picnic and then kissed her. She'd been missing him terribly.
"I do not know, my lady, but if it is, you must tell him
not to send messages like that. Tell him to send the boy to me in future. It will not raise eyebrows if a poor boy brings me a message. I can claim he is my little brother."
"Do you have a little brother?" Clarissa asked curiously as they approached the front door.
"No," Joan admitted. "I have no family at all anymore."
"I am sorry," Clarissa murmured, but they reached the door, and Joan merely shrugged and opened it to reveal a small boy of perhaps six on the front stoop.
"Here she is," Joan said, gesturing to Clarissa. "Now, give us the message."
The boy peered up at Clarissa, his eyes huge in a dirty face. He pulled something from inside his shirt and held it out. "I was told I'd get a coin for me trouble."
"Oh." Clarissa stared, nonplussed, and then turned to Joan. "My coin purse is up in my room."
"Here." Joan dug a small bag out of the folds of her skirt and handed over the money. "Off with you now."
"Thank you, Joan," Clarissa said as the maid closed the door. "Take a coin from my change purse to replace it."
"I would not presume to go into your purse, my lady," Joan murmured, then glanced up the hall as Ffoulkes appeared and started to walk toward them.
Taking the note from Clarissa, the maid tucked it between them as she took her lady's arm to lead her to the stairs, saying loudly, "Come, we had best take care of getting you changed, my lady."
Clarissa waited until they got to her room to open the message and try to read it. Of course, she couldn't read a darned thing without her spectacles, so Joan took it from her to read.
"It says, 'Meet me at the fountain.' 'Tis signed, 'A.M.'"
"A.M.? It is Adrian," Clarissa said happily.
"You must tell him to send the messages to me from now on," Joan reminded her with worry. "If Ffoulkes had got this and given it to your stepmother..."
'Yes," Clarissa agreed, then glanced around with surprise as the maid herded her to the door. "Should I not change first?"
"After," Joan said firmly. "If I change you now and he wrinkles your gown as he did last time, I shall just have to change you again."
"Oh, yes, of course," Clarissa said, but she was blushing at
'Yes, yes, take her upstairs to change, Joan," Lydia said with obvious irritation. "The girl cannot be in a
stained gown at my first ball. I do hope no one has noticed."
"I am sure they did not, my lady," Joan said soothingly, her hand firm as she pulled Clarissa to her feet.
"But.. ." Clarissa began only to be shushed by Joan, who rushed her through the ballroom and out of it. The maid didn't let her speak until they were in the hall, when Clarissa was allowed to whisper, "But this was not the gown I was wearing when I spilled punch at the Brudmans ' ball."
"I know, my lady," her maid admitted, "but Lady Crambray has a bad memory, and I needed to get you out of there."
"Why?" Clarissa asked with surprise.
"Because there is a boy at the door with a message for you, and he will not give it to anyone but you."
"Oh," Clarissa said. "I wonder what it is?"
"I do not know, my lady. But it was just fortunate I happened to be passing the door on the way upstairs, else Ffoulkes might have answered, and then your stepmother would know."
Clarissa grimaced. Ffoulkes was very proper and upright, and would certainly have informed Lydia. With Clarissa's luck, it would be a message from Adrian and she would never have known what it was, because Lydia would have snatched the letter and burned it right in front of her.
"Do you think it is from Adrian?" she asked Joan hopefully. She hadn't seen him since the night of the Devereauxs ' ball, a week ago, and all she'd been able to think of was how he'd treated her to a picnic and then kissed her. She'd been missing him terribly.
"I do not know, my lady, but if it is, you must tell him
not to send messages like that. Tell him to send the boy to me in future. It will not raise eyebrows if a poor boy brings me a message. I can claim he is my little brother."
"Do you have a little brother?" Clarissa asked curiously as they approached the front door.
"No," Joan admitted. "I have no family at all anymore."
"I am sorry," Clarissa murmured, but they reached the door, and Joan merely shrugged and opened it to reveal a small boy of perhaps six on the front stoop.
"Here she is," Joan said, gesturing to Clarissa. "Now, give us the message."
The boy peered up at Clarissa, his eyes huge in a dirty face. He pulled something from inside his shirt and held it out. "I was told I'd get a coin for me trouble."
"Oh." Clarissa stared, nonplussed, and then turned to Joan. "My coin purse is up in my room."
"Here." Joan dug a small bag out of the folds of her skirt and handed over the money. "Off with you now."
"Thank you, Joan," Clarissa said as the maid closed the door. "Take a coin from my change purse to replace it."
"I would not presume to go into your purse, my lady," Joan murmured, then glanced up the hall as Ffoulkes appeared and started to walk toward them.
Taking the note from Clarissa, the maid tucked it between them as she took her lady's arm to lead her to the stairs, saying loudly, "Come, we had best take care of getting you changed, my lady."
Clarissa waited until they got to her room to open the message and try to read it. Of course, she couldn't read a darned thing without her spectacles, so Joan took it from her to read.
"It says, 'Meet me at the fountain.' 'Tis signed, 'A.M.'"
"A.M.? It is Adrian," Clarissa said happily.
"You must tell him to send the messages to me from now on," Joan reminded her with worry. "If Ffoulkes had got this and given it to your stepmother..."
'Yes," Clarissa agreed, then glanced around with surprise as the maid herded her to the door. "Should I not change first?"
"After," Joan said firmly. "If I change you now and he wrinkles your gown as he did last time, I shall just have to change you again."
"Oh, yes, of course," Clarissa said, but she was blushing at
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