Madcap Miss by Joan Smith

a thing to say! ”
    “ I thought you might be afraid of me. I ’ m glad to see you ain ’ t a widgeon. Stand up to me. That way we shall go on famously. Now I am off to bed. I hate being old. I used to dance till three, then be up riding at seven the next morning. Make good use of your youth, Augusta. It don ’ t last long. You wake up one morning and see an old lady in the mirror, while your heart is still young. You only get to go around once. Isn ’ t that a sad thing? By the time you ’ ve got a glimmering what the world is all about, you ’ re too old to enjoy it. Don ’ t I wish I were twenty again, with strong legs and a strong back. But I ain ’ t. I am seventy-five and need my sleep. We turn back into babies before we die, sleeping and eating all day long. Brush your teeth, Gussie, and go to sleep. ”
    “ Good night, Grandma. ” Grace hopped up to open the door for her, and Molly came with a footman to remove the bath water. Grace watched Lady Healy depart, sad to see her hobble down the hall, leaning on her black stick. What unfulfilled dreams had caused that outburst from the old lady? Her life had been full — much fuller than Grace ’ s own life.
    She sat on the side of the bed thinking. It was fine to say make good use of your youth, but how was it possible in such straitened circumstances? Grace rose and went to the dusty mirror, to see a child staring glumly back at her, with the gloomy walls looking very like a prison behind her. She pulled the blue ribbons from her hair and tossed them on the dresser.
    Whewett would be coming soon, and she began to dress. She put on her white lawn blouse, and as the room was warm, she did not bother with the jacket. Her skirt did not have to be hiked up when it was only Whewett who would see her. She ran a brush through her hair and, on impulse, piled it on top of her head, turning this way and that to study her appearance.
    If she could only get out of service, get some decent clothes, and meet a few gentlemen, she might make a match yet. But how could it be done? Her life, her youth, her precious one chance were all slipping away. She had to earn her bread, but she did not have to be a governess. Surely the world offered more exciting jobs. Acting, for instance ...
    She was a fair actress, to judge from the job she had done here. It was a shady career for a lady, but if a respectable marriage was beyond her, what did that matter? You only get to go around once. What a dreadful fate, to have your one round as a governess. If Lady Healy were in her position, she would not settle for so little. What an actress she would have made, with her dramatic height and commanding manner. She would have ruled the West End. But would a daub of a woman like herself be able to accomplish it? Not likely.
    There was a discreet tap at the door. “ Come in, ” she said.
    Whewett stepped in and stopped dead. His last view of Grace had already upset him. In his mind he knew she was an adult, but it was a thing known without being felt. That first tantalizing glimmer was now revealed in its entirety.
    “ Am I in the right place? I don ’ t believe I recognize this ravishing creature. ” His eyes traveled slowly from the tip of her gleaming curls, over the swell of her breast, down to her toes.
    She sensed his interest and said sharply, “ It won ’ t be for lack of looking! ”
    Her rebuke startled him back to business. “ Why  are you dressed like that? Do you want to blow the whole thing? ”
    ‘‘ Don ’ t worry. I had my hair up in bows when she came. ”
    “ I trust you had on your jacket as well, ” he said. His eyes lingered on that blouse and the tiny waist below it.
    “ She doesn ’ t suspect anything. We squabs of girls are early developers. We had a very interesting talk. ”
    “ That sounds ominous. You look — unhappy. ”
    “ I am. I would like to be put on the rack and stretched six inches. ”
    “ It sounds delightful. Many gentlemen prefer the