Cold Hearted (Villains 8)

These days the lady attended parties at the houses of others. She was besieged by invitations after her husband died. Well-meaning and thoughtful invitations meant to distract her from her grief. But now that so much time had passed she was starting to long for the days when she was the one to throw the party, and she missed having someone to walk up the stairs with after the last party guest left, and someone to chat with over breakfast about their plans for the day, or in the evening after going to the opera. She wondered if it wasn’t time to consider finding a new companion. A new husband.

When she woke up that morning she hadn’t expected this was something that would cross her mind, but as she sat on the red couch in her parlor, she felt she might at last be ready to fall in love again.

“Ah, Daisy,” said the lady, looking at the sweet-faced little maid who brought in the coffee. She was hardly more than a girl, with sparkling eyes and small, delicate features that reminded Lady Tremaine of a little mouse. “Please put the coffee there. Thank you, Daisy.” The maid placed the coffee service on a small round table in front of her. It was Lady Tremaine’s favorite coffee set, black with gold trim.

“Cook would like to know if you wanted breakfast this morning, my lady,” Daisy asked timidly.

Lady Tremaine laughed. Her cook, Mrs. Prattle, prompted her maids to ask this every morning knowing full well what her answer would be.

“Please tell Mrs. Prattle just to send something up for the girls in the schoolroom if she hasn’t already. And we will want a packed lunch for our journey to the country.” The lady smiled at the mouse of a maid.

“Yes, my lady; she already has a hamper packed for you and the girls.” She quickly corrected herself, “I mean for Miss Drizella and Miss Anastasia.”

Lady Tremaine wondered what types of women her servants had worked for before coming to her household. Of course, she wanted the staff to be sensible, diligent, and respectful, but she didn’t insist on unnecessary formalities. Not when they were alone, at any rate. Oh sure, when her husband was alive they would throw lavish parties, and she’d always liked giving her lord and lady friends a good show with all the proper formalities from time to time. And of course she had an air of reserve when speaking to her friends’ servants, which was to be expected. But she always left a little something for them at the end of their stay. She wondered if her friends were like this, too. She wondered if they weren’t all just putting on a show. Perhaps when they were alone they were more real with their servants. Treated them like people, talked to them, asked them about their days, and smiled at them. She hoped they did.

It made her feel less lonely to have so many servants about the house. She had no illusions about them being actual friends, but there was no reason not to be friendly. “Thank you, Daisy. You can tell Nanny Pinch she may bring the girls in now if she likes, unless Avery has already done so. I’m sure he has other things to attend to for our trip. And, Daisy, I will tell Avery that he’s to arrange a little outing for the staff who aren’t coming along with me,” said Lady Tremaine.

“Yes, my lady.” Daisy left the room with a smile. Lady Tremaine had known the news of an outing would bring a smile to Daisy’s face, but then again it was easy to make Daisy smile.

Lady Tremaine sipped her coffee, wondering when her little hellions would come storming into the front parlor. She loved her daughters, but they were quite the handful, and the older they got the more difficult it became to rein them in. She had been indulgent with her daughters after their father died. Giving them whatever they pleased, doting on them, finding them the best governess, taking them on splendid holidays, buying them whatever they wished. If they wanted new dresses, they got them. If they asked for horses to ride when they were in the country, Lady Tremaine could hardly say no. There was nothing her girls wanted that they didn’t have, but this was the very reason they were becoming harder to please. Lady Tremaine dreamed of the day her daughters would be married. She dreamed of a life of her own with a man she loved. And if she was not lucky enough to find true love twice, she would be content with solitude.

But the quiet of the morning was disrupted the moment she contemplated her delightful future, as if her daughters sensed she was at ease and peace. Avery came in first as was his custom. “My lady, Nanny Pinch is here with Miss Anastasia and Miss Drizella.”

Lady Tremaine winced. She couldn’t help wishing she had waited just a few more precious moments before suggesting they should come see her. “Yes, show them in, Avery.” She put down her coffee cup and motioned for it to be taken away.

Anastasia and Drizella were eleven and twelve, respectively. Neither of them looked like their mother, nor their father for that matter. The girls couldn’t have been more different from their stately mother. While Lady Tremaine was angular and severe looking, she was still a very handsome woman. Her daughters were all points and edges. All legs and arms, with gawky necks, birdlike faces, and bulging eyes. They would have made remarkable witches, those two. But that is another story, a story that never happened, though it would be very intriguing to explore. Nevertheless, Lady Tremaine thought her daughters were beautiful and told them so at every opportunity.

On this day both girls were dressed in their fanciest day dresses, Anastasia in pale pink and Drizella in soft blue. They were ready for a day of shopping with Nanny Pinch. This would give Lady Tremaine the solitude she needed to prepare for their trip to the country, and Lady Tremaine was grateful to Nanny Pinch for having the foresight to get her girls out of the house for a few hours while she took care of the necessary arrangements.

Lady Tremaine adored Nanny Pinch. She was

a sensible woman, still young and full of energy, which she needed in abundance to keep up with Anastasia and Drizella. She was a petite woman with dark hair and eyes and a splash of prominent freckles across her cute little nose and cheeks. She was hardly taller than the girls. Lady Tremaine laughed at the thought of her girls one day towering over their nanny.

“Good morning, my lovelies!” she said, smiling at her daughters.

Drizella always had the privilege of kissing her mother first, since she was the eldest. “Good morning, Mother,” she said rather formally, making the lady laugh to herself. Lady Tremaine wondered how long they had practiced that in the schoolroom before they came downstairs. Anastasia, however, didn’t stand on ceremony and leaped into her mother’s arms.

“Good morning, Mama!” she said, almost knocking over the little round table with the coffee service.

“We discussed this, Anastasia,” said Nanny Pinch, giving the girl a stern look. “If you refuse to act like a proper young lady, perhaps then it is best you stay in the nursery when we visit the country.”

Zella’s eyes grew larger than normal, and she pinched Anastasia hard on her upper arm.

“Ouch! Mama! Look what Zella did!”

Nanny Pinch quickly separated the girls. “Miss Anastasia, you sit there!” she said, pointing to one chair. “And, Miss Drizella, there!” she snapped, pointing to another. The chairs were on either side of a small table and situated across from Lady Tremaine, who was still residing on the velvet couch.

“Your mama doesn’t have time for this nonsense! And it’s not too late to change our plans for the country. We could just as easily stay here at home while your mama goes off and enjoys some much-needed time on her own.” The girls clasped their hands together tightly and placed them on their laps, smiling sweetly. Lady Tremaine could see they were both doing their best impressions of proper young ladies, and she had to keep herself from laughing.

“That won’t be necessary, Nanny Pinch. But we shall keep that option in reserve should my dear girls decide that a holiday in the country is just too much for them.” Both of the girls wiggled in their seats, wanting desperately to squeal out but managing to keep their composure. Lady Tremaine smiled indulgently at her girls. “Don’t you two look beautiful today. Miss Pinch tells me she is taking you out for a day of shopping. New dresses for our trip! I want you both looking your best and on your best behavior while we’re in the country, do you understand?”

Both girls nodded their heads.

“Lady Hackle and her sons, Dicky and Shrimpy, will be there,” said Lady Tremaine.

Drizella’s eyes grew large again, making Anastasia laugh.

“Drizella has a crush on Dicky,” she said, laughing harder. “She’s going to make a fool of herself, Mama!”