Felicity's fashions 6

 

Chapter 6

 

 

Hartley House

Grosvenor Square

25^th March

 

Dear Miss Goyder,

Please accept an invitation to my sister’s birthday party on 28^th inst. It would delight me if you are able to show Helen and Vivienne your clever reconstruction work.  Please inform Trinity that she would be bored to tears by a grown up party, but that I will send you home with some indigestible comestibles, which as I recall are the only reasons anyone under 18 ever willingly attends a party.

Victor Hartley

 

“Now, I don’t think it’s usual to invite the modiste to parties,” said Felicity, showing the invitation to Florence. “It is, however, an official printed invitation with that note scrawled on the back. I declare, his handwriting is worse than my sister’s.”

“My goodness! I hope he does not hope to set you up as a flirt and expect you to be anything improper at all,” said Florence.

“You think he means to give me a slip on the shoulder?” asked Felicity.

“My dear! What a horrible phrase!  Oh, dear, you young things are so forthright,” said Florence. “But I fear he may have got the wrong idea and think you would be happy being a kept woman. And of course, you would resist any such advances!”

“I’m not sure I would, you know,” said Felicity.  “I’m not likely to have any matrimonial prospects as a modiste, and if he asks, I will consider any such offer deeply, and examine the pros and cons.  If it meant dancing attention on him so I could not keep my business, then I would be forced to decline, because when it ended, I would then be destitute, and I could not expect Daisy to pull my irons from the fire. I would have to agree to a written contract for the lease of my time and b...body to make up for loss of earnings.”

“I really do not understand young things of today,” mourned Florence.

“I suspect it is more about having been thoroughly trained into having a good grounding in business ethics over social mores,” said Felicity. “Because one might be ruined socially and still able to survive well enough, but if ruined financially, the more doleful aspects of social ruin must inevitably follow.”

“Oh, my goodness!” said Florence. “I have never considered... of course, I am too old to find myself in such a situation... I had resigned myself to genteel poverty and one meal a day, and Ned promised to find work as a porter or something... but to look at the idea so... so frankly!”

“Well, there are other opportunities than selling one’s body at Covent Garden, but most of them are illegal,” said Felicity. “When Philippa and I were orphaned and it was found that there was no money left, the manor being mortgaged to the hilt, we were too young to understand about prostitution, so we considered becoming burglars and robbing the gamblers who had ruined Papa, though of course, he ruined himself, being an inveterate gamester and quite hopeless at it. Neither of us had the skill to be card sharps, so burglary seemed to us to be our only option.  And then we got a place in Swanley Court, and no longer had to consider pretending to be one person in order to provide an alibi for each other.”

“Oh, my poor child!” said Florence.

“I may be appalled, looking back, but you know, it might have been fun,” said Felicity.

“Felicity!” said Florence.

Felicity giggled.

“We were young hellions,” she said.

 

 

22 Henrietta Street,

March 25^th by hand

 

My lord;

I would be delighted to attend Vivienne’s birthday celebration. I know she had dreams of a fête champêtre for the occasion but the weather scarcely warrants it. She will have to be an exotic butterfly indoors.  This message should come via Peter, who has just moved in next door and is willing, but I hinted that if he held out to pass the note personally, he might be bribed by something edible. The child is growing like a weed, which his mother seems to resent more than see as a need to feed him up, and if I slip him any food, she accuses me of trying to buy his affections. You don’t have a job for him, I suppose? Oh dear, I seem to have inherited my sister’s predilection for collecting waifs and strays. I assure you it is not natural to me as it is to her.

I have been working hard on your sister’s dresses, as your kindness on Saturday has enthused me, and I fear I broke the Sabbath to cut out and start work on the embroidery.  I sent Lillias to purchase some Dhaka muslin, and she is a canny shopper and with all the better qualities folklore endows to the Scots, and I am glad to say that what you gave me for the fabric alone will also cover the cost of both gowns, even with intricate embroidery.

I also exercised a most extreme casuistry with regards to the spoilt gown, as mending was always permitted to us on the Lord’s Day, and it is by nature something after the fashion of mending. The extra piece has been cut out and inserted, and the seams covered with shell-edging. I have yet to re-insert it in the bodice, but I plan to reduce the number of roses in any case and have just three arranged to cover the mend.  I managed to resist the temptation to work yesterday on Good Friday, so I am doing what I might today with Easter Sunday tomorrow.

Trinity is jealously exercising her nimble fingers on the bodice as we speak, and her needle stabs viciously alongside vernacular imprecations I do not entirely follow, regarding any lady dog who would spoil a dress. She is most partisan, bless her. She thanks you in advance for really luscious treats.  I really think that her skill as an artist does demonstrate a greater likelihood of being your niece than a coincidence in appearance, since according to what I have read in history, anyone with ancestry with any pretence at coming over with the Normans scattered their seed across the population with the merry abandon of heavy rain, and such coincidences must surely occur from time to time.

I cannot guarantee I will finish both gowns for Vivienne; but I can show how far it has come. I hope to send Peter with the first on Thursday, or Friday morning at the latest.  But I will not abandon my local clients for more exciting and more profitable work.

Yours sincerely,

Felicity Goyder.

 

“What an amazing work ethic that girl has, and loyalty to her loyal customers, even if not profitable,” said Victor Hartley, tossing Felicity’s reply to Helen. “Don’t show Vivi; the gowns are a surprise to her. I am looking forward to seeing the results of the girl’s mend of that vicious tear.”

“She is very clever,” said Helen. “You know how well she furbished up all my gowns.  She goes round the Jewish quarter to the rag collectors, and purchases torn clothes from them that they cannot sell in order to re-use beads and beaded motifs, and lace and trim of all kinds. Apparently one of her friends at the orphanage is Jewish, and she gave Felicity an introduction, to help her out.”

“She is full of surprises,” said Victor.  “After all, many women in society think nothing of wearing a gown once and throwing it out if it is torn, or receives a stain from wine.”

“Oh! She got a wine stain out of one of my gowns by soaking it in warm white vinegar overnight,” said Helen. “And she said that if it had not worked, it might readily be dyed for very little outlay.”

“I suppose that if the wealthiest women in society showed as much resource and industry, there would be no room for young women like her to make their way in life,” said Victor. “I am going to make her fashionable.”

“You’ll do her no favours inviting her as an equal to Vivienne’s party, then,” said Helen. “If she is a modiste, she will not be welcome in society, and some who see her there will see her as encroaching.”

“Why, emigrées who took up millinery and the like were welcomed in society,” said Victor.

“Those with titles,” said Helen.

“Why, then I will make it a story of her resource, as a lady fallen upon hard times  who refuses to hang on anyone’s sleeve and who has built a profession from her own ability,” said Victor. “I don’t see why society should not accept her, she is perfectly well-born, I did some investigation, a Welsh family which moved some time in the last century.”

Helen had to wonder whether it was possible to juggle being a lady with being at the ordering of other ladies; and concluded that possibly Felicity Goyder could manage it.

 

 

Dempsey, Cagney, and Lacey

Solicitors

Gray’s Inn Road

23^rd March

 

My Lord,

Further to your instructions, I have been able to question the gypsy  known as ‘Stoffer’ of the Smith tribe, or as they sometimes style themselves, Petulengro. A most truculent character, and sadly unsteady, I fancy any child under his care would not be a stranger to blows. By a mixed expedient of threats and bribery, I induced him to reveal that the woman he considered his late wife had taken as a lover a ‘nob’ who remembered only that his name was Vincent. She referred to him as ‘Vinnie’ I believe. She bore the said aristocrat a daughter who was named Trinity, and who was born after the father had left to return to his own people, despite apparent efforts on the part of Stoffer to beat his woman into miscarriage. She appears to have been a good woman who protected her own daughter, but she was weakened by bearing many children and died a year or so ago.  Certain that if the aristocrat had wanted his child, he would have come before, Stoffer decided there was no profit to be had of the unfortunate Trinity, and dumped her on an orphan asylum in London. The depth of his depravity means that this action was almost the best he could do, especially if the girl is now in the employ of someone you consider kindly, since one of his ideas, had he known who her father was, had been to  trick the noble lord into sleeping with her, and then use that as a means of blackmail for the rest of his life. His disappointment that her father was dead and that he could still do the family an ill favour in telling me all I wanted to know was disgusting.  I pretended that her acceptance into the family would reduce a legacy to other members.  However, the child will need to be protected from him trying to get his hands on the fictional legacy I invented, and I am sorry I made a mull of it in using this method.

However, it can be fairly certainly stated that the child Trinity is your brother’s get.

How you proceed from here is up to you.

Lawrence Dempsey.

 

 

Hartley House

Grosvenor Square

25^th March

 

My dear Mrs. Belvoir,

I expect you have heard already from Miss Goyder with regards to a child known as Trinity Smith, whom I believe to be my niece, as the girl is a talented artist. 

I would, pending Trinity’s agreement in this plan, like to enrol her in your school, where I understand her rough edges will be taken in your stride, and no bullying permitted for her lack of knowledge.  I don’t much care if she knows the difference between Tonbridge and Timbuctoo, or which kings belonged to which rose banner, so long as she can learn to speak and write English which will not cause her embarrassment, better, to enjoy literature, and most important to develop her painting talent, something my brother was never able to do for having been the heir. I paint moderately well, as does my sister, who has had some private lessons as well as learning to dabble in watercolours in the way most schools teach them; I am given to understand by Miss Goyder that your art classes are to a higher level than the usual pretty twiddles. I want her to be happy. Whatever your fees may be for orphans who are not indigent, I am happy to pay as well as whatever extras she might wish.

Yours,

Victor, Lord Hartley

 

“Well, I never!” said Libby. “A man quite as brusque as Lucius can be, but with the expressed desire for his niece to have her talent developed and for her to be happy.”

“We should be able to accommodate that,” said Elinor. “And to teach her to sound like a lady and behave like one. We’ve had a few challenges in that respect, after all.”

“A protégé of Felicity Goyder might well have more of the instincts of a lady than some of our choicer spirits nominally born to it,” said Libby, dryly. “I like that he says ‘If Trinity agrees.’ He isn’t packing her off to school just to hide her until she can act the lady.”

“Write and ask him to visit next week; he can bring Felicity as a chaperone, and it will be delightful to see her again,” said Elinor. “And Trinity might as well be placed into the hands of Sarah Ryland, so she meets another of our artists. Sarah is, I believe, a year or so older than Trinity. Trinity is of an age with Amanda Baswin, who was so traumatised by the Oxford school, and it may be that the imp whom Felicity has described will help draw Amanda out of herself. Her older sisters are so close, in age, as well as in feelings, and though they protect her, it is not the same as having a close friend.”

 

Swanley Court School for Impoverished Gentlewomen

27^th March

 

My lord,

I have indeed been in correspondence with Felicity Goyder with regards to Trinity Smith.

I am glad that the child has family willing to acknowledge her, and sensitive to her possible problems adapting.

We have, as a school, covered the education of a number of girls whose upbringing has had but a tenuous connection to their status, and consider that good manners and a nobility in manner towards others is more important than a facade of gentility; however, we do strive to instil a veneer of genteel mannerisms as well, since such things make life easier. We have another talented artist a year or so older than Trinity, who I hope will prove a friend to her, and I intend to ask an older girl to mentor her. Cleopatra was born to the wife of an officer at the battle of the Nile...

“That’s not too much of a stretch, Elinor, dear, is it? He was a petty officer,” said Libby.

“Not at all, and Cleo is a good girl and very caring,” said Elinor. “She has learned to be a lady very well, past the odd burst of Naval vernacular. But then, Hermione, whose brother is a midshipman, also knows that.”

... and she grew up on the gun-deck, and I dare say they will exchange gypsy and naval vernacular, but as long as I do not hear it officially, I shall turn a deaf ear.  Young people take a prurient interest in such things, and I find it better to let them discuss such things than make a big deal out of it and increase the joy of the forbidden.

I look forward to your visit; perhaps next Wednesday, 6^th April, that is, not the Wednesday coming, which may be too short notice for Felicity? I believe Felicity gives her staff a half-day off on that day, but she probably has plans with regards to buying supplies already for this week.

Eliz. Belvoir,

Head Preceptress

 

“Well, at least she has a reasonable expectation of the prurient interests of young people,” said Victor. “And thinks of others; I had not thought that Miss Goyder might use her staff half-day to work herself.”