Page 11 of The Artisan and the Duke
Jules was directed to sit before the vanity in an ornate wooden chair with soft cushions. The maid set to work brushing out Jules’ long and mostly unkempt hair. “I didn’t get your name,” Jules said as she watched the maid work in the mirror.
The young woman smiled. Jules guessed she was even younger than herself. “My name is Sherry,” the maid said happily. “It’s so odd for anyone to ask my name.”
“I guess most of the upper class don’t bother with such things,” Jules said as she pursed out her lips and frowned.
Sherry shrugged. “Most don’t, but honestly I’ve worked here so long that everyone knows my name, and they rarely have long-term visitors that I need to worry over.”
Jules nodded. It was very relaxing having her hair braided. The rhythmic pull of the maids’ little hands lulled Jules into a drowsy stupor. When the young woman finally finished, she grinned at Jules in the mirror, “What do you think?”
“It’s marvellous,” Jules whispered as she took in the sight of her hair braided. The maid had pinned the braids up in a most fetching way. “You are miraculous, Sherry.”
The young woman waved off the comment. “It’s just a braid,” Sherry said happily. “Is there anything else that you’ll be needing?”
“I can’t think of a thing,” Jules said honestly.
Sherry nodded and clasped her hands together in front of her. “Then I’ll just go see how Tegan is doing getting the wee ones ready for the evening meal,” she said by way of taking her leave. With one last smile in the mirror at Jules, the young woman was gone, and Jules was left with silence.
Jules’ eyes slid over to the bed. She would surely mess up her lovely hair and dress if she tried to lie over on the bed, but it looked so inviting that it was sorely tempting. Jules sighed and sat in the cushioned chair sullenly.
***
An hour later, there was a knock at Jules’ door. When she answered it, Georgie and Tally burst in like a giggling tide of dark hair and ribbons. “Look at this dress!” “You look so pretty, Jules!” The girls began talking all at once.
Jules raised her hand for them to slow down. “I take it that you are enjoying yourselves?” Jules gave her sisters a smile at their eager faces.
Georgie howled, “They gave us these little crème drops!”
“They tasted funny,” Tally said as she wrinkled her nose. “But then they gave us dresses and fixed our hair. They are doing Mama’s hair now even if she did think it was foolish.”
Jules could just imagine that her mother did indeed think this all very foolish. “We are going to be guests at dinner, but we have to sit very quietly,” Georgie said with distaste. “No wonder the nobles are such sourpusses. Who wants to sit quietly all the time when you have all this to play in?”
“That does seem like it might be hard to resist, but you should try to persevere. After all, His Grace is being very generous to us right now,” Jules said with a gentle sternness that she had mastered over the years with the little girls. The girls nodded their heads and looked sheepish.
After a moment, Georgie giggled. “The maid said that you and the Duke were courting, and that’s why we have to go to dinner. Is that true?”
“No, it is not,” Jules said firmly. “I don’t know what ideas His Grace has, but until I am consulted, then it is a complete fabrication on his part.”
The girls’ faces drooped in disappointment. “Does that mean that he won’t help us then?” It was Tally’s small voice that asked the question.
Jules pulled the little girls to her. “Nonsense. The Duke offered to help, and I feel he’s probably a man of his word. He’s a bit odd, but a man of his word all the same. So far, everything he said he was going to do, he has done. So I don’t think you have any reason to doubt him,” Jules said as she stroked Tally’s back.
Georgie pushed Tally a bit, “Yeah. So stop being so weepy, or he’ll kick you out to the poor house.”
“Don’t say such things to your sister,” Jules scolded, and Georgie harrumphed with indignation. “Behave yourselves. There are strange rules to society at this level, and I do not want to run afoul of them just yet.”
Tally and Georgie nodded their agreement and sat down to wait for their mother. After a few long minutes, Mrs Kelley appeared at the door in a simple grey dress that was gathered in the back. “Don’t you all look a sullen mess,” Mrs Kelley remarked at her daughters.
“What is all this about me hearing of His Grace courting me?” Jules asked with a suspicious look at her mother.
Mrs Kelley said, “Well, he came to me and explained that he planned to tell people that you and he were betrothed.”
“What?” Jules’ mouth dropped open.
Mrs Kelley flipped her hand dismissively at her daughter. “You are overreacting again, darling. Besides all that, what’s so bad about being betrothed to a Duke?”
“For starters, I’m not a noble. It can lead to some very bad things,” Jules said pointedly.
Mrs Kelley nodded. “I concede that there is a certain prejudice against it in some circles, but it does happen,” she said reasonably.
