Free Fenella J. Miller by Christmas At Hartford Hall Page A

them to the light. They would fit her for she was her mother’s daughter in every physical respect. Again she locked the trunk and dropped all three keys into the shoe bag. One day she would come back and claim these boxes, but until then the contents would be safe.
    She tarried awhile examining her grandfather’s effects until it became too dark to see. She decided to bring a handsome leather writing case with her. This item would be ideal to take with her when she left. Several times she barked her shins on protruding objects. With considerable relief, she escaped from the attics and returned to her own bed chamber.
    The ball did not start until nine o’clock. There was to be a celebration dinner served for the guests in residence. Cook had been rushed off her feet these past two weeks with the preparations and extra staff had been taken on to help her in the kitchens.
    There would be a delicious supper laid out on tables in an anteroom and champagne would be served throughout the event. She had only tasted this once and had not liked it; she hoped there would be lemonade or orgeat for those that didn’t drink alcohol. She still had four hours before she had to be downstairs. When would Ann return with the dress? What if her gown wasn’t finished in time?
    She would go to the ball whatever happened. Snatching up a candlestick, she returned to the attics and selected the gown which had been made to go with the evening slippers. This had small capped sleeves edged with the same golden jewels, a neckline as daring as the other gowns and a skirt made up of looped layers of shimmering, diaphanous sarsenet and an underskirt of gold silk. Even if her new gown arrived in time, maybe she could wear this one. The dress must be more than forty years old, but was still as fresh and uncreased as if it had been placed in the trunk only yesterday.
    Back in the safety of her room she held it against her chest and spun around the room, loving the way it swirled out in a golden rainbow. Then she considered how hurtful it would be if she rejected the hard work and loving attention of her friends. The dress must be hidden in her closet. Perhaps one day she would have the opportunity to wear it.

Chapter Seven
    W HEN S EVEN O’C LOCK C AME and went Elizabeth decided to start her preparations. She had already laid out two sets of undergarments; one best suited to the old-fashioned gown, the other for the one being made for her. The same silk stockings and shoes would do for either. She had no need to take a reticule, but she would carry the lovely ivory fan she’d discovered amongst the shoe bags.
    She flicked it open to admire the ladies painted on it. They all had white powdered wigs and were wearing gowns similar to the one she had folded in her closet. She had no glass in her bedchamber so arranging her hair without being able to see her reflection was going to be difficult.
    Even in her eyrie at the top of the house, she could hear the sound of merriment downstairs. By now, the guests would be halfway through their dinner and for once she wished she could be there to see the formal dining room being used as it should be. What nonsense for the family to sit around the massive table every night and be unable to converse without raising their voices. To be marooned in a sea of white damask and glittering silver cutlery this way was the height of folly in her opinion.
    She and Grandfather had never eaten in there. They’d always dined in a smaller room which overlooked the park. Thinking of him made her sad, but he would not wish her to be grieving after so long. She paced restlessly until eventually her fairy godmothers arrived, Mary in the lead, her face split by the broadest smile.
    “Mrs. Blake sends her apologies, miss, but she can’t get away at the moment. It’s pandemonium in the kitchen, what with a dinner with ever so many removes and the supper for later to deal with.”
    “If none of you had been able to come, I should