Chapter 15: Dinner and passion

Oh, that corset felt particularly cruel today as Annie and Eleanor both pulled on the ties, but I would not get into my gown without it. Mistress Black informed me that Janice insisted that she must deal with all my clothes and had spent many hours of her own time sewing my new gowns by candlelight. The bodice emphasised my bosom without stepping outside the bounds of decency. It hugged in tightly at my waist and flared over my hips. The skirt was voluminous with six layers of petticoats underneath to keep it flared out. All was in heavy shot silk in deep purple and pink and shimmered with every little movement. Annie announced that I looked beautiful and Eleanor gasped when she saw me.

Annie brushed, twisted and braided my hair, piling my tresses high upon my head. My face was powdered and coloured subtly, my lips bright red. I felt like a princess from the old fairy tales when my maid was finally finished. I could scarcely believe that the woman looking back at me in the mirror had been just a Lady's maid eighteen months earlier, and now here she was in beautiful clothes with heart pounding in her chest as she waited to see her Lord once more.

Diana had prepared the seating arrangements, never letting me see her secrets. When Diana and I entered the Great Hall, it was a hive of activity with maids scurrying about on the last minute touches, Mistress Black was there issuing instructions to all her girls in their fresh new uniforms. The pages, looking splendid in Barton livery, were also rushing about under Master Johnstone's directions. The whole room was brightly lit with candelabras all the way down the centre of the table and around the walls, their flickering lights glinting off the polished glasses and cutlery. It looked magical.

Suddenly Lord Barton arrived and the room fell silent. Mistress Black gave the room one long look with a critical eye, nodded her satisfaction, curtsied to Lady Diana and me and led the surplus girls out to start the food moving from kitchens to an anteroom ready to be brought to the table, Johnstone sent his extra boys after Mistress Black to help. Reginald stood behind his chair at the head of the table and invited us to join him. Diana was at his right hand and I was at his left. My heart skipped a beat when I noticed that the place next to mine had a place card labelled "Lord Percival Underweir." At the appointed time, the guests started filtering through the door. The ladies were all dressed in fine gowns, looking beautiful. The men were all so handsome in their formal black and white. Each was announced with full titles by Johnstone and the table started to fill up but the place next to mine remained unoccupied and I started to panic. Where was he? Was he coming? Oh, when will he be here?

Reginald reached a friendly hand and touched my arm. "Patience, Jane. Calm yourself."

Just then I heard Master Johnstone's stentorian voice announcing, "The Lord Percival Underweir." As he took his position beside me I could not breathe. I could not look at him for fear my heart would burst. The guests were all finally assembled around the table when Reginald spread his arms wide and announced, "My Lords, and all you beautiful Ladies, welcome one and all. Please be seated and enjoy yourselves."

Reginald moved behind Diana and seated her. The Lord Underweir seated me whispering in my ear as he did so, "You look beautiful, Jane." Then speaking normally he greeted Miss Fairfax and I thanked Lord Underweir. When we were seated he turned to me, with one eyebrow raised and a twinkle in his eye, his smile had a hint of mischievousness which, at once, made my heart beat faster again.

Soon the pages and maids were scurrying around serving us. Cook had excelled herself, the food was so tender, cooked to perfection and elegantly displayed on the huge silver salvers. The wine flowed freely, the conversations were lively and I felt like I was floating on a cloud. Percy and I talked in whispered tones when not joining in the general conversation. He kept me laughing with some his anecdotes which, at times, bordered on the salacious. And his leg kept brushing mine, not accidentally, all through the meal.

At one point there was the sound of a plate being dropped and smashed. The table went silent for just two seconds then the buzz of the several conversations resumed. I half whispered to Percy, Reginald and Diana, "Somebody will be going to bed tonight with a very sore bottom."

"You speak truly, Jane?"

"From experience, Percy. Painful experience." I caricatured a rueful face. Reginald roared with laughter and Diana was trying to hide her giggle behind her napkin.

"Do tell more, Jane. Do the staff really get beaten?"

"Reginald's Butler and his Housekeeper maintain the strict discipline necessary to run the household. I would suspect your senior staff do the same. Punishments might be a fine on their wages, demotion to a lower position or a taste of the Housekeeper's wooden spoon on their backsides. Believe me, Percy, it hurts."

"I have never given much thought to the matter but I must suppose that Jordan, my Butler, maintains discipline in his domain."

"Truly, Percy, it is a completely different world Downstairs. They have their own social structure, their own status rankings just as complex as we have, with status vehemently defended."