Half a Lady || ONC 2024

Chapter Two

Cordelia hurried to her room. She scribbled a hasty note while a maid helped her into a green walking dress.

I'm going to our secret spot. I'll see you soon.

-C

Hopefully, her co-conspirator would know what that meant.

She slipped the note under the cover of last year's Christmas gift. The book's pages still smelled of peppermint and pine, bringing back memories of the frosty morning her family had huddled in the drawing room and exchanged gifts. 

Her little brother had played with a spinning top while their parents presented Ophelia with an heirloom necklace. The diamonds had glittered like fallen snow, complimenting Ophelia's new dress and matching earrings. 

Cordelia had sat in a corner, surrounded by crumpled wrapping paper. Her present, The Lady's Guide to Perfect Gentility, had lain forgotten in her lap.

She sighed, flipping through its pages. At least the book was useful. When she wasn't hiding notes behind the cover, it made an excellent step stool.

"Would you like a hat, Miss?" the maid asked. She reached for a frilly pink bonnet with ruffled lace.

Cordelia grimaced. She thought she'd misplaced that bonnet by the stables the other day. Apparently, she wasn't so fortunate.

"Yes," Cordelia agreed, glancing at the clouds gathering outside her window. "A hat would be lovely." She scanned her small collection. "Perhaps the straw hat with the wide brim?" The maid's hand hovered over it, and Cordelia nodded. "That's perfect. Thank you, Hannah."

Hannah crossed the room, positioning the hat on Cordelia's head. She cleared her throat, catching Cordelia's eyes in the vanity mirror.

"I know it isn't my place to say this, but...." She paused. "You've always been so kind to us servants. If anything should happen, you'll always have people willing to listen."

Cordelia dipped her head. "Thank you, Hannah. Your support means a lot to me."

Hannah nodded. Her nimble fingers wove pins through Cordelia's braids, securing the straw hat.

Outside, a horse trotted past, carrying a postman in a blue uniform. Letters peeked from the postman's mail bag.

Cordelia shifted to meet Hannah's gaze again. "Actually...If it isn't too much trouble, can you set aside any letters addressed to me before Mother sees them?"

Hannah made a muffled sound of agreement, speaking around a mouthful of pins. "Of course." She leaned over, depositing the extra pins in a dish. "Although I must warn you that your mother has a knack for figuring things out on her own. Especially when something seems fishy."

Cordelia narrowed her eyes. That was an interesting choice of words. There was no way Hannah knew about her involvement in the pickled herring incident. She'd paid off the cook's assistant to keep that quiet.

She smiled. It'd been worth it, too—the incident had kept pickled herring off the menu for good. If Cordelia had known putting a fish in Mother's tea would prove so effective, she would have done it sooner.

"I can't imagine what you mean," Cordelia said, making a show of smoothing out her skirt. "I strive to embody virtues in everything I do."

Hannah kept a straight face, although her lips curled up in the corners. "Indeed." Her brown eyes flickered to the note peeking out of The Lady's Guide to Perfect Gentility. "I hope you enjoy your walk. Please give my regards to the young master if you see him."