The Season (Season Series #1)

Chapter 2.1: Ella and her Ladies

"...another bite, did you see?" one of the girls giggled as they entered the room, leaning back on the door to close it behind her. She collapsed against it, her tiny frame convulsing with repressed laughter. I recognized the peal of my cousin's graceful laugh and saw that she, too had arrived, setting herself daintily on the couch to remove her shoes. Yet another girl, this one older than both Ella and the other girl, had taken a seat across from Ella, pulling a set of combs from her hair.

"Of course I saw," Ella replied, a smile on her perfectly proportioned face, "I doubt anyone could have missed that,"

"Oh girls, we must be kind," the brunette sitting on the chair opposite Ella said, her tone gently chiding. The tiny girl at the door giggled anew, noticing me.

"Tea, please," she said, snapping her dainty fingers at me.

"Hello, Ella," I said, deciding I already didn't like the small blonde girl. Three pairs of rounded eyes looked around at me upon my use of such an informal greeting.

"Elizabeth?" Ella finally asked, breaking the awkward silence. The brunette's face melted into a look of undisguised horror while the little blonde's mouth had popped open.

"I prefer Libby, really," I said, taking a step into the room. Ella's eyes dropped to my uniform dress.

"Oh no, did they lose your luggage?" she asked, rising from the sofa in her stocking toes.

"No, my trunk just arrived," I said, glancing back into the room.

"They sent you here from Hargrove looking like that?" the little blonde girl demanded, her pale eyebrows almost reaching her coiffed hairline.

"Oh hush Emily, surely she hasn't had time to change out of her traveling clothes," the brunette said, rising to follow Ella who had come to survey me.

"Elizab...Libby," Ella started, coming to stand in front of me with a kindly smile beneath her horrified eyes, "I'm so happy you've made it. Shall we call for some food for you?"

"That would be nice," I said, twisting to look around behind me as the brunette circled me, her fist pensively pressed against her mouth.

"Is this your school uniform?" she asked, taking a handful of my grey-tinged apron.

"Yes, I have several actually. And a ball gown," I said. The brunette shot a panicked look at Ella.

"A ball gown? As in a single one?" she asked. Ella bit her lip, the brunette's panic mirrored on her face.

"Oh why did Annabelle have to get sick!" Emily, the tiny blonde, whined as she collapsed dramatically on the couch.

"Let's go have a look at your trunk with Rosanna," Ella said, linking arms with me and leading me back into the room with three beds. Rosanna, the brunette, hurried over and unlatched my trunk.

"I can do that!" I protested, kneeling down next to her. She scooped out my books, dumping them on the floor in a hurry to get to the dresses folded at the bottom. She pulled out the first dark grey uniform, running a critical eye over it before tossing it onto the bed. The other two she showed far less interest in, pushing them aside to dig for the deep blue ball gown my mother had sent along "just in case". As Rosanna held it up, she looked back over her shoulder towards Ella, who gave a little nod.

"And her day dresses?" Ella asked, her arms crossed as a worry-line creased between her beautiful brows. Rosanna rose, holding my well-worn travelling dress, saying nothing but wearing a panicked look. Ella inhaled, uncrossing her arms.

"Right. Emily? Summon a seamstress," she called over her shoulder. I could see Emily shooting me a dirty look from the sitting room, but she rose and tugged on a tasseled rope hanging next to the fireplace.