The Lady in Disguise

Chapter Six (part 1)

Wednesday - early morning...

Emilia Finch woke to a tray in her lap, nearly upending the thing. "What? What's happening?"

Miss Prudence only laughed. "No need to be so skittish. I'm just bringing your drinking chocolate and toast, Miss Crewe."

"I never bring you chocolate and toast in bed," Emilia grumbled.

"And don't think I won't be expecting it in the future," Prudence said merrily. "All the other ladies maids are doing it. Well... that's not true. It started with Dora saying she always brought Miss Poole a tray first thing, then Evie was quite enthusiastic about following suit for Lady Adele, since she's very eager to please. I decided it must be the very latest trend and 'Emilia would never want to miss out on it,' I thought to myself."

"Did you really?"

"No." Prudence shrugged. "It was mostly because we barely talked last night, and Evie said you were still abed and I've so much more to tell you."

Emilia shook her head, grappling for her spectacles on the night stand so she could see the clock — dratted things, but they had their uses. "It's half past six in the morning? I never wake you so early. This Evie person--"

"Well, perhaps you should. I'd certainly tolerate it with chocolate!"

Emilia frowned heavily as she sat up. "I wish you'd stop acting as if this is such great fun."

"But it is." Prudence perched on the edge of the bed, taking a corner of toast and biting into it. "Now, let me tell you all these things because I've been saving them up. First, I find your underthings much less constricting than mine. I never knew how hard I had it before this."

Emilia nearly choked on her chocolate.

"Not that I'm saying my lot is so hard, mind you. Obviously, the staff have it much harder and I made sure to tell them so. I got on with them very well," Prudence went on. "I mean, not Mr. Byrne's valet. Stodgy old thing. He thinks I'm a revolutionary. Me!" She giggled. "I was only saying that expecting servants to attend at all hours is unreasonable and—"

"Yes, I can imagine what you said." Miss Prudence had, through much trial and error, helped her dress for bed and also regaled her with tales of how unfair she found the lot of the servants. Last night, Emilia was too relieved the night was over to be alarmed, but now she worried whether this "Miss Finch" would give her a reputation for rousing the rabble before this was over. "Can't you simply do your job quietly? I've done it for years and never managed to start a riot."

"Oh, it's nothing like that," Prudence said, still munching on toast. "Their employers should at least care for their education. Do you know many of them can't read more than the label on a bottle? I'm simply opening their eyes to the injustices they face."

"Well, I've barely opened mine to anything." Emilia yawned. She shouldn't be so exhausted. They hadn't even danced last night, but perhaps anticipating it, knowing she'd have to do the lady's movements rather than the male parts she'd got herself used to when practicing with Miss Charity, was exhausting enough as a thought. "Miss Prudence, I'd prefer if you don't—"

"I wish you'd call me Pru."

Emilia shook her head. "It will be enough to call you by my own name. And I'm not one for such familiarities."

Prudence stared at her a moment, then turned away. "Yet you let Charity call you 'Em' to her heart's content."

"Miss Charity is... different," she finished carefully. That was a mild way of putting it. Even before Charity's little adventure, there had been a closeness between them that she couldn't imagine having with Prudence.