It was early in the morning when Mary found herself awake, feeling hot and stifled between the heavy bedsheets. Her head ached slightly as she sat upright, surveyed her plain bedchamber for a while, and finally slipped out of bed. The room was chilly – it was mid-October, and summer was definitely over now.
She was already dressed by the time Martha entered, without a breakfast tray. The maid beamed at her as Mary looked on, puzzled.
'It's your birthday, Miss Mary! Your uncle hoped you'd eat breakfast in the parlour with him and Colin today…'
'Oh, yes! I'll come downstairs right away.' Mary replied, smiling back. She pulled on some shoes and headed down the main stairway.
The parlour was a great deal warmer than upstairs – there was a welcoming fire in the grate, by which her uncle and cousin were seated in large armchairs. A table nearby was laden with hot buttered toast and a pot of tea. Upon seeing her, Colin leapt up from his seat and pulled her into a chair near him, laughing. Mary began to help herself to some toast and jam, but she could not ignore her uncle's gaze as she ate. He was frowning slightly, but then again, wasn't that usual for him? Colin chatted to her contentedly, completely unaware.
'As I was saying, Mary, your presents are in the corner there...I was hoping you'd open them this morning. I'm sure you'll like them.' He said, his eyes sparkling. Mary smiled back at him.
'Of course I will. I'll open them in a minute, when I've finished eating…'
Colin was right – the presents were lovely. He had chosen her a lovely china blue dress of the finest satin, with slippers to match. There was also French perfume that smelled like roses, which was almost as delightful as the scent of the roses in the Garden, in summer. All that remained was a little box. Mary opened it to reveal a beautiful silver locket. Mary could hardly contain her excitement, and kissed her cousin on the cheek, grinning.
'Oh, Colin! These are so lovely…you must have gone to so much trouble…' she said, and he tweaked her nose slightly, making her giggle.
'I want you to wear them to dinner this evening, as it's your birthday. She'll look wonderful, won't she, Father?' Colin said, turning to the older man in the chair. His father smiled and nodded, but Mary noticed there wasn't a twinkle in his eye.