A/N: A little chance for Alice to do her magic. Enjoy.

Chapter 10

NPOV

Alice moved into action. She informed Jacob that he would need to send for his clothes and valet if he meant to stay. Then she wrote a quick note and sent it out with a servant. She explained that she was sending for her modiste. She ordered the gentlemen from the room and explained that we had women's work to attend to. She called her maid and led me to an upper floor where I was escorted into a room done all in creamy brown and pale gold.

There was a small desk and chair, an open dressing area and vanity, and a connecting door which led to a small room which held a bathing tub and towels as well as a chamber pot surrounded by a screen. At the far end of that room was another door. Alice led me to the vanity and sat me down. She looked at my face in the mirror and squinted. She walked around me lifting my chin and turning my face this way and that. Finally she turned to her maid, whose name was Angela and asked "Where to start?"

"If I may, my lady," the maid began, "I believe that we should unbind her hair and see what we have. Then we should burn that dress. I would guess she is comparable in size to you. We can at least find her a shift to fit. That way Madame Baptiste will have a foundation to begin."

"I agree. Ness, will you help us unbind your hair? It is difficult to see so tightly wound."

I pulled the five pins I wore at the base of the bun that sat at the nape of my neck. My hair was fine, but curled, so when it fell and unwound itself it expanded somewhat. It hung almost to my waist, and had been a major bone of contention with Mrs. Cope. She constantly complained that red hair was considered unfashionable. Thus she insisted that I bind it and wear a mop cap until she decided to auction me. Then she allowed it to hang free. She said gentlemen like long hair. Still I worried that its colour would displease Alice. I looked down, not wanting to catch her eyes in the mirror.

"Oh my," said Angela in a whisper.

"Indeed," said Alice.

I lifted my eyes and began to apologize. "I know it is not at all fashionable to have red hair. Some of the girls spoke of soaking it in strong tea to muddy the colour to a more brown tone." I spoke quickly to attempt to ameliorate the damage.

"Don't you dare!" came a very male voice from the bathing room. Jacob entered the room in a very determined way. "Alice, I swear if you even consider dying her hair…"

"Peace, Jacob. I would never even think of altering the beautiful Titian tone of this glory." She leaned down and spoke to me in the mirror. "Every woman you meet will envy this mane, Ness, and every man will be fascinated by the play of light upon your tresses. You are quite lucky, my dear."

I searched her face for any deceit, but saw only guilelessness. I breathed a sigh of relief and watched Jacob smile at his friend. "Thank you, Alice."

"I thought you trusted me?"

"I do, I do. It is simply that I do not wish Ness to be altered into one of those twittering nincompoops of the ton." He placed his hands upon my shoulders and bent to my ear. "You have allurements and temptations that I would miss were they to be stripped from you."

I blushed at the compliment and smiled despite my attempts not to.

"See, there is one now," he said and kissed my cheek.

"Enough," Alice said sternly. "The modiste will be here soon and we need to present her a canvas that she accepts as a lady. Now go and amuse yourself, elsewhere."

"As you wish, I really wanted only to thank you for the room. Then Jasper pointed out the connecting room and I heard you in here with my little bird, and I had to come and see your progress."

"We have yet to make any, now go," she said pushing him from the room. "Tell Jasper to take you to the club. We will be most of the afternoon. Inform my husband that dinner will be served at eight. I will reveal our progress then. Now be gone."

Jacob smiled at me as he left, and Alice shut the door behind him. "Now let us begin," she said.

Angela brushed my hair with a soft bristled brush made of silver. When she was finished it shone. Then she began to twist and pin it in a sweeping style which utilized the curls to frame my face and made me look so much more polished than I had ever before imagined. Then it was on to clothing.

They were quite serious about burning the dress I wore. Alice said she had never seen anything so hideous in all her born days. Then she asked me with incredible care if I would be uncomfortable if she remained while Angela dressed me.

"Oh, I do not require assistance," I said shedding the garment in an instant. Angela let out a startled sound and rushed to cover me with a dressing gown. I was a bit confused until Alice calmed her and turned to me.

"Ness, ladies have maids to assist in dressing and undressing because they tend to wear significantly more clothes than you had on. I should have realized that your upbringing would not make that clear. I am sorry."

"Oh," I said feeling quite foolish. "Living in a…" I paused looking at Angela and realizing that it might be indelicate to divulge my upbringing before a servant.

"Not to worry, Ness, Angela is the soul of discretion; you need not fear saying anything before her. Besides, she can assist in educating you on the differences between proper behavior, and behavior which would raise suspicion."

I nodded. "Living in a brothel does not lend itself to discretion or modesty."

Alice laughed lightly. "I would suspect not. I would bet, however, that it does lend itself to exposing one to certain knowledge that many of the ladies of the ton only wished they had."

I looked at her completely confused. What knowledge could I have that society ladies would desire?

"Most ladies marry as complete innocents, Ness. I know that when my friend Rosalie was preparing to marry Emmett she was quite unaware of things between men and women. She is Lord Cullen's daughter, remember, the young lady I served as companion?" I nodded. "She is a year older than I am, and was just eighteen when she accepted Lord McCarty's proposal. I was the only fried she had who had any concept of what the marital act might entail, and my experience was not something I hoped for her. We discussed the practicalities, but that was really all I knew. When she became a wife she had quite a learning curve. When I decided to become Jasper's mistress… Well, I consulted her about her experiences."

Angela had exited the room and returned with an armful of material, just as Alice was finishing. She covered her mouth and giggled.

"Hush, Angela. Anyway, she taught me that I needed to relax and have trust in Jasper to guide me. He did, and it has been nothing but lovely. I have wondered, at times, though, if there were tricks of the trade that accomplished mistresses and doves know that we wives do not."

"Oh, I…" I licked my lips. "I have witnessed much, but have no real experience, save last evening."

Alice smiled. "There will be plenty of time to share stories later. Now we must get to work."

Work it was. They began by sliding a garment over my head. It was made of cotton and cut low. They called it a shift. It had short, snug sleeves and hung loosely to mid-shin. Next came a snug vest like contraption that came over the breast and snuggly cinched round my ribcage. It tied at the back of the straps over my shoulders and round the top of my breasts and had hard supports that Alice called "short stays." Angela tightened the string under my bosom and then the straps and suddenly my breasts looked fuller and more pronounced. "Lovely," she said.

Finally came a sleeveless garment with a ruffled hem. Angela turned me round and began the process of lacing up the back. She pulled it quite snug and I felt myself stand taller. When she was finished she turned me to the full length mirror and I saw a young woman. I no longer looked like myself to my eyes. I looked taller, and shapelier than I imagined myself. "I understand why you require assistance now."

"Well, you are now fit to meet Madam Baptiste. She will take your measurements and we will make some choices in fabric and fashions."

The modiste arrived and we did as Alice said. She took a tape and ran it round my neck, my arms, and my waist. She measured the length of my limbs, my torso, anywhere she could find. The woman was French and spoke with a heavy accent. Alice spoke the language and they conversed rapidly. When the measurements were taken we sat and looked at a book containing sketches. Alice chose dresses, trimmings, fabrics and laces. She ordered undergarments that would be made just for me, and after more hours than I could count signed the order form and told the modiste to send the bill to her, and she would see it delivered to Jacob.

Then Alice and Angela led me to the lady's room of the house. There they opened a series of wardrobes. I had never seen such sumptuous fabrics, nor such beautiful colors. Alice pulled several dresses from the collection and held them up to me. Finally she chose a dress of deep green. Angela slid it over my head and laced up the back. It curved low to frame my breasts, had sweetly capped sleeves, and an overskirt of filmy embroidered tulle. I kept running my palms down the skirts just to feel the satiny texture.

"Angela, you have outdone yourself."

I raised my eyes to the mirror before me and saw a mirage. There stood a woman who looked like me only more. She stood tall, her hair was stylish. Her dress complimented her coloring and made her look womanly and sophisticated. I hardly recognized myself.

"I believe you will more than do," Alice smiled. "Now while I change we can begin to revise your background. We will begin to finesse things and try it out on the men at dinner."

I took a seat and we discussed how to massage my story so that it was not a lie, but not strictly the whole truth. Instead of residing in a "nunnery" I was raised in a convent. The doves became "sisters" and Mrs. Cope became "Mother Superior." It explained why I was not out in society, but also made Jacob look a bit more respectable. Alice said that the Duke often thought Jacob's associations were less than desirable, and that associating him with a girl raised in a religious order would raise him in his father's eyes.

At seven bells Alice and I descended the stairs and entered the evening drawing room. It was paneled in deep rich wood. The carpet was the color of claret wine and the furniture was cushioned in an elegant burgundy satin. The gentlemen were already seated and talking quietly when the butler showed us in. Both men rose as we entered and I suddenly felt like a costumed fraud. In an instant Jasper was bending over my hand and smiling. "Good evening Miss Renesmee. Can I get you a drink?"

I was unsure of the proper response. I turned to Alice and she smiled. "I think we could both do with a glass of sherry, Love."

Jasper took Alice's hands and raised them to his lips. "Of course, dearest, anything you desire."

Then I heard a soft clearing of a throat and turned to find Jacob before me. He was dressed in a fine blue tailcoat, dark trousers, a buff waistcoat embroidered with gold, and a cravat tied in the most exquisite knot I had ever seen. His dark eyes bore into me and never left my face as he took my hand and sketched a bow over it. "Can this be my little bird? I have never seen her in such exquisite plumage."

"It is I," I said blushing. "The costume is borrowed from Alice, but the girl remains the same."

"I am glad to hear it," he said taking my hand and tucking it into the crook of his arm. "I can hardly wait to peel away the layers."

My eyes bulged at his words and he chuckled as he led me to sit on the settee beside him. Thus began an evening of conversation and incredible food and wine. I was certain I was dreaming, but I felt at ease and welcomed in this company. Perhaps I really could enter Jacob's sphere and not be an embarrassment. I said a prayer that I could, as the evening progressed and tried to enjoy myself, and my love.