All was set for the Prince's tea. Victoria and Al had gotten into matching frilly concoctions for garments. I was in a dress I had sewn that looked exactly like the maid outfits. A handkerchief covered my hair, and I was set.
The mother -daughter pair arranged themselves on the couch. The contrast between the two women was startling. Victoria was all curves and padding, for the years of eating had not been good to her. Al, on the other hand, had taken the idea of "fashionably thin" too far. She was all angles and bones. The gauntness of her face made her eyes look huge, their dull green color contrasting weirdly with her lank blond hair. She never ate, and so was unusually unhealthy, but nothing could convince her to eat.
I stood in the back, watching the pair as they waited for the prince to show up. When he did, he surprised me. What I expected was a rich, pompous brat who would insult us politely, then leave. But what I saw was a reserved boy my own age who certainly was not the dream that all the country girls giggled over when they came to visit.
He was tall, to be sure. I was tall for my age, and he would still stand a head or two over me. He was also wiry, but not athletically so. He had curly sandy-brown hair and brown eyes. He wouldn't scare anyone off, but he wasn't a Prince Charming.
Victoria, the prince commenting occasionally, mostly led the conversation. The weather, the latest fashion, the best dressmaker…I zoned out while pouring tea, and ended up dropping the china, my mother's best, on Al's lap. Fortunately, her abundant frills soaked up the tea, so she was not burned. Victoria took it upon herself to make this the topic of conversation.
"You stupid girl! Clean up this mess immediately! Be grateful my china did not break! Your Highness, this girl is an idiot. Her father was one as well, he never controlled her. I took her in out of charity. Ella! Clean this up now!"
I was an idiot! I tried keeping my anger under control, but it was too much. While I was acting as a servant, the real ones got more respect than this. She was merely trying to impress, but at the expense of my character. Before I went off on Victoria (my temper was fast rising) there was still a guest. I faced the prince, regally, and told him,
"Your Highness, I am sorry for the inconvenience. Perhaps it would be best if you left my house and came back at another time."
While he certainly looked confused in the change of the mild servant girl, he took the hint and decamped immediately.
As soon as his horse was heard riding away, I turned on Victoria.
"How dare you! I've kept up with this house for the past two years while you were too busy with your own gowns to notice that we have nothing compared to the nobles! I worked hard to make this land profitable, to pay for your food and your clothes and your frills and pillows. When I choose to be a servant, I still expect respect as such. And you should be ashamed of yourself for speaking ill of your late husband, and my FATHER!"
I was tempted to leave right then and there, but then I saw Al. While Victoria may be a nuisance, Al had no hope whatsoever. But I was head of the house, not Victoria, and Al was my sister, the only female my age I had ever known. I despised her, but I could not abandon her to her mother.
I left for the woods.