That the head maid is not always what she seems was what Glasgow learned that night, and she wondered if Newcastle dragged her to the social gathering just to show her that and not because she spent too much of her free time reading comics alone.
She wasn't surprised to see Belfast—thanks to her enviable beauty—surrounded by admirers with hearts in their eyes, just like a town belle. But to see the usually strict and stiff—to her anyway—maid laughing along with them, seemingly relishing in the attention—she didn't really expect that.
"Well, what do you think, Glasgow?" she heard her sister speaking; she, too, had been watching from the corner, a spot where she could drink in peace.
"I don't know. The head maid… she's enjoying herself for real. I'm still trying to process this."
"I've told you she's a woman of many layers," Newcastle chuckled. The dance was about to start, and men began to ask Belfast for the honor of being their partner.
Glasgow blinked as Belfast graciously turned them all down—even that handsome gentleman, who was very polite, to boot. At least he took it well, though. Some left Belfast cursing, and that disgusted Glasgow a lot.
Several women, seeing the men get turned down, tried their luck. Belfast turned them down the same, all while keeping intermittent glances at the entrance.
"…I don't get it. I get it that some of those people look shady, but to turn down even the ones who are not…why is that?" Glasgow turned to Newcastle again. She let out another chuckle at that.
"Certainly, Belfast wouldn't just dance with anyone, dear."
"But, if the master asks, she would—"
"Of course. But there's another one who doesn't even need to ask, and she will be here anytime soon," Newcastle replied. Glasgow silently grumbled. Why must her sister be so vague?
"Oh, there she is," Newcastle, who, like Belfast, had been watching the entrance, said just as Edinburgh came bursting through the door. Glasgow was amazed she didn't trip and fall with how clumsy she usually was and how fast she was running.
"Oh, you are here, finally. Took you a while," Belfast offered her newly-arrived sister an icy greeting, which proved to be simply a façade because she let out a little laugh afterward.
"Sorry. Traffic, and…you see, I forgot my wallet right after I went out, so I must go back. But at least the dance hasn't started yet."
Belfast smiled.
"It's about to be. Let us go, dear sister."
Glasgow soon found out the two sisters were good at step-dancing. And while she was surprised by how practiced Edinburgh's movements were and how she kept them in perfect sync with her sister, Belfast ended up surprising her even more.
Was the woman she saw letting loose on the dance floor really the head maid?
"How nice it is," Newcastle remarked. Her smile was warm.
"But…how…?"
"Even with all her flaws, the perfectionist Belfast can never seem to bring herself to be harsh with Edinburgh," Newcastle replied. "I suppose Edinburgh has always been an influence on her, no matter how subtle. She's the older sister, indeed. "
"I don't get it."
"To have someone you care about is a wonderful thing, Glasgow; that's the answer. And that's why I'm thankful I have you, Sheffield, and Southampton."
"Ah…Ahhh…I…" Glasgow frantically covered her reddening cheeks with her hands to hide them, but Newcastle had seen them already. She didn't comment on that to spare her sister further embarrassment.
"Well then, and since we are here, why don't we join those two?"
"We…? But…"
"We are sisters, too, aren't we?"
"But I can't…"
"I can't either," laughing, Newcastle offered her hand again.
This time, Glasgow did not resist.
