Nanny Diaries 3 - Pride and Prejudice

Trial Runs

"Nicola, dear...it is not laced tight at all...but it does take some getting used to, which is, of course, precisely why some trial runs are appropriate at your age." Mum said, although giving us advice on wearing a corset was slightly ridiculous, considering she had only been wearing one for a few months herself, and never laced down much, which was acceptable for a Daughter of Eve of her age, admittedly. "We will just be socialising around the villa but for this morning at least, we are treating you like a maiden...and maidens do not squirm like that, dear."

"I am so sorry, Auntie Elizabeth...I was just trying to get comfortable..." Nicola said, doing her best to sit still and look elegant, in one of my DiMarco gowns, in pale pink and white.

"Sit at the front of the chair, keep your back straight and your chin up," Helen suggested with an indulgent smile. I had no idea who had suggested giving Nicola and me a chance to practice for our future maidenhoods, but Mama looked very proud of her eldest daughter. I was making rather a better job of things, obviously. Dressed in navy blue and white pin stripes, and laced down to just twenty inches, which was three inches off my best, which had been achieved for Bella's wedding, I had got into a good position, even if I was already feeling the heat. Not just the heat of being on trial, which was rather more pertinent for me than it was for Nicola, who still had another year at Deepdene to complete, but also the heat of the morning. We were out on the terrace, sitting around the table, and we were in the shade, only an hour after we had eaten our breakfast with our sisters, but it was already boiling. "And you rest your hands lightly in your lap...that's it, well done, darling."

"Thank you, Mummy." Nicola said, although her thin smile was rather pained, as if she was finding it all rather difficult. She had never worn a gown before, let alone a corset, and it was quite a shock to the system for the poor dear. I had not jumped right into the formal dress code of a Daughter of Eve, of course. I started off by wearing some simple gowns during a trip to Charlesfield, loaned to me by Sheila Blackstone, as she then was, but without the dreaded corset. But Nicola was going the whole hog all at once, and she was nervous, and just a little overwhelmed by the experience.

"This is something we can do here, without offending anyone." Mum continued, giving me a particularly stern look, I thought, before smiling more benignly at Nicola. "Nicola dear, you have another year at Deepdene before there is any question of maidenhood, but when we are away...such as now...or at home, with no guests to concern ourselves with...it makes sense to let you get used to things, before coming of age."

"Friday nights, we thought," Helen added, resting her hand on Nicola's arm. "Dinner...with Papa and me...and Daphne, of course."

"But Daphne...you are not to get carried away, dear." Mum said, turning back to me. "After recent...events...it would be quite inappropriate to resume your maidenhood...and your father and I have no intention of allowing it before Christmas...at the earliest...is that clear?"

"Of course, Mummy." I replied, because it was, but it was also a disappointment. I had never asked how long my third childhood was going to last, because I had finally accepted that it was not my decision to make. I knew that I had to prove that I was ready, and I realised that I could only do that by acknowledging my place as a nursling. But it was July. Even if I was going to be allowed to practice for my maidenhood, mum was sentencing me to at least six months more in the nursery, and probably another term at Deepdene. I looked at Helen, and she nodded, just as mum slipped a pacifier into my mouth, before doing the same to both Nicola and Helen.

"Good...now, the three of you can sit here quietly whilst I go fetch Susannah and Sheila. It is a lovely morning and Gayle is going to read from the bible, whilst you enjoy the view. I am going to watch the girls swim for a little while." Mum announced, and five minutes later, Sheila and Susannah were sitting with us, silenced, and Gayle Brewster was reading to us. I sat still as expected, and listened, whilst watching my sisters splashing in the pool with Nanny. I did not think it was much of a treat, on the whole. The morning seemed to last forever.