Our Lords and Ladies

The Ride

    "Chop chop! The horses are becoming quite agitated. They'll be galloping off themselves given another minute!"

    The Macdonalds help, Miss Angela, lean and fair, pushed the three girls out of the manor and into the green courtyard which bestowed the beautiful begonias of the late Lady Macdonald.

    It was clear her favourite colour may have been red.

    Mary, Lily, and Daisy rushed to said carriage where Lord Macdonald lounged checking his watch. Counting each tick in which the girls were late.

    "At last! I thought you girls had a change of heart." He said lowering his arm, and Daisy curtseyed, almost tripping on her step into the cart.

    "Sorry Papa, will not happen again." Mary apologised red faced.

    The girls were only late from Daisy oversleeping. She was full of anxiety and doubt of travelling far from home. Yet it was only around an hour away. She was never the one to venture to far from comfort.

    "We're sorry your Lordship." Lily bowed.

    "Not to dwell. Now let's get going shall we?" He clicked his fingers.

   And the crack of the coachman's whip sent the wheels spinning.

    Butterflies so common to the flowers swarmed Daisy's stomach like a greenhouse. Her parents had wished her farewell for her trip and told her to have fun. But when it finally came to leaving, she almost wished she had stayed.

    Lily was very excited on the contrast. She was in love with the exquisiteness of balls and galas held for people dressed in gowns and suits. The art galleries that would always be full of those wealthy enough to step foot in. Cafes where beautiful girls would stop by for tea and gossip, then leave to stroll along local parks to feed the ducks.

    The sisters had dressed in their best. Petunias hand made gowns in their bags. Daisy settled for a green floral bodice on top of a white blouse, and a white skirt that stopped at her ankles.

Lily's silk purple dress was rounded at the neck and her puffy sleeves accentuated her shoulders. A matching hairband with a marigold perched on the side.

While Lady Macdonald would not have looked more dashing.

Her petticoat under her wide yellow dress made her hips look wider and her waist smaller. The top of her breasts on show as the neck of her dress dropped into a square, where a silver necklace pendant hung in the shape of a star.

The Lord himself had been tailored to perfection with a black suit with a tail that grazed the floor, and a top hat and cane by his side.

The scenery as the girls passed through England was to behold. Daisy had never seen such beautiful fields of flowers, only the ones in which she grew herself in her back garden. Her prized possessions.

They passed farms full of cattle and sheep until houses as big as castles were all she could see. The shops were full of graceful ladies and lords, something she didn't quite fit into. Furthering her nerves for joining in on the prestigious ball for Lord Sirius.

"Arrived!" The coachman had announced after a short while, and Lord Macdonald took the lead, holding the hand of each girl and helping them out of the carriage.

It was like stepping into another world. The town of Abington was so clean and perfect. Lanterens draped post to post in pastel, the street crowded with gowns and long coats, and children playing skittle ball on the grass pitches where their parents lounged with glasses of wine and prosecco under the shade of umbrellas.

Her own town was similar, just minus such wealth. There were a few lords and ladies, such as the Macdonald's, but the majority were hard working people who worked day and through night.

The house in which they stopped at was somehow larger than the Macdonald's home back in Rose Hill. The outside pink and white, the garden large and full of white life, and the gate black, tall, and strong, and open for them to step inside. Large men stood at either side with their hands behind their backs.

"Mary my dear, you remember where your quarters are?" The Lord asked.

"Yes Papa."

"Lily and Daisy, your bedrooms shall be beside my daughters. Mary will be delighted to show you."

The sisters nodded politely.

"As for your cousin who is yet to arrive from France, she shall be in the fourth room." And Daisy and Lily looked to Mary for more.

"Oh yes! I forgot, my cousin Dorcas shall be joining us. Though she's not from England which the invitation states, she's still a Lady and loves a good ball! He outfits are always so divine and rich. She shall be so pleased to find you two here!" The Lady clasped her hands in excitement.

So the three entered the manor and Lily was taken back by the space. A ball could be held here for all it mattered, under the bright and golden chandelier dangling from the foyers roof.

The bedrooms in which the sisters would stay looked identical from the red sheets to the maroon drapes which opened for the natural lighting to sprawl on the cream carpets.

It was triple the size of their bedrooms at home which was for sure.

And whilst they both unpacked their bags, they stopped to admire their sisters handmade dresses.

Lily's soft hand grazed the translucent green frill at the end of her sleeves.

And Daisy ogled over the lovely embroidery of daisies on the long hem of her pink dress.

The dresses were much more flamboyant as the two would have thought. But it was a prestige ball at the end of the day, and their sister knew her art well.

They'd fit in just as they wanted to.