A Secret Ambition

XIV

"Having a sister or a friend is like sitting at night in a lighted house. Those outside can watch you if they want, but you need not see them. You simply say, "Here are the perimeters of our attention. If you prowl around under the windows till the crickets go silent, we will pull the shades. If you wish us to suffer your envious curiosity, you must permit us not to notice it." Anyone with one solid human bond is that smug, and it is the smugness as much as the comfort and safety that lonely people covet and admire." Marilynne Robinson, Housekeeping

---- 

XIV.

Lily was used to slipping back inside of her uncle's home at the end of the day. It was not because she was presented in a suspicious way. After all, her cousin departed the house every morning dressed in a man's attire. But she preferred to scurry on upstairs and change into something typical of the Lady Lily Beresford before she sat down to dine.

Except when she returned home that evening, Lily found that the house was filled with a familiar noise. A comforting noise. And perhaps one might have found Lily to be quite mad to find the sounds of her grandmother's chastising comforting, but she did.

For a moment, Lily forgot all about her deception.

"Breeches!" Cecily Beresford fanned herself in the most histrionic of ways.

Lily had happened upon the great scene in the entry foyer. What was usually an empty space upon her homecoming was suddenly filled with people. It seemed that Jack and Jackie had beaten Lily home by mere minutes, and Cecily had happened upon them before Jackie, too, had had a chance to change into something befitting of a lady of her station.

Lily's whole family had come to join her with her aunt, uncle, and cousins. There was Mama, standing by her grandmother as she rolled her eyes and tried to pull at Cecily's dramatic fan. There was Perrie, and Joe, and Anna, and Charlie, and Alice, and ... where was Papa?

Lily looked around for him with her eyebrows furrowed, but her searched was quickly interrupted as Cecily went on.

"What would I be forced to say had I brought you a gentleman caller, hm?" Cecily challenged, throwing her hands in the air as Jackie tried to hide her smirk.

The look on her cousin's face made Lily smile, too. She never saw much resemblance between Jackie and her father, but that look on her face matched Jack's exactly. Jackie possessed her father's ability to challenge, and vex, Cecily.

Perhaps that was why Jack was not saying anything. Instead, he took a step back to stand beside Claire.

"I imagine it would be something along the lines of, 'Oh Lord, she has legs! Two of them, even!'"

Jack burst into a fit of laughter as Jackie appeared quite pleased with herself after receiving her father's approval.

Cecily glared at Jack. "Is this," she pointed at Jackie's breeches, "your doing? What are people to say?"

"You heard Jackie. She has legs. Alert the church elders!" Jack sniggered.

"You are not amusing, Jack!" Cecily hissed, to which Jack replied, "I think I'm terribly funny."

"Grandmamma!" Jackie appealed, going to her grandmother to take her hand. "Please, it is not a great problem, I promise. It is not as though I am going to balls dressed this way. It is simply impractical to be on the floor in Papa's factory wearing a skirt."

Cecily stared at her, before muttering, "Where did I go wrong? All I asked of you, God, is for a debut season free from scandal. And now all the genteel folk are going to know that my granddaughter has legs. Two of them!"