CHAPTER 14
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*Woodhouse Residence, Belgravia/Buckingham Palace, Westminster*
Three ladies stood before me in the family living room, each eyeing me up as stood in my day dress, my hair braided over one shoulder, being analysed.
Elizabeth, Charlotte and Florence looked like royalty compared to me, which further proved how much I needed them.
"So..." Elizabeth started. "Where do we start?"
I frowned. "I am not that bad..."
"We will give it to you over your posture..." Florence remarked. "It's impeccable and cannot be faulted..."
I smiled a little.
"But there are a lot of other things that need to be...fixed?" Elizabeth remarked as the others turned to her, agreeing.
"First...what do you do when someone greets you?"
"I say 'hello'?"
"No...you say good morning!"
"Depending on the time of day..." Charlotte added.
"And...you curtsy..." Elizabeth remarked. "Show us your curtsy!"
I put my right leg in front of my left and dipped, leaning forward - how I had always curtsied.
"I think that is where we start..." Charlotte remarked, possibly horrified by how terrible my curtsy was.
"Your back remains straight...always!" Elizabeth came to me and fixed my position. "Your head drops a little and you never make eye contact..." She demonstrated next to me and I copied her, losing my balance a few times.
"If it is a man you are greeting, he will give your hand a kiss, but you must offer it to him..." Florence added, demonstrating the curtsy with her hand out, her head dropped.
After this, we moved on to walking. "The key is to look like you are floating...not walking..."
"And how do I do that?" I questioned Charlotte as she gestured to Florence to demonstrate.
She walked like an angel and I was in awe at how she was able to do that without stumbling.
"Keep your back straight and move your feet a little by little..." Florence explained. "Do not slump and drag your feet..."
I followed her instructions, but I tripped on my own feet, stumbling to the floor.
Cosette came over to me and nudged my head and I smiled.
This was going to be a long day,
***
"This thing is worth more than your entire year's wages!" Bertie scolded a maid, who stood stoic, her head down in shame as other maids stood around, ready to console the poor woman. They had all heard or experienced the Prince of Wales's tirades before - he had a terrible temper, particularly towards the household staff and servants and the accidental burning of the silk lining of his tweed riding jacket left him horrified.
The maids had tried to fix the situation but burnt silk was hard to salvage.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" He cried as the maid refused to look up, but spoke gently.
YOU ARE READING
Ada & The Queen (The Woodhouse Series #3)
Historical FictionAdelaide 'Ada' Woodhouse is in love. Her studies at the University of London have come to an end and she begins to work at the British Museum, honing her research and literary skills in the archives department, while still refusing to venture into t...
