asterofpomerania:
Overt sarcasm was new. Curious. Her instinct was to shut it down, to snap her fingers and command one of the guards – there were always guards, lurking in the shadows – to tell the woman who she was. She liked it when they realized, the horror on their faces. The soft murmurs, the low curtseys. But this was England, and she would try something new.
“Hear what?” Aster prodded. The girl was still shrieking. The hair would have to be dealt with swiftly or be unsalvageable, but it was not good hair to begin. Better to put her in a wig. “I hear nothing.”
The hallway was boring. The city was boring, too, but the enclosed space was particularly dull, with no one other than this other, non-waxy woman, to entertain her.
Aster sighed.
“Come with me.” The satin of her gown rustled as she turned, making her way back to the stairs. “I saw cakes in the sunny room.”
Well maybe she could afford to ignore Juliet and her family. Or maybe she was deaf in one ear. Always an option. Juliet was probably going to miss the rest of the Season, but she was young. There was always next year. Her family could send her off to the seaside for the summer, where she could hide and recover.
Eleanor smirked and caught up to the scary girl. She made a note to always keep an eye out for the blonde in the future. She didn’t plan to give her a reason to put wax in her hair or something worse, but you never knew the motives during the Season. Some people got upset if you looked at their potential interests in a certain way, and they would retaliate or act preemptively.
The accent did catch her interest. German, right? There seemed to be more of them hanging around this year than usual. “Have you been in London long?” A girl came down the stairs, a cake in hand. When she saw the blonde, she pressed up against the railing, giving her a wide berth even though she wasn’t even holding a candle. Hmm. Probably a smart move.
