In Service of the Queen
by Davina Lee
An alternative future of women and their adventures
*
Author's Note
At the end of the previous chapter, Adelaide sat down alone at the kitchen table to pen a letter to her deported love, Tiara. She's upset that she hasn't heard back, despite sending the letters to Tiara's emergency contact address listed on her youth hostel application. But perhaps upsetting her more is the fact she got the address from Group Captain Thorne, the woman who always hits on her at the café. The woman La Résistance wants Adelaide to get close to.
Has Adelaide sold her soul for the possibility of securing information that will aid the partisans hiding out in the old wartime shelters and plotting against the queen's military aggression? How far will Adelaide go to get that information? And if it involves getting close to Thorne, how will that affect her relationship with Tiara?
This chapter picks up the next day.
* * *
Chapter 17: Dressing the Part
Empyrea City Administration Building, 8:00 a.m.
Adelaide paused inside the low-ceilinged vestibule, just inside the first set of double doors separating the administration building from the world outside. As she swapped her lunch pail to her other hand, reaching for the next door handle, a smartly attired woman in a hip-hugging skirt and jacket squeezed past her. The woman's stiletto heels clacked on the terrazzo floor as she detoured around Adelaide to a second set of doors to the right.
"Sorry," mumbled Adelaide as the woman breezed past.
A few more women walked by, some alone, others in pairs or trios, all looking like they were dressed for an elegant evening out rather than a day at work, and striding with purpose while Adelaide stood staring. Not a single woman paused to speak.
"They probably think I was here scrubbing the floors," mumbled Adelaide to no one. "And now I'm heading home as they start their day."
Adelaide cast her eyes to her plain blue trousers and scuffed shoes. She looked at the lunch pail in her hands. "Not that I can blame them."
Another woman, smartly dressed in a pencil skirt and blouse combo marched past, her heels clicking out double time.
"And they've all got somewhere to be." Adelaide blew out a sigh and turned to shuffle toward the wide expanse of marble top that served as the front desk.
"Yes?" said the woman behind the desk.
"I'm here for... um, I have an appointment with Captain Thorne at eight o'clock."
"You're late," said the woman.
"Yes, sorry. The trolleys are... Listen. Um. Is there anyway you could call up or--?"
"Adelaide? Adelaide Walker?" said a voice from behind.
Adelaide spun around. She looked at the woman squeezed into a tight crimson dress with a slit far enough up the side to give just a peek at the top of her stocking. "Gisela?" said Adelaide.
"You're late," was Gisela's only reply.
"Yes, well the trolleys are--"
"Don't tell me," said Gisela, spinning on her heel. "You can explain yourself to Thorne."
"Um, okay," said Adelaide, hustling to keep up as Gisela's stilettos clacked out time on the terrazzo.
"You just roll in from your night job?" quipped Gisela, as the pair headed for the stairwell.
"My... um...?"
"The way you're dressed," said Gisela, mounting the first step with Adelaide in tow.
"Yeah, about that. I didn't know it was--"
"Don't tell me," repeated Gisela. "You can explain yourself to Thorne."
"You mentioned that already."
* * *
Group Captain Thorne's office, one minute later
"You're late," said Thorne, eyeing Adelaide up and down as she stood beside Gisela, just inside the office door.
"Yes, well, the trolley--"
"Save the excuses," said Thorne. "This is the last time. Is that understood?"
"Um... okay?"
Beside Adelaide, Gisela let out an audible sigh.
"Yes, ma'am or no, ma'am," said Thorne.
Adelaide stared.
"Listen," said Thorne. "You're working in the queen's service now. You need to make some adjustments to your punctuality, your manners, and your attention to detail. Is that clear?"
"Um, yeah... yes... um, ma'am."
"Yes ma'am, you understand or yes ma'am, you're planning to be fashionably late again?"
"Yes, ma'am. I understand. I... um... I'm not planning to be late again."
"Very well," said Thorne. Standing up to walk around to the front of her desk, she straightened the coat of her dress blue uniform.
Adelaide stiffened a little as Thorne approached. To her side, Gisela was smirking.
"Laundry day, is it?" asked Thorne, touching her finger to the cuff of Adelaide's plain work shirt.
"Ma'am?"
"And you brought your lunch pail too, I see."
"Uh..."
Beside Adelaide, Gisela's smirk grew into a full blown grin.
"This is not the night shift. You're not here to slip in and tidy things up while everyone of importance is asleep in their beds. This is a job where you will be seen. Where you will interact with people. Important people. And you will be expected to look the part. Is that clear?"
"Um...?"
"We practiced this Adelaide. Not five minutes ago. Yes, ma'am or no, ma'am. Which is it?"
"I don't know... uh, ma'am."
"Look at Gisela," said Thorne. "Go ahead. Take a look."
Adelaide turned her gaze. Gisela was back to smirking, but biting her lip to avoid a full-on Cheshire grin. Though she still managed to look sultry in her skin tight dress with its slit high up the side.
"Now look at yourself."
Adelaide stared at her shoes.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am, but--"
"But, what?"
"I don't..."
"You don't know how to dress yourself?" said Thorne. "Honestly, I would have expected you to at least try."
"None of my clothes look like Gisela's," blurted Adelaide.
"Then we shall have to remedy that," said Thorne. Thorne turned to Gisela. "Take her into town. Get her something to wear so she won't stick out like a sore thumb."
Gisela took Adelaide by the elbow.
"And leave your lunch pail on the table by the door," said Thorne. "You can eat later. After you look like you fit in here."
* * *
Downtown Empyrea City, twenty minutes later
"How do you walk in those things?" asked Adelaide, dropping her gaze to Gisela's heels as they hustled down the sidewalk.
Gisela stopped in front of the door to a shop in the middle of the block with its shades pulled to half-closed. Gisela said nothing, only reached to tug at the door handle.
"Is this place even open?"
A bell high on the door frame tinkled as Gisela opened the door. She gestured for Adelaide to follow.
"I guess so," mumbled Adelaide.
* * *
With Gisela taking up position behind her, Adelaide looked around the inside of the shop. Displayed on the walls were dresses similar to what Gisela wore and some quite a bit shorter. On the floor of the shop, some of the flashier dresses had been placed on mannequins to show them off in three dimensions.
Adelaide let her eyes wander to the mannequins in their poses with hands on hips and swelling bosoms pushed out. Adelaide looked down at her own chest and sighed.
"Good morning, friends," said a woman, parting a curtain to breeze in from the back room. "What can I help you with today?"
Adelaide stared at the woman, starting from her stilettos that rivaled Gisela's and moving up her toned and stocking-clad legs to the short and clingy skirt. Adelaide stopped there when Gisela elbowed her in the ribs.
"Um," said Adelaide. "I, um..."
"She's one of the new office girls," said Gisela. "She needs to dress the part. Thorne sent us."
"Ah," said the woman, lifting her nose in the air and turning on her heel. "I see."
While the woman marched to the back wall, Adelaide managed to raise her gaze long enough to watch her go. Adelaide let her eyes settle on the wide, black choker necklace adorning the woman's neck.
"And how is Group Captain Thorne these days?" asked the woman as she reached up to pluck a dress from its hanger on the wall. It was one of the shorter-hemmed ones.
"Energetic and as much a perfectionist as ever."
The shop woman stopped and touched her finger to the choker around her neck, circling part way around as she lowered the dress from its place on the wall.
"Of course," said the woman, turning to march back to where Adelaide stood with Gisela. She was holding a dress on a hanger. "Suzuka," she said, turning her eyes to Adelaide.
"Um..." responded Adelaide.
"My name," said the woman. "It's Suzuka."
"Oh, um..." repeated Adelaide, staring at the diminutive dress Suzuka thrust toward her.
Beside Adelaide, Gisela snickered. "Her name's Adelaide. I'm sure she would have told you eventually."
"I'm not wearing that," said Adelaide, taking a step back.
"Friend Adelaide," said Suzuka, scanning Adelaide from head to toe and back again. "You're a very pretty girl, despite your poor fashion choices. Let's see how your flower blooms with the right clothes, shall we?"
Adelaide continued staring at the dress. "There's not much to it," she said. "I don't know if I'm--"
"You won't know until you try," said Suzuka, holding the dress by its hanger and pushing it closer.
Gisela was grinning now.
"You're small framed. Slim in the hips. This dress will complement you perfectly," said Suzuka.
"Fine," said Adelaide, snatching the dress by its hanger and lifting it so the hanger was under her chin. "Is there a mirror?"
No one said anything.
"What?" said Adelaide, finally.
"You can't just hold it up," said Gisela. "You have to put it on."
"Okay...?"
Suzuka stared. Gisela stared.
"Right here?" Adelaide frowned. "No way. I'm not stripping right here."
"There's a changing room if you must," said Suzuka.
"Yeah, I must."
Adelaide, clutched the dress and stomped off toward the curtained alcove where Suzuka gestured.
* * *
When Adelaide emerged from the dressing room in shimmering electric blue satin, she hugged herself around the waist and stared at the floor.
"Let's see you," said Suzuka, stepping forward. "All of you."
"I don't think this dress is me."
Suzuka tugged at Adelaide's hand, pulling her arm away from her body. "Hands at your side," she commanded.
Adelaide stared at the floor, but let her hands drop to her side.
"Straighten up. That hunched posture has no place here or in the office pool." Suzuka walked behind Adelaide, stuck her hand in the small of Adelaide's back and gave her a shove. "Stick those tits out."
