In Which Claire Meets Lady Lisle

I first met Lady Lisle on a sunny Wednesday in February. Her first impression of me was, I'm afraid, rather poor. The previous night's heavy rains had left the streets very muddy and I had to pick my way over or around countless puddles. My diligence ultimately came to naught when a rogue keg of beer tipped off of a wagon ahead of me into a particularly deep puddle. I was sprayed with filthy water and lost my footing, sliding halfway down into a particular deep puddle. As if that wasn't bad enough, the keg had been compromised by the impact. Before I had time to respond to the shock of my situation, I heard fizzing. The keg seemed to burst at the seams and I watched in horror as the wave of beer thoroughly drenched my stockings and the bottom of my skirts.

I waved away the hand of the wagon driver and got to my feet. What was I to do now? This was a catastrophe. I don't know how long I stood there, but it was long enough that when I decided there was no option but to explain my misfortune, I was running late.

I presented myself at the service entrance. A wide-eyed scullion answered the door.

"Hello, my name is Claire Seymour, I have an appointment for the position of companion to Lady Lisle."

She looked at me rather doubtfully for a moment, but evidently decided I was probably not as disreputable as I appeared and brought me inside.

"You had best stay here while I fetch Mrs. Brendan, the housekeeper," she told me, looking at my sodden and muddy garments. "But you may be more comfortable if you go through that door there as you must be cold and there is a nice fire going in the kitchens.

Mrs. Brendan was duly summoned and I took advantage of her astonishment at my appearance to provide an explanation.

"Please, madam, I know my appearance is very objectionable and I must reek of beer... I'm afraid I had the misfortune to run afoul of a rogue keg and a puddle on my way here... I did not know what to do, so I came anyway, but I suppose that was foolish..." I turned, thinking I had better see myself out.

"Wait a minute there," Mrs. Brendan said. "While I cannot present you to the lady of the house like this, I am not so cruel as all that. You must at least come dry yourself by the fire and have something hot to drink or you will catch your death of cold."

"Thank you," I said meekly and sat down in the chair she indicated by the fire.

She bustled off, instructing the maid to bring me tea.

Sometime later, Mrs. Brendan returned looking rather hassled.

"Well, dear, Lady Lisle insists she will still interview you," she muttered.

Pulling a handkerchief from her pocket, she poured a bit of water on it from a nearby pitcher then turned back to me and began scrubbing my face. I was so taken off guard by these attentions that I made no protest and simply waited for her to finish.

"Bridget, fetch your Sunday best and be quick about it," she ordered the maid.

Satisfied with my face, Mrs. Brendan began tugging at my dress and was in the process of lifting it over my head when I was abruptly left stranded with my head in my frock. Something had caught and I tugged helplessly trying to get it over my head.

"Mrs. Brendan?" I said, unable to disentangle myself and feeling rather like a doll who had been cast aside.

"Whatever are you doing?" a feminine voice asked, a note of disapproval evident in the tone.

"I thought to put her in Bridget's Sunday best before bringing her to you, Lady Lisle," Mrs. Brendan's voice said and I froze.

"Ah. Well, please give us some privacy, all of you."

I began to tug frantically at my stuck dress but it seemed to be caught on the pins in my hair..

"Goodness, you are a sight," Lady Lisle remarked as I finally managed to free my dress and tug it back down.

She was an attractive woman of indeterminate age with distinctive grey eyes. Her nose wrinkled ever so slightly as she looked me over.

"Have you been drinking?" she demanded sharply.

"No, Lady Lisle," I answered miserably, my head hanging dejectedly. "On my way here, a keg of beer fell off a wagon into a puddle in front of me... I'm afraid I was taken by surprise and lost my footing. I slid into the puddle and the keg then burst upon me."

She was silent for so long that I finally looked up. It took me a moment to understand what was happening, as her expression was neutral, but the penny finally dropped as I saw her shoulders shaking ever so slightly.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me. I do not mean to make light of your misfortune. It is just your expression and the serious way you spoke just now, and finding you half undressed as I did..."

Regaining her composure with apparent difficulty, she looked at me again and frowned.

"And why were you late?"

"The puddle, Lady Lisle..."

"Are you telling me falling into a puddle took you twenty minutes?"

"Oh dear... No, I did not realize I was so very late. I was unsure what to do and I suppose I wasted time being indecisive..."

"I see. I understand you have served as companion to an acquaintance of a friend of mine for a year. If I take you on, you should know that I deal with tardiness and other infractions strictly."

"Yes, my lady."

"If at any time you find yourself unable to tolerate my rules or expectations, you may tell me so and I will release you with a month's wages."

I goggled at her. I had never heard of such a thing. I had certainly not received such consideration from my last employer.

"I am very strict," she said again, smiling slightly.

I nodded as if it made perfect sense to me that strictness would necessarily relate to such generous terms.

"I will expect you to perform the same sorts of duties you did for the acquaintance of my friend. Do you understand?"

I looked into her cool grey eyes trying to divine if she meant what I thought she did or not. It seemed a shocking idea to me that she might know the things I'd gotten up to with Mrs. Debenham, my erstwhile employer. That is, the things I had gotten up to until her mother-in-law caught me on my knees with my head between her legs.

Since I would not object to serving this woman as I had Mrs. Debenham, I felt no pressing need to clarify her expectations. Indeed, part of me rather hoped for just that sort of arrangement.

"I understand, my lady," I said firmly.

"Very well, then, I think you shall do nicely. I wish to fill the position immediately, so if it is agreeable to you, we will begin a two-week trial period immediately."

"Yes, my lady," I beamed, delighted that my mishap with the puddle had not ruined my prospects.

An hour later, I had been shown to my new quarters and instructed to bathe so that I would not be mistaken for a drunkard. When I emerged from the bath, I had nothing to wear but the robe from the bathroom. However, a maid soon knocked on the door bearing clean garments that I was told I should wear until my things had been retrieved from my lodgings.

I dressed and sat down by the fire to dry my hair. Sometime later, there was an urgent knock on the door and the same maid appeared.

"Oh Miss, you must hurry, you are late for luncheon," she told me urgently.

She hustled me down to the dining room where Lady Lisle sat waiting.

Although she did not burst into the fit of rage I had half expected, my new mistress did give me a look that sent a tingle up my spine.

"We will talk about your tardiness later," was all she said.

It felt rather unfair as I had not known I would be expected anywhere. However, I was anxious to avoid causing further offense and therefore only nodded my acceptance.

Lady Lisle may have been irked with me, but she was perfectly civil while we ate. She asked if I had traveled often with Mrs. Debenham, and I told her of the few trips we had taken.

After the meal, I was told I might have an hour to do as I pleased but to present myself promptly thereafter to the study on the first floor.