C8 The Letter from Feledencia
The next morning when Lady Francseca was about to meet the handmaid recruited by Lady Margaret, there was a letter sent from Feledencia, particularly from the duchess herself. It was directly addressed for the young maiden and not for Lady Margaret.
And as expected, she was right on what she was thinking all along. Her father had actually fell into the manipulative hands of his second wife’s scheme, making her feel disappointed on how far his deceased father had let the enemy into their lives. Was she wrong all along to consider his father to be a literate and intelligent man? Then, why did he gone this far in handling over his own daughter over the scheme of a wicked woman? Was it just because she is a woman of his liking after her mom?
Lady Francesca’s thought was troubled with many unanswered questions that she knew all along would never be answered as the one she was asking was already at the other side of the world. What was once lost, could never be found again especially when it was death we are talking about. We have no power over it.
The letter goes saying…
‘Greetings Francesca!
How was Verindale? Oh! I forgot, we were not in such type of relationship to care about such matter. Two weeks more and your eighteenth birthday will come. You will be legal by then, that means you can do whatever you will like after that, certainly. But celebration was way too early right, especially when father had planned things out for you long before you know?
Make sure to come home before that and we will have an important celebration to celebrate first before your birthday.
Your ever lovely stepmom,
Duchess Carlotta August-Chandler
Clenching her fist on the hem of her plain white thin sleeping chemise, Francesca could feel the strong ignited range, anger and disappointed on how things unfolds for her. Her chest was tightening with the verification she got.
Even with no direct affirmation, she was smart enough to figure out what does her stepmom means on saying ‘...but celebration was way too early right, especially when father had planned things out for you long before you know?’
There will be no other possible way Duchess Carlotta would be saying such if not about engagement. Arranged marriage. What more important event matter to her stepmom before her birthday? Most definitely, it would be something that would limit her from grasping her full potentials and rights as the rightful heiress of the dukedom.
The easiest means to do that without bloodshed, which will be unlikely, as the first male cousin of Francesca from her father’s side would be succeeding the title as per the rules of the peerages, will be marriage.
Once married in a mad men era, where superiority was mostly concentrated on the species of men and less for women, it would be hard for Lady Francesca to take control on the wealth and title of her much-loved duchy.
What a perfect plan for the power hungry August? The Feledencian heiress couldn’t help but to think with gritted teeth. This type of expression was most definitely prohibited in the code of proper decorum for every ladyship, but Francesca could care less now that she was at the edge of her temper.
She really need to act fast now or else the August’s woman’s plan will prevail without fail.
The young lady was taken aback her senses when someone knocked at her door. It was Lady Margaret’s handmaid.
“My lady! Lady Margaret was asking for your presence at the salon. Your new handmaid had arrived and was waiting for you there. Would you mind if I assist you in your gown?” she offered from the outside.
Lady Francesca walked over the door; and opened it. Right. She was not Eloisa nor Sussana who held double keys for her room to open on their own without her assistance from the inside.
“Come in,” she invited and paved the way.
She then hastily proceeded into the washroom to do her basic morning routine before going down. It happened that a hideous letter had gotten into her room first that literally came into her way to attend on her usual morning grooming up routine.
Lady Margaret’s handmaid helped her in putting into her casual dress with a fair puff on both sides of her arms; square neckline; and emerald green long flowy skirt kissing the ankle of her feet. A pair of plain white gloves was also worn to completes her look.
As for her fierce auburn hair, it was just twisted into a clean bun, leaving few strands on the both side of her temples to emphasized her slightly pointed chin. Light makeup was applied on her face to highlight her naturally beautiful face.
***
Meanwhile, Lady Margaret was attending into the new temporary handmaid of Francesca. She had asked few close friends in the flee market yesterday about some recommendations about the job hiring she was offering; and most of them had suggested the same name.
“I believe I have called the right person. And just to make sure, let me asked this. Your name is Catherine Gunner, right?” the old Anderson woman asked the blonde woman sitting opposite hers in the salon.
She was quite early than expected. It was a good indicator on how punctual the woman was. Lady Margaret had asked her handmaid to inform Lady Francesca about the appearance of her soon-to-be handmaid, if she approved it, of course. Since she was the one who will be availing the service, she should be the one to make the call for hiring the blonde applicant or not.
Her face and overall physique was way beyond the standard commoner beauty as the ton knew it; and her service was to be depicted as smooth and graceful as her customers in the clothing boutique she was temporary working at, described her. She was also young and almost at the age of early twenty’s.
The blonde woman nod in response. “I, certainly, am, your ladyship,” she replied with a refreshing smile on her face. Her cheeks were naturally turning into light pinch of pink in doing so. Even Lady Margaret couldn’t believe she was just an ordinary woman working in the flee market.
“Out of curiosity, may I ask. Why are you leaving your present job for this? I hope I had made it clear that being my granddaughter’s handmaid would only be temporary for as long she wishes to stay here. After that, I will have no guarantee about giving you yet another job,” Lady Margaret explained the consequences.
Instead of losing the bright smile on her face, the applicant maintained her composure.
“Pardon my insolence, but I am always been fascinated by the sparkling lives of the nobles. And even as a handmaid, I still wish to be with the fancy groups of people under a serenading violin music,” she answered.
Just when Lady Margaret was about to comment on her ambition, Lady Francesca had made an entrance with her handmaid tailing after her.
She was still as gorgeous as she was yesterday and the other day. The unique, elegant, and classy beauty of her mother, the late Savrina Anderson-Chandler, remains ageless with her lovely daughter.
Catherine Gunner’s composure was finally shaken when she saw the woman whom she was supposed to be working at once she officially gets into the job. Great! Why does it have to be her? She thought.
On the other hand, Lady Francesca was sharing the same intensity of surprised as the blonde woman with the sight in front of her. It was the same reckless, atrocious blonde woman she caught doing something inappropriate inside the clothing boutique.
Was she seriously going to be my handmaid? Was that kind of a woman going to do perform her duty as much as Eloisa does? For that moment, she temporarily forgot about her problem with her stepmom; and focused mainly on the pressing issue standing right in front of where she stood.
