Chapter Six
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Charlotte Plumb continued to monopolize Mama's time. No matter when I stopped by her suite, I discovered Joel's fiancée within the invalid chamber. Mama accepted her presence meekly and silently gave in to her demands. They set the wedding date for early June.
Maggie Wills, the local seamstress, appeared frequently. Yards of Chantilly lace and white organdy appeared in Mama's rooms. Miss Plumb stood on a small dais with fabrics draped about her body.
"I cannot abide high necklines," Lottie croaked, ripping away the high collar Maggie fashioned for the dress. Balling it in her fist, she threw it into the seamstress's face. "How many times do I have to tell you."
"Everstow brides are always covered completely by their gowns and veils," Mama quietly interrupted. "It's quite traditional."
"Traditions change," Lottie sneered, shrugging aside my mother's suggestion. "And it's about time. This entire place is suffocating with traditions."
Mama blanched and shrunk into her divan's cushions. A weak hand fluttered to her throat, and she gasped for air. Jane Grant appeared instantly with a bottle of smelling salt. She waved it beneath Mama's upturned nose, reviving her instantly.
"Miss Priscilla is here," Jane stated softly.
"Do come in, Priscilla," Mama invited warmly. "Maggie wishes to fit you for your bridesmaid attire."
"Yes, Mama," I replied, stepping fully into her sitting room.
After much pressure from Mama and Miss Plumb, I reluctantly agreed to act as a bridesmaid. I did not wish to become a part of the ceremony. I debated with myself about attending. Nevertheless, my parents thought I should represent the family and Grayson, who would act as an usher.
I gasped audibly when Maggie Wills approached me holding a chartreuse satin fabric. The color appalled me and certainly didn't suit my fair complexion.
"Ugh! I can't wear that color," I exclaimed haughtily.
"Certainly you can, Missy Prissy," Lottie remarked, approaching me. She pressed her scornful face close to mine. "It is my wedding, my decision. You'll wear my chosen color, or you won't participate in my wedding."
"Fine," I countered swiftly. "I won't participate."
"Really, Priscilla," Mama moaned, her face growing pale. "Mind your temper. Let's try to get along."
"Must I, Mama?" I wailed, sinking to my knees before the divan. I buried my head in her lap, and she ran her fingers through my long brown hair.
"I don't know why you are so against me, Miss Prissy," Charlotte exclaimed briskly. "Once I'm married to your darling brother, I will become your sister. We should act sisterly toward each other, shouldn't we?"
I shrank back, repulsed by the thought of her becoming my sibling by marriage. How could Joel bring this uncouth person into our lives? How could he become close enough to her to impregnate her?
What happened to my usually calm older brother? I wondered as I cringed away from Miss Charlotte. What occurred at Oxford to bring about the sudden change?
"Chartreuse is my favorite color," Lottie continued. She loomed above me with her hands planted firmly on her wide hips. "Moreover, my three sisters have not complained about the color. Nor my brother or father. They will arrive shortly before the ceremony. You have made the arrangements, dear mother, have you not?"
"Yes, certainly," Mama responded dully. At the tone of her voice, I knew she was not particularly thrilled about the Plumb clan's arrival. "We have set aside rooms on the second floor of the west wing."
Unwillingly, I allowed Maggie Will to drape the ugly colored fabric about my body. My stomach churned at the thought of wearing it, even for the shortest period. Nevertheless, Mama urged me to cooperate, and I swallowed my pride. As soon as I could depart, I sought out Grayson.
"Chartreuse, Gray!" I cried, plunking down beside him on the summerhouse steps.
"What's chartreuse?" my brother asked innocently.
"The bridesmaids' gowns," I moaned, clutching my stomach and pretending to vomit. "The color is ugly and bright. Miss Charlotte wants leg of mutton sleeves that stick out on the shoulders like balloons and tight from the elbows to the wrist. Oh, Gray, I feel sick. She couldn't have picked anything uglier."
"There, there," Grayson commiserated, patting my hand comfortingly. "It's only for one day. You can manage it, can't you, Prissy?"
"Oh, stop calling me that, Gray!" I shouted, unable to control my anguish. "Lottie is using it all the time now. I hate it. She doesn't have any rights. You're the only one who calls me Prissy."
"I'll try," my brother solemnly promised. "I'll even bite my tongue if it starts to come out." He stuck out his red tongue, then gently sunk his teeth into it.
"I love you for it, Gray," I exclaimed, leaning to kiss his cheek. "And, by the way, the men's waistcoats are in chartreuse too."
Grayson paled and shrank away. He had not considered that he would have to wear the sickening color.
"Furthermore, Charlotte's family is coming," I blurted, grasping his arm. "There are three sisters, a brother, and her father. There's going to occupy rooms in the west wing. I imagine they are all exactly like Miss Plumb. Oh, how could Joel do this to us?"
"Maybe…maybe they aren't so bad," Grayson remarked, but his Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed hard.
"I bet they're all exactly like her," I moaned, burying my face into my older sibling's shoulder.
"They'll all leave after the ceremony, Prissy, um, Priscilla," Gray firmly decided.
"But Charlotte will stay," I added, grimacing. "Forever and ever and ever."
Beside me, Grayson sighed heavily and pressed his arm into my shoulders. I snuggled into his warmth and let the tear trickle down my cheeks.
Spring's new birth did not hold the same pleasure for me as it usually did. The bright daffodils faded into a dull yellow, and the crocuses purple hues lost their luster. Winter clung to my heart, reaching out with icy fingers to choke back the season's freshness. I felt my happiness slipping away beneath the dominance of Charlotte Plumb.
Footsteps crunching on the gravel path alerted us to someone's approach. Glancing up, I noticed Joel striding toward us with his fiancée clinging to his elbow. She carried a lacy parasol and wore a wide-brimmed hat adorned with periwinkles and a long ostrich feather. When Joel whispered into her ear, she brayed with raucous laughter that echoed around the silent garden. My brother chuckled merrily.
"Oh," Lottie groaned when they stopped before Gray and me. "You're here." Her disdain showed in her voice. "It seems, Joel dear, we encounter the children wherever we go."
"Children!" I huffed, leaping to my feet. "I'll have you know I'm…"
"Save it, sis," Joel quipped, cutting me off. "Why don't you two find something else to do? Float your boats on the pond or something. Lottie and I want some time alone."
"Float out boats?" I sputtered, indignant. "We haven't floated boats on the pond since we were ten or eleven."
"Your brother is telling you to get lost," Charlotte interrupted hotly. "Take the hint and get lost. We have things to do."
"Yeah, and I know what you're going to do," I cut in, recalling the last time I encountered them in the summerhouse.
"Come on, Priscilla," Grayson urged, making a point of using my correct name. "We know when we aren't wanted." He strode purposely along the path and disappeared behind the hedgerows.
"We were here first, Joel," I snapped, hastening away. "Don't you forget that. We were here first."
"We heard you the first time, Missy Priss," Lottie hollered shrilly. I rushed away quickly, her cackle following me along the path.
"I hate her," I exclaimed as I rushed past Grayson, who meandered near the Venus fountain. "And I hate the color chartreuse."
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