Chapter Five
The next event of note consisted of a reply, by letter, from Lady Maundevyle. This missive, penned upon the very best hot-pressed paper, and smelling faintly of something floral, was delivered to Gussie’s cottage late upon the following morning, and brought to her by her maid.
‘From the Towers, miss,’ said the maid, putting the paper, seal broken, into Gussie’s hands. ‘Her ladyship had it sent over.’
Gussie quickly opened it up.
‘What an unconscionable scrawl,’ she said, much struck by the poor quality of the handwriting. ‘Her last letter was not near so bad.’
‘What does it say?’ said Miss Frostell, looking up from her labours. She was engaged in stitching Gussie’s latest creative masterpiece into matched panels of burgundy brocade, and stuffing them with cotton.
‘She de
