Page 27 of A Pure Lady for the Broken Duke

“Oh, how long have you been standing there?” Jenny asked as she turned from putting away her laundry and seeing Claudia. She wound a ribbon around her hand, then put it in her ribbon box.

“Not long,” Claudia said shyly.

“What?” Jenny asked. “Did you want to ask me something?”

Claudia took a step farther into the room. “I wanted to ask you about the dress the Duke gave you?”

“Very well. What do you wish to know?”

Again, Claudia became hesitant. “I was wondering if I might borrow it the evening Jeremiah comes for dinner. It is such a lovely dress and I…”

“Try it on. Let us see if it fits you?” But Jenny had reservations. Claudia was so thin after her spurt of growth, and she did not see how it would work.

“May I?” Claudia asked eagerly as she went over to the armoire and took out the dress the Duke gave her and held it up for examination.

“It is so lovely…”

Jenny took the dress and prepared to help Claudia into it. “Go ahead. Try it on,”

Claudia shed her housedress and let Jenny slip the dress over her head. But as soon as it settled on her, it was apparent it was much too large. Claudia looked like a child trying on her mother’s clothes. And it was clear she was disappointed.

“Maybe I have something else,” Jenny suggested. “We certainly do want you to look your best for Jeremiah.”

Claudia quickly removed the dress, letting it fall to the floor, went directly to the armoire, and began looking through Jenny’s dresses.

“What about this one,” she asked, holding up one of Jenny’s Sunday best dresses.

“That is nice, but that too will be too big for you. Here, let me look at some of my older dresses that I have outgrown.”

Jenny began looking at the far side of the armoire where she had relegated her older clothes.

“Ah, what about this one? I think it might fit?” She held up a sunny yellow dress with white flowers.

Claudia made a face. “Is that not too much of a morning dress? I think it not suitable as evening wear.”

Jenny nodded. “Quite right.” She went looking again and finding another took it out. “What about this?”

It was a slim beige dress with small white dots in an attractive pattern. “You could wear this with your camel shawl and it would be very dressy.”

“I like that,” Claudia said, becoming enthusiastic. “Let me try it on.”

It fit perfectly, and it made her look almost like a grown woman. Jenny went over to her, took her hair and arranged it around her head in such a way that it made her look even more mature.

“Do you like that?”

“Oh, yes, Jenny. Will you do my hair for me on the evening?”

“Of course.”

“May I take the dress with me now?”

“You may.”

Claudia turned to leave but stopped at the door and said, “Please do not wear the Duke’s dress on the evening. I cannot have you looking even better than me,” she said giggling.

“I promise you shall be the star of the evening, my dear sister.”

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