It was inevitable that Mary should feel mixed emotions at returning to Ludestre. It had been nearly seven years since she had entered employment as Alicia’s governess, and in that time she had left the dukedom only thrice, all three times to visit her mother. In all that time she had never returned to the city of smog, and for the most part she did not regret it. For her, memories of Ludestre would forever be entwined with those of the Academia Magnolis; and while she had performed well, and had made several lifelong friends, it was no accident that she had left the city as soon as she graduated. She had been given several offers from professors of both employment and matrimony, but she turned them all down. The thought of spending her whole life within the walls of the inner city was maddening.

In her experience, the city was like a monstrous beast, consuming the time, freedom, and ultimately life of those less fortunate. Or perhaps that wasn’t quite right--less a beast, and more a machine, one massive contraption whose inputs were the wretched masses and whose outputs were fancy gowns and parties with sugary confections. She had needed to leave, else she risked being worn ground to nothing in the fierce cogs of that machine.

Which was not to say that she was opposed to labor; quite the contrary. After all, she worked as a governess by her own volition. However, Mary had grown up in a small village, and she had spent her youth around the children of farmers and blacksmiths. They were poor, but it was a very different kind of poverty than the one that seemed to permeate all of Ludestre. At least in the countryside, each family had its own house, as basic as it may be, and there was little danger from the food, water, or air. In the city, the impoverished were packed into increasingly smaller rooms in increasingly larger buildings, crammed together like the pages of a novel. The air was dirty and caused plague and disease to run rampant.

Outside the train, the scattered farms and towns that surrounded the great city gradually became denser and more urban, until all at once they were within Ludestre proper. There was no clear dividing line between the city and the rest of the country; the old Ludestre wall had been overrun centuries ago, and now the urban sprawl seemed to spread unchecked across the land. The land around the train tracks was tended by the crown, low lying bushes and flowers surrounding the area. The buildings near the tracks were regulated and could not exceed a certain height, all to ensure that any travelers had a clear line of sight to the architectural marvels like the Ninesaints Cathedral and the Westbridge Clocktower.

She looked over at Lady Alicia; the girl had her eyes glued to the windows as well, staring out at the city with a mixture of awe and curiosity. The young lady would most likely see only the beauty and magnificence of the city, as Mary herself had nearly a decade before when she first came to the city to attend the Academy. Still, meeting Finnegan might inevitably introduce Lady Alicia to some of the city’s darker sights.

As they rode deeper into the city, Mary considered Lady Alicia’s rather strange request, two weeks back. There were very few reasons why a girl in her position would want to see a lawyer, and almost none of them were good. Still, Mary had decided to put her trust in her lady and had arranged a meeting with Finnegan, at no small risk to herself. If the Duke discovered her involvement, it could certainly be seen as grounds for termination of her employment. She would just have to hope he stayed busy enough with his own work that he didn’t pay any mind to their brief diversion.

Something peculiar had occurred during Lady Alicia’s blooming ceremony, of that Mary was now certain. Her charge had gone from a reticent student who struggled with longform division to one capable of solving differential problems with ease. Her behavior had changed in other, more subtle ways as well; she was less irritable and more inquisitive, and she seemed to be developing a greater interpersonal understanding. Then there were questions about persistence, and her strange dream. As much as she wanted to ask the young lady, Mary knew to leave well enough alone. She had never had more than a passing interest in theology, but even she could see the Ninefolded Hand at work in these events. Lady Alicia would tell her the truth if she earned her trust; until then, Mary could only aid in the girl’s purpose to the best of her abilities. Perhaps the best way to do that would be to assist her maid as well.

Outside the window, she could see the quickly approaching Saint Welren station. She gave herself a little shake to put aside such thoughts; soon they would disembark, and she would need to have her wits about her. She looked over Lucille, only to find her looking out the window with an expression of utmost awe.

“It’s quite something, isn’t it?” Mary said to the maid. The whole of the station lay beneath a massive archway made of glass and steel, over a hundred feet tall and ten times as long, which shielded the station from the elements while preserving a largely unobstructed view of the sky. The train began to slow as it pulled into the station, and suddenly they were inside, surrounded by the glass canopy.

“I had no idea that man could make such a thing,” Lucille replied, awe clear in her low voice.

“It is a feat of technical engineering, to be sure. It was only completed about eight years ago as well,” Mary replied. “I had the chance to hear the architect speak, once. Working with glass is apparently far more difficult than you might imagine.”

Lucille nodded, staring up at the raised glass ceiling above. Her expression was nearly identical to that of Lady Alicia, on the other side of the car, and Mary had to suppress a smile. It was a reminder that they were both countryborn, and as such unprepared for both the grandeur and the dangers of the city. It was true that Alicia would need her guidance, but perhaps she could spare some for the maid as well.

She had never given Lucille much consideration before, seeing her only as one of the many servants in the estate. Still, Mary knew from the servant’s gossip that Alicia was not well-liked by many of the maids, and that much of that sentiment was carried over to her maid as well. It occurred to her that Lucille and herself were alike; different in status and education, to be sure, but they were both separated from the rest of the house, and they both served Lady Alicia. She wondered if Lucille often found herself feeling lonely as well.

“Have you never been to the city before, Lucille?” Mary asked.

The maid shook her head. “Never, Miss Hartwright. I was born in Kansington, and then I left to work at the estate. I’ve never even left the Dukedom before.”

“Are you excited, then? Or perhaps frightened?”

“Well, both, I suppose. Although if I’m being completely honest, I’m more frightened for my lady than anything.” At this, Lucille lowered her voice. Mary glanced over at Lady Alicia, who had regained her composure and was sitting once more with her back in perfect rigid posture. “She’s been worrying over this trip for the past fortnight, although she tries not to let it show. I think she’s far more worried for the tea party than she’s willing to even admit to herself.”

Before Mary had a chance to respond, the train came to a complete stop. Since it was a luxury carriage, the door had a magnolic circuit that triggered as the train came to rest, swinging open and revealing the station beyond. The air quickly took on that faint familiar smell of ash that she always associated with Ludestre. She stood up along with Lucille and the other servants and stepped out of the train, meeting the waiting party of servants from the Senius family’s town house. Soon everything devolved into the mundane chaos of disembarking, moving luggage, and arranging carriages. In the end, she wouldn’t get another chance to talk to the maid until later the next morning.

~*~

It would have to be the teal dress, Lucille finally decided, with the dark green bonnet. She was in the room that had been assigned to Lady Alicia for their stay, staring into the closet with an expression of concentration. Miss Alicia had left the choice of what to wear to the tea party up to her maid, and Lucille was determined not to disappoint. Before they left the estate, she had packed six different dresses into a trunk, plus a separate trunk just for undergarments, accessories, and jewelry. Now she just needed to select the correct one for the tea party. The problem that she quickly found herself running into, however, was that she had no idea what style was currently fashionable in the capitol. On the estate, it was enough to just ensure that her Lady was presentable, but it was a whole different story for Lady Alicia’s public debut, with the whole reputation of the Senius family on the line.

After the train ride, the city servants had met them at the station and arranged for a carriage. They had arrived at the townhouse near sunset, and she barely had time to see her Lady off to dinner before she found herself busy with unpacking all the luggage and ensuring that the room was acceptable for Lady Alicia. Then she had helped her Lady undress, before taking the clothes to the house’s laundress. It wasn’t more than she was accustomed to doing, but the travel had left her already tired, and by the time she had finally been shown her bed in the servant’s quarters, she had fallen asleep nearly instantly.

Now it was the morning of the tea party, and she would soon need to assist her Lady in getting dressed. She reached out to pull the teal dress from the shelf of the wardrobe, and then hesitated. What if the design was outdated, or worse, seen as too risque? One’s clothing always made the first impression, after all. Perhaps it would be better to select the light pink dress, with the light blue embroidery at the bottom? Or would that seem too childish, when Alicia has just Bloomed?

There was a sharp rap on the door, followed by the door swiftly opening. That was enough for her to know that this was a noble; a fellow servant would give her the chance to open it. She was somewhat surprised to see Miss Hartwright enter, wearing the familiar black dress of the governess, a slim book underneath one arm.

“Good morning, Lucille,” the governess said. “Lady Alicia mentioned you would be choosing her outfit today, and I thought you might want some assistance.” She held out the book for Lucille to take.

The cover was bound in cloth, with a stylized depiction of a lady in a dress. “What is this?” The maid asked.

“It’s a publication detailing last year’s fashions. It’s delicate, so do be careful with it. I thought you might find it useful.” She paused for a moment. “You do know your letters, yes?”

Lucille flushed at the question. “Yes, Miss Hartwright, although I’m not a very quick reader.”

Miss Hartwright waved one hand dismissively. “That’s hardly an issue--the book is largely illustrations, in any case.” Lucille opened it to a random page, which contained a few lines of text about the fashionable length for a petticoat’s hemline, as well as an illustration showing a few different styles of petticoats.

“Thank you,” she said. “How did you know I needed help?”

Miss Hartwright gave her a tight smile. “I know that you are quite competent, but nobody could expect you to keep track of the fashions of the capitol. I believe that we both have a vested interest in our Lady’s debut today.” She took a look at the dresses within the wardrobe, and then carefully pulled out the teal one, holding it up to assess it. “This is suitable for today’s occasion, I should think.”

“I had thought so as well,” Lucille replied, taking the dress from the governess’ hands and placing it on the bed. “When would you like me to return the book, Miss Hartwright?”

The governess laughed softly. “You misunderstand. It is a gift, to ensure our lady’s success. Be sure to use it well.”

Lucille felt her eyes go wide with shock. A bound book was a princely gift, even one as slim as this; it would have cost her close to a month of wages, and even the governess could not have found it cheap.

“I regret that I have business to attend to, so I cannot assist you further. Good luck, Lucille.” She left then, without waiting for a reply.

Lucille stood there for a while more, staring at the book that she had been given. It was the first she had ever owned, and she made a vow to herself that she would use its contents to help her Lady. Later, she would need to find the time to read it from front to back, so that she could be as prepared as possible. For the moment, she would have to trust in Miss Hartwright’s judgement. She began to unpack the various undergarments that she would need, preparing for Lady Alicia’s return.