Measuring

A/N: a snippet from Julia and Emmaline's first Season

------------------------------------------------------------------

“What a delightful evening,” sighed Mrs Harte, settling herself into the carriage of her friend, Mrs Cunningham.

That lady smiled her agreement before turning to her granddaughter who sat next to her.  “How did you enjoy the concert, Emmaline?”

“Oh, I’m no real judge of music, Grandmama.  You must ask Julia for particulars.”

Miss Julia Harte sat next to her mother and directly opposite Mrs Cunningham, engaged in arranging her skirts as the carriage began to move.

“Well, Julia?” asked Mrs Cunningham.  “Did the music transport you?”

Unable to avoid replying, Julia said, “I’m afraid not, Mrs Cunningham.  The performance lacked both taste and execution.  We could have saved the money and I would have done better at home.”

“I am sure the concert held some attractions, however,” smiled her mother.  “I noticed you and Emmaline flirting with the Patterson brothers.”

“Mama!  That is an outrageous charge.  We were not flirting, I assure you.  Certainly not with... Mr Patterson’s face is too round, and Mr Simon’s is too narrow.  Am I not right, Emmaline?”

Her friend nodded.  “In fact, Julia and I were agreeing the other day that we felt just like Goldilocks!  All the men are either too tall or too short, too thin or too stout, too quiet or too garrulous.  We have yet to find a gentleman who is ‘just right’.”

There was general laughter at this, and the older ladies assured their charges that ‘Mr Just Right’ was sure to make an appearance, eventually.

A couple of days later, Julia and Emmaline were deciding on what to wear to a party.  They knew most of the other people on the invitation list and foresaw very little enjoyment from attending the gathering.

“I have absolutely nothing to wear!” Julia exclaimed, after going through her gowns for the fifth time.

“What about that new sarcenet?  That shade of blue is so becoming on you,” suggested Emmaline.

Her friend shook her head, making her curls bounce.  “I’m not wasting a new gown, however becoming, on tonight.  There’ll be nobody there to be impressed by it, but plenty of people who will remember it when I wear it at the ball on Saturday.  That gown demands an Occasion for its first outing.

“In fact, I know exactly what I’m going to wear,” and she pulled out a rather severe gown in a dark brown.

“But Julia, that is so plain!”

“It exactly suits my mood, Emmaline.  And it has this advantage; nobody at tonight’s party will have ever seen me wear it.”

That evening, the four ladies arrived at the party, which was being held in an even more fashionable part of London than they were staying in.  In vain Emmaline and Julia scanned the room for a new face but the ‘select gathering’ was made up of people they were all too familiar with.  With a sigh, they moved towards the refreshment table to avail themselves of a glass of punch.

“Allow me, ladies,” said a voice, as a hand took hold of the ladle just before Julia could reach it.

Startled, she looked up into a face that was neither too round nor too narrow, and a pair of eyes that were just the right shade of hazel.

“Oh... er... thank you... sir...” she stuttered, realising the colour was rising to her cheeks and feeling uncommonly foolish.

“One glass for you, Miss Harte, and one for you, Miss Lenoire,” replied the gentleman, before serving himself.

Emmaline saw that her friend’s thoughts were too far away for conversation and stepped in to make up the deficit.  “You appear to have the advantage of us, sir,” she said with an arch smile.

“My apologies, ladies; where are my manners?  My name is Hanford-Crawley.  I took the liberty of learning your names from our kind hostess, who assured me you were the most sought-after young ladies in London, and she was most gratified when you accepted her invitation.”

“I shall go and tell her how glad we were to accept,” said Emmaline slipping quietly away.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur of happiness for Julia and she looked forward to meeting Mr Hanford-Crawley at many future events, including Saturday’s ball.