“Come on, what did you expect?” she replied with a grin.
“Does anyone else really miss Corrine?” Vita added as she tentatively held up the hem of the petticoat by the tips of her fingers. Serena dropped it back, pulling out more items—bodices, more whitish undergarments, silk dresses, cotton pinafores, and men’s items too, shirts and trousers. They looked the most normal of the lot, but there probably wouldn’t be enough menswear to go around, as the boys would need most of it.
After a few minutes, we’d managed to make three piles—one of the menswear items that we’d take down to the others, one of clothing that under no circumstances would any of us be caught dead in, and a pile, mostly of undergarments, that we thought were viable options—they looked like they’d cover enough of the body to be acceptable, but were less thick than the outer layers.
“I can’t understand how they wore so many clothes back then,” I murmured in astonishment. “Underwear that’s basically a full outfit, and then more layers on top of that.”
Vita shrugged, eyeing the outfits warily. “I guess they were just used to it. But you’re right. I couldn’t imagine ever wearing so much stuff…getting ready must have been exhausting.”
“Servants,” Serena replied. “They probably helped. And I guess in those days, the women just sat around looking pretty.”
I held up one of the more flouncy, silk ensembles.
“I do declare, Draven, you are mighty fine,” I crowed in my best Southern drawl.
Serena was not impressed. She rolled her eyes at me and snatched the dress out of my hands, dumping it back into the ‘don’t even go there’ pile.
“Shut it,” she replied.
I batted my eyelids, laughing.
“You’ve got to admit—both he and Bijarki are handsome specimens. And unless I’m mistaken, the Druid seems particularly fond of you.”
“Only because I’ve spent the most time with him,” Serena retorted, her cheeks aflame. “It’s not a big deal. Plus, he saved my life—so I can’t help but feel a bit of appreciation for him, can I?”
“It’s not a criticism,” I replied with a grin. “I’m warming to the Druid anyway. I think he’s genuinely trying to help us.”
“Me too,” Vita added. She swiftly changed the subject, picking up a few of the undergarments. “Let’s try some of these on, see if they fit.”
Serena nodded gratefully, pulling out the nearest dress. A few moments later we were all looking at one another and grinning at our appearances. We looked a bit like Amish women—the dresses were a simple white cotton, tight at the bodice, but respectfully so, and then flowing down into loose skirts. They weren’t ideal, but they would be better than wearing our pajamas constantly, and would probably be a bit cooler.
“Actually, I have to say, both of you look really good,” Serena observed, her grin growing wider as Vita twirled around in the dress.
“Same to you,” I replied truthfully. The dress matched her alabaster skin, and made her shock of black hair stand out all the more. She was so small that the bodice was slightly loose on her, but other than that, the dress fit perfectly.
“Let’s get downstairs,” Serena stated. “The others will be waiting, we can try the rest on later.”
I scooped up the men’s stuff, while Serena and Vita carted the rest of the acceptable garments off between them. I took one look around the attic before heading back down the staircase. It was roomy and spacious, and I liked the vast amounts of light it got compared to the rest of the house. If we were going to be staying here any longer, I wondered if it would be a more suitable place for us to sleep.
“What’s up?” Serena asked, noticing my hesitation.
“Just thinking it’s the nicest room in the house…if we were staying any longer, I’d suggest moving up here.”
“I was thinking the same,” she agreed. “I guess it just depends what’s going to happen next.”
I nodded, glancing at both the girls.
How much longer would our stay be?
Vita
Once we’d dropped off the clothes with the others and had breakfast, it was time for another training session with the Druid. This time, instead of taking us down into the basement, he led us outside. Bijarki followed behind him, both carrying bags of equipment that Draven had told us were for the session.
As soon as I’d seen Bijarki at the breakfast table, I regretted my choice of attire. It seemed to please him, his eyes travelling from my bare feet, as we hadn’t managed to find any shoes yet, up to the slightly revealing bodice. He abruptly looked away as Draven cleared his throat. I had flushed, feeling strangely light-headed, and eaten my breakfast in silence.