Princess of Glass - Jessica Day George [47]
She crouched down and reached under her pillow to make sure the little white sachet was still there. It was. She plucked it out and held it to her nose. Still fragrant with herbs after all these years, the muslin bag had been a gift from Walter Vogel. He had given sachets to Poppy and all her sisters some ten years ago, to ward off bad dreams. Hers didn’t seem to be working anymore, though it still smelled as fresh as always.
Something else to write to Galen about. Poppy wished she could ask Walter, but his work in Westfalin was done, though Poppy and her sisters still missed the strange old man. She wondered if there was some way to summon him, for surely his knowledge of magic was needed here in Breton now.
She got up and wrote a note to Galen and Rose, including the strange dream, the questions about her sachet, and the possibility of reaching Walter Vogel. She sealed and addressed it so that it could go out with the first post, but even so it would reach Galen and Rose far too late to help. Marianne’s birthday ball was only two days away, and Poppy was sure that “Lady Ella” would be in attendance, causing even more mayhem than before.
Christian and Lady Margaret could talk of little else, and Marianne burst into tears whenever anyone mentioned either Ella or the royal gala. Dickon had needed two more doses of the potion, which seemed to wear off after a day, and Roger was frantically trying to brew more of the malodorous stuff, but was having trouble locating one of the ingredients. And the Thwaite’s stillroom maid had turned off the spirit lamp under Poppy’s pot of boiling wool, and now she would have to start all over again with the herbs and rainwater.
Roger had come to the house twice specifically to call on Ellen and try to winkle out her plans for the upcoming ball, but both times the girl conveniently vanished.
But when Poppy saw the dress that Lady Margaret had had made for her to wear to Marianne’s ball, she resolved that she would confront Ellen in front of all the guests if “Lady Ella” wore a copy of it.
It was of deep violet satin with an overskirt of smoky gray tissue that softened the color underneath and made Poppy look and feel like a fairy princess. There was silver embroidery around the neckline, and matching satin shoes. She already had a violet silk choker she wore to enliven a white gown she had inherited from Lily.
“And look at mine,” Marianne burbled, her thoughts taken away from Lady Ella for the first time all day. “Just look!”
Poppy looked, and applauded. Marianne would outshine everyone in such a gown, and Poppy felt some of the tension in her shoulders unknot. Marianne’s gown was rose-colored satin with a faint tracery of gold embroidery around the sleeves and hem. Lady Margaret was going to let Marianne wear the pearl tiara and necklace—each with a single pink diamond as a centerpiece—that had been her wedding gift from Lord Richard.
Poppy twirled Marianne around. “You’ll be gorgeous!”
“Yes, gorgeous, Lady Marianne,” echoed a voice from the doorway. Ellen stood there with a tea tray in her hands and a funny little smile on her face.
Poppy took the tray before Ellen contrived to spill the tea on either gown. Although Ellen had been remarkably graceful of late, Poppy was taking no chances.
“Don’t even think about it,” Poppy warned as Ellen’s blue eyes lit on the silver and violet gown.
“I won’t,” Ellen retorted, curtsied, and sidled out.
“There’s no need to be harsh,” Lady Margaret said gently.
Knowing that Lady Margaret still wouldn’t believe her, and not wanting to weather the floods of tears from Marianne that a mention of Lady Ella would bring, Poppy apologized. Then she turned her attention back to the ball gowns, admiring the fine stitching and dramatic layers of skirts.
But Lady Margaret was still staring at the closed door with an expression of concern on her face. “I just don’t know what to do about that girl,” she murmured. “She wanted to attend the royal gala so badly; but now