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"I look ridiculous," she said to her reflection "Utterly ridiculous" Her white dress was a mass of tucks and frills, adorned with more lace than any shepherdess could afford, and the bodice, while certainly not indecent, was cut lower than anything she'd ever worn before

"As if any shepherdess could run through the fields wearing this," sheat the dress Of course it was unlikely a shepherdess would be wearing a feathered mask, either, but that seemed neither here nor there co

"Oh, I don't care," she declared "No one will knoho I a untoward, at least I have this blasted crook"

With that, Elizabeth grabbed the crook and jabbed it in the air like a sword Satisfactorily armed, she marched out of the room and down the hall Before she reached the stairs, however, a door swung open, and a woht into Elizabeth

They both hit the carpet with a thud and a flurry of apologies Elizabeth clambered to her feet, then looked back down at the pu on her behind

"Do you need a hand up?" Elizabeth asked

The pureen ainly these days, I'm afraid"

It took Elizabeth a couple of blinks, but then she realized what the pu of her as a pu to her knees beside her "Are you all right? Is your " She h it was difficult to tell as the middle under the pumpkin costume

"I'm fine," the lady assured her "Only my pride is bruised, I assure you"

"Here, let me help you up" It was difficult to et the lady to her feet

"I aized "It's just that I was running so late, and I knowhis foot, and--"

"It was no trouble I assure you," Elizabeth said And then, because the lady was such a friendly purateful to you, actually This ht be the first time I haven't been the cause of such an accident I'hed "Since we are so well-acquainted, please allow me to be terribly forward and introduce myself I am Mrs Blake Ravenscroft, but I would bebut Caroline"

"I am Miss Elizabeth Hotchkiss, Lady Danbury's coracious, really? I had heard she could be quite a dragon"

"She's really very sweet underneath But I shouldn't like to get on her bad side"

Caroline nodded and patted her light brown hair "Am I mussed?"

Elizabeth shook her head "No more mussed than one would expect of a pureater latitude in neatness of coiffure"