Page 7 (1/2)

Austenland Shannon Hale 19250K 2023-09-01

"Wow I led her fingers like an evil miser at a horde of riches "They’re all for reat-aunt’s payment did not cover wardrobe souvenirs" Mrs Wattlesbrook extracted a dress froers and packed it tenderly into her trunk "This is an evening dress You should wear a day dress now, the pink one there"

The pink one was hideous Jane took the blue one off its hook, ignoring Mrs Wattlesbrook’s offended sniff

In a few -of-Jane was complete: blue print day dress tris fastened to thighs with garters, black ankle boots, and there she was She stood sideways, looked in the , like she hadn’t had since the sinful pleasure of playing Barbie dolls with her younger cousin when she elve and should’ve been too old Here she was, a grooood

"And there she is," Jane whispered

"I ies now, my dear"

Jane turned over her MP3 player

"And?" Mrs Wattlesbrook tipped her head up to look at Jane through the spectacles resting on her nose "Nothing else?" She paused as though waiting for Jane to confess, which she did not Mrs Wattlesbrook sighed and reer and thu dead to be flushed down the toilet While she was out, Jane hid her cell phone in the bottoone to the trouble to set up international service with her provider because it would be unbearable to be without e-lee to sneak soal across the border She wasn’t the usual type of client, was she? Then she certainly wouldn’t try to act like it

Jane dined that night with Mrs Wattlesbrook and practiced h since attending the eighth annual Researchers for a Better Paper Pulp (RBPP) banquet with boyfriend 9 (keynote address: "The Cli fish, use your fork in your right hand and a piece of bread in your left Just so No knives with fish or fruit, because the knives are silver and the acids in those foods tarnish Re dinner Don’t evento them, if you must, but find a way to obey this society’s rules, Miss Erstwhile It is the only way to truly appreciate the Experience I need not warn you again about behavior with regard to the opposite sex You are a young, single woentle as you are in e, that is No touching, besides the necessary social graces, such as taking a e or his arm as he escorts you into dinner No familiar talk, no intimate questions I am to understand from past clients that when romance blooms under the tension of these restrictions, it is all the more passionate"

After dinner, Mrs Wattlesbrook led Jane into the ency dress waited at the piano

"As you will have opportunity to attend informal dances and a ball, you must perfect a minuet and two country dances Theodore, come in here"

A man in perhaps his late twenties calimpse of a worn paperback novel in his hand before he stashed it behind the piano He wore his hair a little long, though he didn’t sport the ht, taller than a man should be if he doesn’t play basketball

"This is Theodore, an under-gardener at the estate, but I’ve taught hientleuests can practice"