The day had been entertaining enough for Poppy to be pleased going into early evening. She had played a very successful round of croquet with her cousins (Atticus, Anthony and Basil), beating them all and proving herself superior, and the triumph of such a victory had most certainly been expressed in her poise. The rosy glow of her cheeks and the sweet, mischievous smile that had followed her around since had only elevated the brunette’s experience; Anthony could be so competitive. It was nice to have something to laud over him. Now that evening was settling in over Foxwood Estate, a soft glow was beginning to touch everything. What had once been green and white was now softening under the purple and blue light of dusk. Many of the black and white attired guests had already gone save for those select few friends of Atticus’ and a handful of accompanying ladies who had been invited to stay beyond the daytime festivities. Many of the ladies had already gone up to change into their evening attire and only a handful of gentlemen loitered still by the gardens, smoking. Poppy smiled delicately as she passed them on her way up to do the same.
Her favorite room at Foxwood Estate had always been the Blue Room and as such, it was generally designated to her. It was just so airy and light, so very full of happy memories. Poppy had been staying in this room since she was a child. She’d even carved her name by wand-point in the wood under the bed. Atticus had caught her in the act at the time, but instead of stopping her, he’d carved his name beside hers. It was one of the many secrets they had shared over the years and she giggled to herself as she thought of it now, shutting the door quietly behind her.
The change of attire from an elegant white day dress with black trim into the fabulous black and white spectacle her mother had brought back from Paris took the better part of a half hour. Evie, her maid, did an excellent job helping Poppy into the massively heavy dress. While the brunette settled upon enchanting the black feathers along the side to appear as if they were cascading down the fabric, Evie took to her hair and reattired it into an updo that showed off her collarbone. Between her hairstyle and the traditional Victorian off-the-shoulder sleeves, Poppy found herself gazing into the mirror wondering what was missing. If only she’d thought to bring a black gemstone to wear around her neck! As it was, Evie found a simple black ribbon to tie into a tight bow instead and Poppy, satisfied, made her way back to rejoin the party.
A black gloved hand pressed just lightly against the railing as Poppy descended the tall staircase. Below, there was quite the hustle and bustle of guests; many of them must have just come down and started to make their way into the drawing room. She was glad not to be the last. Scouting the crowd from above for her cousins, any of them, Poppy watched instead as a young lady tripped into the waitstaff sending a tray of canapés and a pitcher of black lemonade soaring through the air. Free hand coming to her mouth to cover a gasp, Poppy watched as if in slow motion. A tray full of her favorite cassis and white caviar bites went soaring through the air and the pitcher of lemonade shattered against the ground. The room fell into a quiet hush as guests looked and then began to murmur to themselves.
The man who had been bumped had been extremely quick on his feet to save the feckless debutant, a Ms. Twiglett, now that Poppy recognized her. She was a clumsy creature that one, and not particularly pleasant. (Why she’d been invited to stay, Poppy didn’t know.) Still, the unfamiliar gentleman had managed to catch her before she too hit the ground amidst the glass, though her dress could not be saved. Black and white shmear splattered Ms. Twiglett’s white skirts as Poppy descended the rest of the stairs. Turning away so as to not add to the scene, the brunette made her way expediently to the drawing room. Oh how she hoped Beryl would be down and dressed already; she wanted to share the scene with a trusted ear!
© Fox