A Very Victorian Education Chapter 23 plus Illustration

Chapter 23 below has just been completed and posted below, the illustration is at the end of the piece. I’m really not sure what readers will make of it but you have been very supportive so far and hopefully you will like it.

I suppose regular readers will have come to know that Aubrey’s journey is a long one and being a stickler for detail Lady Charlotte wants to ensure that you are spared nothing of the poor boy’s life under her authority.

My thanks as always to those who were kind enough to show their support for the story by ticking the ‘more box and also to all who took the time and trouble to comment. I greatly appreciate it.

Take care

Carrie

A Very Victorian Education

By

CarrieP

Chapter 23

T

he opening day of Royal Ascot was an event  young men from the upper echelons of  London society greatly looked forward to. It was as much a social occasion as a sporting one,not unlike the thoroughbreds on the racetrack it was a chance for these young colts, groomed to perfection, to parade themselves in front of pretty fillies. 

However sitting in the luxurious and spacious carriage on his way to this wonderful occasion a young German aristocrat, Karl-Maria von Uttendorf, could hardly be described as happy or excited. In fact it was quite the opposite, he appeared sullen and irritable, due in great part to the fact he was forced to make this excursion in the company of three females. The youth was, like many of his peers, dismissive of the fairer sex and although found them pretty and attractive they were more decorative than substantial in any meaningful way and not to be treated with much seriousness. His general view of women was one of frivolous, empty-headed and foolish vessels and above all weak of mind and body. His displeasure was heightened by being confined in such close proximity to the silks, satins and taffetas of this weaker sex. It was quite obvious from the petulant look on his face that he considered the journey to Royal Ascot to be tedious and wearisome and was, even before the journey had begun. He would spend the time by making plans to escape their tiresome company once they arrived at the racecourse.

Of his three female fellow travellers only one, his mother, Magdalena Countess von Ottendorf, was known to him. The others, Lady Charlotte de Winter and her goddaughter Roberta Cockshott had just been introduced and even before the carriage had moved he was beginning to feel agitated. Perhaps it was being so close to these bulky yet soft and extremely feminine fabrics as they strained so obviously against their corseted bodies or maybe it was the merest glimpse of a pleated silk petticoat peeking out from under a skirt. It could possibly have been the delicate fragrances of perfume in this confined space, whatever the source of his annoyance it was certainly exacerbated  by the instruction given to the driver by his mother to proceed to a destination she referred to as St Jude’s.

A crack of the driver’s whip set the team of four chestnut mares and the carriage in motion and the young German gaze fell on the last occupant which made up the carriage’s quintet. Seated between his mother and Lady Charlotte’s goddaughter Roberta was a slight and pale figure dressed in clothes similar to his own, this person had been introduced as Aubrey St Clair, a ward of Lady Charlotte’s. The German youth, although younger than Aubrey, was slightly taller and broader, more rotund in the torso and plumper in a face that seemed to wear a permanent scowl. His mother considered this a consequence of an excessive and indulgent lifestyle which she heartily disapproved of. As a result this gave him the appearance of being older and more self-assured than he had the right to be and consequently bestowed o him a sense of superiority not only over the female sex but also males he thought weaker than himself. It took the Countess’s son only a matter of seconds to assess that there was something peculiar about the person sitting opposite him. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on, the prim way of sitting, bolt upright with knees kept firmly together as if he was sitting on a rugged rock or some other uncomfortable object. He noted the downcast eyes, the hands folded neatly and a face with its high cheek bones and flawless pale skin that would not look out of place in a Botticelli. The overall effect did not exactly project a portrait of unvarnished masculinity.

Almost effeminate, he snorted derisively to himself he would not look out of place in one of mother’s gowns. If she had her way that’s probably how she would have me behave. Hah! No chance of that dear Mother.

As he completed his assessment of this odd specimen he suddenly became aware of Roberta fixing him with a steely gaze, there was no playful smile, and perhaps it was a trick of the morning light, but for a split second  he thought he saw her bare her teeth. He got such a fright he recoiled sharply almost hitting his head against the hard wood of the carriage. None of the other passengers seemed to notice anything unusual.

“Are you all right Karl-Maria?” Lady Charlotte, seated beside him, asked.

“Er…emm … yes.” he spluttered pivoting his head to answer her, still a little taken aback at what he just witnessed.

When he returned his attention to Roberta he was met with a sweet smile, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked out the window.

“Don’t slouch Karl- Maria, sit up straight.” his mother said sharply and patted Aubrey’s knee “Like Aubrey, such an admirable young person.”

Aubrey cringed at her phrase ‘young person’, it was obvious that the Countess considered him a girl dressing as a male. He caught Lady Charlotte’s eye and her smile confirmed his suspicion. Adding insult to injury Roberta whispered in his ear,

“Spread your legs darling, otherwise that ghastly young man may think you’re not a boy.”

Such was his unfamiliarity with male garb, indeed with the concept of maleness itself, Aubrey almost blushed at once more being told how to act like a man- by a woman. He opened his legs slightly and immediately felt uncomfortable, sensing that in some way this position was most inappropriate.  He had not adopted this male pose for months , refusal to sit in a ladylike manner with knees kept tightly together even under layers of petticoats and heavy skirts meant several strokes of Alice’s cane in front of the servants. Aubrey was a very quick learner and from that day to this he never once sat without his knees firmly together, just like any young lady of his class.

Of course there was something else that influenced him.

The object inserted in his rectum earlier only magnified this discomfort and served as a sharp reminder that Lady Charlotte had mounted him and used him like a girl. And to his eternal shame he was physically incapable of preventing a mere woman from forcing him face down on a bed and violating him. But worse, much worse than that – he enjoyed it.

Was it any wonder he was sitting like a girl?

The young man glared at him but said nothing. Somewhere in his brain Aubrey knew that in his arrogant prime several months earlier he would have reduced this boorish youth to tears with a barbarous comment. That seemed a long time ago and now devoid of such natural male confidence he felt completely emasculated. His self-assurance and brashness had been replaced by the meekness and timidity of a girl, he could not meet the challenge of his companion’s contemptuous stare and like any girl he cast his eyes downward.

“Are you looking forward to today?”  Lady Charlotte asked the Countess’s son.

“Yes,” he answered coolly, sounding almost bored “It promises to be a good day’s sport.”

“Yes Karl- Maria.” Lady Charlotte agreed with a smile and her eyes flashed to the Countess “It certainly does.”

The Countess returned Lady Charlotte’s smile and Roberta struggled but failed to suppress a laugh which clearly seemed to annoy the young man.

“I appear to have amused you, ladies.” he replied sullenly.

“Oh I’m sure it will be a good day for those witnessing the spectacle, and the jockeys controlling their charges.” Roberta retorted with a grin “But not, I suspect, for the poor dumb animals under their whips.”

“They are used to a taste of the whip.” he said in a patronising voice and took the opportunity to assert his male superiority. “It is important that people in authority exercise control over those under them. The army and navy are good cases in point, certain people must be in charge otherwise there would be anarchy.”

He saw that all eyes were on him and he had the attention of these women and their effeminate companion. Stretching out his legs and provocatively hitting Aubrey’s feet his confidence grew and he warmed to his theme.

“Yes, ladies” he said confidently and looked directly at Aubrey, who winced at his jibe, before continuing “This is also true of everyday life, nurses are subservient to doctors, servants and wives are subject to the command of master of the house. Power must lie in the hands of the man in authority.”

“Man?” Lady Charlotte enquired softly.

“Yes, my dear Lady Charlotte.” the youth said as if speaking to a ten year old. “Mother Nature has endowed the male sex will all the required qualities including superior strength and intellect to assume dominance in any situation. Of course the weaker sex are such delightful, pretty creatures and we bow to your expertise in areas such as domestic management, nursery affairs, charitable causes, etcetera. But when it comes to important matters I’m afraid ladies are far too delicate in mind and body to cope with topics of importance and complexity. It’s far better that you concentrate on looking pretty and ensuring your men folk are properly looked after. No, giving any authority to women is patently absurd.”

The women did not comment but exchanged glances and knowing smiles.

“Isn’t that right.” he addressed Aubrey and asserting his dominance he arrogantly flicked his shoe against Aubrey’s.

Aubrey was taken aback and afraid of the consequences of agreeing with the young man’s clearly offensive perspective. He looked to Lady Charlotte for guidance. A discreet nod of her head indicated he should answer in the affirmative.

“Y…y…yes. “ he hesitated and receiving another signal from Lady Charlotte he added weakly “I suppose so.”

“Yes.” Karl-Maria, pumping out his chest, stated emphatically, “For their own peace of mind it is important that ladies are far better off deferring to the male in all things.”

“All things?” Lady Charlotte said quietly.

“Yes Lady Charlotte.” Karl-Maria answered confidently “Men are more decisive and less prone to hesitancy and the self-doubt that all women possess. Yes Lady Charlotte far better to allow men to take all the decisions.”

“And tell me... Maria “Lady Charlotte said looking him in the eye.

“Lady Charlotte…I must insist… you address me by my…” he protested at her omitting the first part of his name but she ignored him and continued

“Yes I’m sure you must.” Lady Charlotte said brushing aside his feeble objection and moving even closer to him deftly managed to drape the silk material of her skirt over his knee “But we are all friends here so I’m sure you don’t mind us addressing you as Maria.”

“But…I… Lady Charlotte… you must…”he spluttered, again failing to have his compliant acknowledged. The arrogance he had just displayed was now fading visibly as her satin gloved hand held his and placed it on the soft fabric.

“Now tell me…Maria.” she continued his hand unable to break free “As a strong, confident and knowledgeable young man…”

She paused and once more looked at him directly in the eyes, his face clearly flustered at her actions.

“Em.. yes?” he said.

“Do you like my dress?”

Aubrey observing this interaction felt little sympathy for the arrogant young man and could see his face becoming slightly flushed as one or two beads of sweat appeared suddenly on his forehead. He knew what he was going through.

“Ah…er….ah… yes… ah… very nice.” he stammered

“It’s from Paris, one or Worth’s latest creations.” Lady Charlotte said breezily “Although I’m unsure if I really like the deep pleats in the skirt. And the colour… mmm… perhaps a bottle green would suit my colouring. What do you think?”

“Emm…ah… I’m afraid I know very little about ladies fashions.” he barely managed to croak as he tried to release himself from her grip.

“Oh come now Maria, as you said yourself not moments ago, we should defer to you in all matters.” she said, her voice gaining authority by the second.

“I…em…. I… meant” he spluttered but she pressed on.

“The material is quite heavy yet so soft and smooth.” she quickly added and firmly taking his hand and placing in her knee “Here feel it for yourself.”

Aubrey could see the young man was using what strength he had to avoid touching Lady Charlotte’s knee but it did not surprise him that Lady Charlotte prevailed. Her eyes locked on the youth’s seemed to bend him to her will. Once his hand came into contact with the soft fabric of the silk his body seemed to stiffen in shock.

“Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?” she asked.

Incapable of speaking he could only nod.

“My petticoats complement the gown of course.” Lady Charlotte continued never taking her eyes off him, Aubrey noticed him shifting uncomfortably in his seat as she firmly held in hand in place and with her other hand lifted her skirts to reveal her petticoats.

“Aaah… oh…please Lady Charlotte” he whimpered and looking towards his mother pleaded “Mother…please….”

“What concerns you Maria, Lady Charlotte is merely asking for a man’s opinion Maria.” the Countess replied seemingly oblivious to his flustered state “And as Lady Charlotte pointed out we should bow to your superior knowledge in all things. After all you should have gained some knowledge of ladies intimate garments when your cousin Gwendolen, the Baroness, asked you to assist her in dressing. Not to mention your visit to Madame Monique’s”

“Assisting a lady to dress?” Lady Charlotte said in a surprised tone as she retained a firm hold of his hand. “And visiting such an exclusively feminine emporium as Madame Monique’s.? You are right dear Maria, men are exceedingly knowledgeable in all matters

He looked at his mother with fury in his eyes.

“This is outrageous, I will not…”he began trying to reassert himself.

“Hush now Maria.” Lady Charlotte said softly guiding his hand up and down the silk material “There is no need for unpleasantness.”

“Karl- Maria.” he blurted, his voice cracking with a mixture of anger and frustration. “My name is Karl- Maria.”

“Not where you’re going.” Roberta said quietly.

“What did you…”he retorted in a sharp but confused voice quickly turning his attention to Roberta but Lady Charlotte immediately intervened and pivoting his face to the older woman he felt a little lightheaded.

Aubrey quietly observing the scene, could tell the young man was becoming quite perplexed.

“Yes I’m sure it is …Maria. And please close your mouth you look like a disoriented goldfish.” Lady Charlotte replied, dismissing his obvious annoyance at her continuing to ignore his full name “I was merely seeking your authoritative male opinion on my petticoats, are they as fashionable as your cousin’s.”

The young man knew if he did not answer she would only continue to interrogate him.

“Umm…er… yes.” he mumbled “Very similar.”

“And did you enjoy your visit to Madame Monique’s” Roberta asked in a tone that was clearly mocking. “A most unusual establishment for a virile young man to find himself in?”

He could feel the embarrassment heating his cheeks at the recollection of that shameful day, he glared at Roberta but made no reply. He turned his head to look out of the window.

“Yes, but I fear he found it a little intimidating, a little too feminine.” the Countess answered for her son who immediately turned his attention from the window and glowered at his mother.  

“Don’t tell me Maria you were frightened by the presence of women.”Lady Charlotte said with an inquisitive smile.

“No…no, not at all.” he replied desperately trying to regain his composure despite a trickle of sweat making its way slowly down his spine. He had tried and almost succeeded in burying this traumatic memory but Lady Charlotte addressing him as Maria, just like his Nanny and Governess, brought the horrifying experience to life once more.

Surely Mother did not tell these people everything. As this horrible thought ran through his brain, his eyes scanned the faces of his companions searching for evidence of their knowledge of this unspeakable event.

“Entering the grounds of St Jude’s, your ladyship.” the driver’s voice rang out.

He was never so relieved to hear a coachman’s bellow as it seemed to distract the women who suddenly began to chatter excitedly. Only the peculiar looking figure opposite him remained impassive. He looked out the window as the carriage passed under the high wrought iron gates with the name ‘St Jude’s’  over it. There was more wording beneath the name in smaller letters but the carriage went by too fast for him to make it out.

He was glad he was not required to interact further with these tiresome women who thankfully were now fully engaged in some senseless and, as it usually is with women, strangely exuberant conversation. He fixed his eyes on the other fellow traveller.

“Do you know what place this is and why are we stopping here?” he asked the quiet, nervous looking figure sitting bolt upright opposite him.

“It’s a Finishing School for girls.” Aubrey said still looking out the window, and observing the three women conversing intensely but quietly he suddenly becoming nervous as the carriage made its way through the extensive parkland towards the main building.

“A Finishing School for girls, eh?” Karl-Maria repeated with a grin, his confidence returning now that his interrogation by Lady Charlotte had seemingly concluded. He kicked Aubrey‘s shoe to get his attention.

“You’ll make an excellent pupil.” he taunted him, adding with a sneer “I’m sure you will fit in extremely well with the rest of the young ladies.”

The remark stung him, but not as much as he thought, which also surprised him. Before he had come under Lady Charlotte’s influence he would have reacted immediately and with a fury that would have buried this pompous young Prussian under a bombardment of insults and abuse before challenging the youth to account for himself in the boxing ring. Now, however, he was calmer, less volatile and had learned the value of remaining stoic in the face of such disparagement. After all he had become used to such remarks- indeed worse- from Lady Charlotte’s and her servants and eventually had come to accept them as part of his education.

 “No doubt you would look very fetching in a gown and petticoats.” Karl-Maria continued to provoke him kicking his foot once more.

Aubrey becoming more irked with his aggressive behaviour briefly considered retaliating in a similar fashion but an inner voice counselled him that such behaviour would be frowned upon by Lady Charlotte. However he could not let the insult pass without reply. After settling himself he looked at the youth in the eyes.

“Yes I’m sure I would.” he said softly and in a natural, graceful and completely automatic movement he arranged his legs in a more feminine pose, keeping his knees firmly together and crossing them at the ankles  “But it is such a pity I don’t have one of Madame Monique’s corsets to wear underneath.”

The young man’s face suddenly became crimson. There was no rejoinder he merely muttered under his breath before looking out of the window.

Aubrey suddenly became aware of three sets of eyes looking at him. He thought he saw a look of delight in Lady Charlotte’s face and the Countess patted him gently on the thigh and Roberta beamed at him. No words were necessary.

The carriage came to a halt and they waited in silence for the driver to open the door.

As he alighted first from the carriage into the morning sunshine, Aubrey in the unfamiliar role of a male stood to offer assistance to the ladies as they would emerge. After a moment or two there was no sign of anyone dismounting from the carriage and for some strange reason he could not understand, he started to become anxious. He almost laughed at the irony, dressed as a male for the first time in months and he was feeling odd, like a fish out of water. Eventually, after what seemed like an age but was less than a minute, Lady Charlotte beckoned him to approach.

“We appear to have a minor problem with our young man.” she whispered into his ear “It will be resolved in a minute or two. If anyone emerges from the school explain that one of us has come over a little weak due to the heat. We will move the carriage out of the way in case there is an  unseemly scene.”

Aubrey could see that behind Lady Charlotte the Countess and Karl- Maria were engaged in a heated conversation. Being acutely aware through months of personal experience of Lady Charlotte’s powerful personality he had little doubt that she would be proved right and the youth would leave the carriage one way or the other.

As Lady Charlotte closed the carriage door he suddenly realised he was alone for the first time, free albeit for a few seconds from her smothering control- and wearing male clothing. He quickly glanced around and estimated that the gate they had passed through was only a few hundred yards away, maybe even less, he could reach it in minutes if he ran through the rolling parkland. A shiver of excitement ran through his brain and he tried to guess how long it would take him to cover the distance.

I was a decent cross country runner, he said to himself. Even allowing for the fact I have not exercised in months I should still make it in three, four minutes at the outset

Aubrey could clearly see through the carriage window that the three women were fully engaged with the youth and decided that this would be an opportune time to effect an escape. He began to walk away from the carriage, slowly for the first few steps and then as his courage grew at a brisk pace. Suddenly a most uncomfortable and troublesome sensation shot through him and his stride shortened dramatically. He now knew that Lady Charlotte’s device would not only remind him to remain true to his promise to embrace femininity and eschew any masculine inclinations but also the ghastly instrument would greatly impede any possibility of fleeing her authority. He could not proceed at any reasonable pace without removing the object, there were numerous trees where he could attempt the procedure. Choosing a large and ancient oak which he quickly considered would adequately conceal himself from both the carriage and the main building he gave one last look around before he began fumbling with the buttons on his trousers. Just as he undid the first button he heard the distinct sound of a barking dog, he didn’t have to look around to know that the owner of the bark was a large animal. He quickly redid the button and then looked around to see not one but two large black Doberman a few hundred yards away making their way towards him at speed.

Fear gripped him and he began running towards the carriage which by now was several hundred yards away however Lady Charlotte’s object firmly lodged inside him immediately restricted his stride and he was reduced to a most unmanly gait as he tried to reach safety. As he progressed across the gravel the sound of his pursuers drew closer and he tried to quicken his step but try as he did the uncomfortable sensation he felt would not allow him to advance any quicker. He turned to see just how close the hounds were and was horrified to see them within fifty yards at this rate he estimated they would be on him in seconds however much to his surprise as they got within ten yards they slowed to a walk.

“Stay perfectly still young man.” A voice came from just over his left shoulder and as the dogs arrived the voice said calmly “Heel.” The slobbering animals stopped within three feet of him, their tongues hanging from their mouths, the saliva dripping to the ground heightened Aubrey’s fear.

He remained rooted to the spot almost hypnotised by the frightful hounds, eventually he turned his head slightly to find two women, both with dark brown hair arranged in a style favoured by middle aged matrons. As the dogs panted, fixing him with their large black and seemingly hungry eyes the women also took the time to scrutinise him and from his experience of women he knew they were memorising every last detail about him. The women edged closer to him, their petticoats rustling as they did so. The older women positioned herself on his right, tall and imposing she wore a green brocaded satin gown in an open-robe style with a trained overskirt which had ivory satin lining. A large bustle and Elizabethan style puffed sleeves only served to reinforce her authority. The other moved to his left and he noticed she was younger by a few years, her dark purple satin dress was obviously heavily corseted giving its owner an air of command. It had ruffles on the underskirt and a fringe on the overskirt which attempted to lighten the overall effect of sternness but he doubted this ornamentation would have any impact on the wearer. Both women’s attire and bearing instilled an immediate feeling of deference if not outright subservience in the young man. Forgetting he was wearing male attire he felt he ought to curtsy, as he would usually do when encountering ladies of a certain age and social rank. However the fearsome dogs in front of him had given him such a shock he could barely remember his name.

“Young man,” the woman in the green gown addressed him gravely “You could have had a very nasty experience.”

“Yes very nasty.” the woman in the dark purple repeated as she bent to pat each dog on the head. “Just as well we arrived you could have been injured quite badly.”

He remained silent, his face pale and trembling, still not recovered from what was indeed a narrow escape he could only nod his agreement.

“Now, please come this way.” the older of the two said and his legs still shaking, he gratefully accepted their protection.

He was still quaking when they reached the main building but managed to summon sufficient courage to glance back at the large canines who were still staring at him and edging closer , following their mistresses . Aubrey at last began to calm and although extremely relieved now felt slightly ashamed at having to be rescued by women. The younger woman turned to him as all three now observed the dogs from the safe distance of the steps to the large house.

 “Strum and Drang are most protective of our girls.” She said looking at the two Dobermans “They are trained to attack any male not accompanied by a female.”

 “Although did you notice they stopped barking as they approached him?” the older woman asked.

“Yes, very strange. Olivia” the younger woman answered “Almost as if they were confused. I have never seen it before.”

Both women looked at Aubrey again, their eyes searching every inch of him for clues. It was quite obvious that their guard dogs’ behaviour had now piqued their curiosity.

“I suppose his features are somewhat…” Olivia said and much to Aubrey’s unease began to examine him more closely, she paused before continuing”… ambiguous, almost…”

“Yes, I also had a similar thought, Olivia.” Lillian interrupted her companion in an excited voice as she too continued to scrutinise him. “No doubt it will make our task easier.”

Aubrey was becoming more than a little anxious at the tone of this conversation but as the dogs had not strayed from their position he knew he could not move away from the protection of the two women.

“Thank you for your assistance ladies but I think I should go.” he said hoping that the women would command the dogs to leave.

Both women ignored him, resuming their conversation as if he was an inanimate object. The hounds stayed in position on the edge of the lawn their tongues still hanging from their mouths in a most disturbing fashion, their eyes still fixed on him.

“Hmm…” Lillian pondered for a moment as she held his jacket open and inspected his torso the way a tailor would “ Yes, we haven’t had one of those delicate creatures in a while. And at least he appears to have a good figure.”

This exchange was now becoming very worrying for Aubrey.

“It’s just that... ”he tried to get their attention “my companions…”

“Speak only when spoken to young man and when you do, address me as Madam and my colleague as Miss Lillian.” Olivia said sharply, her annoyance very obvious as she added “Do I make myself clear?”

Aubrey could feel a familiar anxiety mount inside him, if his education over the last few months had taught him anything –it was never contradict, argue or disobey a lady, particularly one who holds herself with such obvious authority.

The response was automatic.

“Yes Madam. I am sorry Madam, Miss Lillian.” he answered quietly, his eyes lowered as he had been taught and before he could stop himself he bobbed a curtsy.

His eyes still downcast he heard no reply, after a moment or two he raised his eyes to meet theirs, he could see their expressions had changed. Where previously they viewed him with a cool hauteur now their countenances were quite soft, almost affectionate. Both women clasped their hands to their bosom and smiled at him as if he were a long lost son.

“Oh you darling boy!” Madam Olivia gushed barely able to contain her emotion and much to Aubrey’s astonishment embraced him tightly to her bosom.

“What an extraordinary young man you are.” Miss Lillian trilled, her voice trembling with a mixture of joy and excitement. “We were led to believe that you were a most unpleasant, troublesome, and dare I say it obnoxious boy.”

“An exaggeration, I expect.” Madam Olivia said slipping her arm into his. “Surely you’re not that type of young man?”

Aubrey had come to know that when a woman like Madam Olivia had formed a certain opinion it would be extremely unwise to contradict her.

“Oh no, Madam.” he replied eagerly.

“Good, I thought so.” she said “Any unbecoming behaviour you have displayed must have been an aberration but such little defects must nevertheless be nipped in the bud. Don’t you agree?”

“Err…emm…”he hesitated briefly before deciding discretion was the better part of valour, “Yes Madam.”

“But don’t you worry your pretty little head ,” Miss Lillian assured him as her arm slid under his other arm, “You’re in safe hands and you obviously already have a very good foundation in how to behave so we will ensure that those nasty little masculine traits are eradicated quickly, once and for all.”

“Now I think we should have some tea before we get you settled.” Madam Olivia said as both women began moving towards the front door taking a stunned Aubrey with them.

“Still it is very strange he was left alone. I thought the Countess would have accompanied him.” Miss Lillian said “If Strum and Drang were asleep he could have easily escaped. That would have been most embarrassing.”  

“But… I’m not…” he blurted suddenly releasing the danger he was in.

“Now my dear boy, you were told not to speak unless spoken to.” Miss Lillian gently admonishing him and then addressed her companion “Yes Olivia he still retains some dreadful masculine traits. Such a pity, but they should not be too difficult to erase.”

“And he is pretty.” Madam Olivia said “That will definitely help.”

“Yes, he certainly is, Olivia.” Lillian answered caressing his cheek “the girls will be pleased. They like the pretty ones.”

Aubrey was still desperately looking around to see where the carriage was expecting Lady Charlotte to appear and save him.

A maid opened the front door and curtsied.

“Now come along Maria.” Madam Olivia said “I’m sure you can’t wait to meet your new friends.”