Winter, 1896 : Chapter Six

                                    

                                          


                          
"Glooooria, in excelsis deo..." 
                          
It was Christmas evening, and the voices of the carolers could be heard from all over Carmody. Candles and festive lights filled the typically barren streets, with mistletoe and wreaths not far behind. Large red and gold bows decorated the store fronts, and 'La Ru Auber' was no exception. 
                          
Large satin green bows hung on the glass in front of the store. Red ribbons formed peaks underneath each one, and with each snowflake that caught on to the fabric, it looked like it sparkled. 
                          
(Y/n) hummed the festive hymn to herself as she readied herself for dinner. She smoothed out the ornate gold gown that Ms. Jeannie had gifted her for Christmas. How she had managed to sew it unbeknownst to her was a mystery. (Y/n) toyed with the cuffs, before giving herself a spin. The skirt of the dress flared and spun with her. It was beautiful. She focused herself back on her appearance, thinking about how she should do her hair. 
                          
"Have some up, and some down? No, that's not grand enough for tonight. A bun? The same issue. Perhaps.." (Y/n) separated her hair into three parts, and began to weave them together. Over and under, over and under, until her long (colour) was now in a neat plait. She took that plait and wrapped it around itself loosely above the nape of her neck. She held it in place with one hand while she fished around for a matching ribbon with the other. Once she found one that was to her liking, she wrapped it around the plaited bun a few times before securing it with a bow. She gazed at the style in the mirror. 
                          
"Perfect!" She concluded, and hurriedly ran to the kitchen to check on the food. 
                          
Stuffing, apple pie, steamed corn, mashed potatoes, a fresh loaf, (food), and a fat goose lay on silver platters. Around the table, (Y/n) adjusted the 'good' cutlery, and refolded the napkins until they satisfied her enough. She set the small glasses to the right of each plate before running off to get the cordial for the table. 
                          
"This looks even better than how I had hoped it would." 
                          
(Y/n) turned to face Ms. Jeannie. "Doesn't the spread look wonderful? But I must say, it pales in comparison to you, Ms. Pippett." She gave her hand a wave, signaling for the older woman to give a twirl.
                          
Jeannie gave a laugh and humored her, spinning to show off her maroon dress. "You do give me quite the competition." She motioned towards the younger girl's new dress. (Y/n) beamed with pride. 
                          
*tak tak tak* 
                          
They turned to hear a rapping on the door. 
                          
"I'll get it." 
                          
(Y/n) picked up her dress slightly and walked quickly towards the door. She threw Gilbert a smile as she unlocked it and quickly ushered him in. He gave a gracious nod as he entered the building. 
                          
"Merry Christmas, Mr. Blythe." (Y/n) welcomed the boy. 
                          
"Merry Christmas to you too, Miss (L/n)." His face was still cherry red from the chill of the outside air. He brought up his hand, and clutched in it was a simple bouquet of flowers. "I didn't want to come empty handed." 
                          
She took them gingerly. "These are lovely, thank you. Come now, you must be hungry." She waved her hand and walked towards the stairs with Gilbert hot on her heels. 
                          
"Ms. Pippett, Gilbert has arrived!" She called aloud as they reached the top of the stairs. She walked a ways farther until they reached the dining room, where Jeannie was fussing over the table cloth. 
                          
"Gilbert, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. (Y/n)'s told me about you." Jeannie gushed, giving (Y/n) a look. (Y/n) had in fact said the bare minimum about her friend around the house.
                          
"Thank you so much for having me, Miss Pippett. Everything looks... Wonderful." Gilbert paused to admire the large spread. 
                          
"If you'll excuse me for just a moment, I'll put these in water." The others nodded, and she was off. 
                          
(Y/n) filled the water as hastily as she could, as she was itching to get back to the dining room. 
                          
When (Y/n) returned, she came just in time to hear Ms. Jeannie finish her fit of dainty laughter at something Gilbert had said. 
                          
"Come, (Y/n), sit." She said, and so she did. 
                          
(Skip if you are not Christian) 
                          
"Gilbert, would you like to say Grace?" Ms. Jeannie suggested. 
                          
Gilbert nodded. He extended his hands towards the women on the other side. Both intertwined their own hands before taking the boy's. 
                          
"Bless us, oh Lord, and these your gifts which we are about to receive from your bounty. Through Christ our Lord we pray, Amen." 
                          
"Amen." Jeannie and (Y/n) said in unison. 
                          
"Alright, Gilbert. What would you like first?"
                          
---
                          
"And so poor Moody had to spend the rest of the day cleaning the erasers." Gilbert finished, taking a sip of the cordial. (Y/n) covered her mouth to hide her laughter elicited from her friend's anecdotes. 
                          
"It's wrong of me to laugh, be he really messed up the word 'dreadful'?" (Y/n) asked with her mouth agape. 
                          
Gilbert couldn't help but chuckle. "I couldn't make that up if I wanted to." 
                          
Ms. Jeannie smiled at the interaction. She turned her attention to Gilbert. "So Gilbert, how long have you been working in Carmody for?" 
                          
He bit his lip. "I started working on the docks just a few days shy of a month." 
                          
"That's not easy work for a boy your age." Jeannie noted, before taking another bite of the goose. 
                          
"It's nothing too strenuous." The boy responded, giving his head a slight shake. 
                          
Jeannie gave a knowing look. "I quite doubt that."
                          
(Y/n) giggled. "I don't know. Somedays working on the docks doesn't seem like a terrible option, especially when the orders pile up here." The table laughed at her remark. 
                          
"Come now, it's not that bad." 
                          
"Of course not. I wouldn't trade this for the world." She smiled up at the older woman. 
                          
---
                          
"This has been wonderful. Thank you so much for inviting me." Gilbert said as he stood up from the table. 
                          
"Thank you so much for joining us, Gilbert." Ms. Jeannie said, giving the boy a smile. "Don't be a stranger, alright?"
                          
Gilbert nodded. 
                          
"Hold on!" (Y/n) called from down the hall, her shrill voice bouncing around the room. She rushed back into the dining room with a white box in her arms. 
                          
"Merry Christmas, Gilbert." She handed the box to him. The surprise left his face and was replaced with glee. 
                          
"Merry Christmas, and thank you. You didn't have to." 
                          
She shook her head. "Think nothing of it. I'll walk you to the door." She ushered him down the hall and to the right, and down the staircase they went. Pride bubbled in her as she replayed his reaction in her head. 
                          
"I really hope you enjoyed yourself tonight." She spoke as they stopped at the door. 
                          
"I did. I really did." He flashed her a smile before pulling open the front door. 
                          
"Goodnight. And please give my thanks to Miss. Pippett!" He called out. 
                          
"Goodnight! And I will." And with that, she shut the door.