Claudia appeared at Jenny’s door. She stood quietly and waited for Jenny to notice her.

“Oh, how long have you been standing there?” Jenny asked as she turned from putting away her laundry and seeing Claudia. She wound a ribbon around her hand, then put it in her ribbon box.

“Not long,” Claudia said shyly.

“What?” Jenny asked. “Did you want to ask me something?”

Claudia took a step farther into the room. “I wanted to ask you about the dress the Duke gave you?”

“Very well. What do you wish to know?”

Again, Claudia became hesitant. “I was wondering if I might borrow it the evening Jeremiah comes for dinner. It is such a lovely dress and I…”

“Try it on. Let us see if it fits you?” But Jenny had reservations. Claudia was so thin after her spurt of growth, and she did not see how it would work.

“May I?” Claudia asked eagerly as she went over to the armoire and took out the dress the Duke gave her and held it up for examination.

“It is so lovely…”

Jenny took the dress and prepared to help Claudia into it. “Go ahead. Try it on,”

Claudia shed her housedress and let Jenny slip the dress over her head. But as soon as it settled on her, it was apparent it was much too large. Claudia looked like a child trying on her mother’s clothes. And it was clear she was disappointed.

“Maybe I have something else,” Jenny suggested. “We certainly do want you to look your best for Jeremiah.”

Claudia quickly removed the dress, letting it fall to the floor, went directly to the armoire, and began looking through Jenny’s dresses.

“What about this one,” she asked, holding up one of Jenny’s Sunday best dresses.

“That is nice, but that too will be too big for you. Here, let me look at some of my older dresses that I have outgrown.”

Jenny began looking at the far side of the armoire where she had relegated her older clothes.

“Ah, what about this one? I think it might fit?” She held up a sunny yellow dress with white flowers.

Claudia made a face. “Is that not too much of a morning dress? I think it not suitable as evening wear.”

Jenny nodded. “Quite right.” She went looking again and finding another took it out. “What about this?”

It was a slim beige dress with small white dots in an attractive pattern. “You could wear this with your camel shawl and it would be very dressy.”

“I like that,” Claudia said, becoming enthusiastic. “Let me try it on.”

It fit perfectly, and it made her look almost like a grown woman. Jenny went over to her, took her hair and arranged it around her head in such a way that it made her look even more mature.

“Do you like that?”

“Oh, yes, Jenny. Will you do my hair for me on the evening?”

“Of course.”

“May I take the dress with me now?”

“You may.”

Claudia turned to leave but stopped at the door and said, “Please do not wear the Duke’s dress on the evening. I cannot have you looking even better than me,” she said giggling.

“I promise you shall be the star of the evening, my dear sister.”

Susan Barnett was beyond excited as she, Jenny, and Claudia worked all afternoon preparing dinner. To think, two of her daughters were having young men as guests to dinner. It had only recently been announced that Jenny was to bring her new friend, Evan, to dinner as well as Claudia’s Jeremiah.

The young Robert had been assigned the job of peeling potatoes and the youngest sister, Sally, was carefully slicing scallions. Mother was basting the lamb roast and Jenny was in charge of making the layered, jellied desert which she was now packing in ice to make it set. Claudia was trimming Brussels sprouts and placing them in a pan of water.

“And who is this young man, Evan?” Mother asked as she slipped the roast toward the back of the wood-fired oven.

“A son of one of the farmers who provide the fruit for my pies,” Jenny said, turning the jelly mold in the bucket of ice.

“Is it serious?” she asked, not wanting to intrude too much in her independent daughter’s life.

“Oh, Mother, I have no idea. I just wanted him to meet the family. Please do not read too much into it.”

Mother now knew to keep her mouth shut.

“I am done with the scallions, Mama,” Sally said. “What can I do now?”

“Hmm. Let me think. Why not start setting the table. And use the good china and the little salt and pepper bowls with the silver spoons—ever so much more elegant than shakers.”

Sally scooted off.

Claudia turned to Jenny and said, “You promised to do my hair, remember.”

“I do. But you will need to dress first and then come to my room, and I will make you look like a princess.”

Claudia blushed. “Oh, Jenny…”

Jenny and Claudia went down the stairs to the front door when they heard the bell ringing. It had to be either Jeremiah or Evan. It was Jeremiah with a large bouquet of flowers.

“Hello, Miss Claudia,” he said with a nervous break in his voice. “These are from our garden.” He handed the flowers to Claudia, as Jenny stood aside to let Claudia escort her beau up the stairs to the sitting room.

Jenny was just about to follow when the bell rang again, and she opened the door.

“Evan. So happy you could come to dinner,” Jenny welcomed.

“Thank you for inviting me. It means a lot to me,” he said coming inside. “I hope you like red wine. I did not know what else to bring. You do take wine from time to time, do you not?”

“I do. We do. And thank you.”

They went upstairs, and Mother and Father were peering from the dining room door to see the new arrivals.

“How lovely you look,” Jeremiah was saying to Claudia. “What a beautiful dress. Now I feel shabby in my grey coat and black breeches.”

“You look just fine, Jeremiah Wisdom. Just like a vicar’s son.”

He laughed. “Oh, faint praise, indeed.”

“Hello, I am Evan Drake,” he said going over to Mother and Father and presenting them with the bottle of wine, followed by Jenny.

“Mother, Father, this is the young man I told you about. His family provides the very best berries for our pies.”

“Very nice to meet you, young Evan,” Mama said, shaking his hand, as Father took the bottle and looked at the label.

“Thank you, lad,” Father said, I usually drink ale, but a spot of vino now and then is always welcomed.”

Evan nodded to the parents, and then Jenny introduced the two young men to each other and the rest of the family who were all gathered together now.

Jenny and Claudia were excused from serving the dinner because they needed to entertain their guests. And the two younger children brought in the serving dishes, although Sally almost dropped the bowl of roasted potatoes.

As Jenny watched her family engaging in conversation, she felt such pride. Her family members were good people. Not sophisticated—although her parents had insisted on a good education for all of the children. But they were kind, hardworking and, though they could be rough around the edges, they were the very essence of the solid British working class.

Jenny’s attention was caught by Claudia who looked so lovely dressed up. And for the first time she was starting to look like a woman—losing some of her girlishness as she carried on a conversation with Jeremiah.

Evan interrupted her thoughts by asking, “Have you ever traveled outside of Gloucestershire?”

Jenny sighed before answering, “I have not, although I long to. I have always wanted to at least visit London one day.”

“Then perhaps you shall.”

“Do you like living in Bristol?” Jenny asked.

“It is a fair city. But I do not have a lot of time for leisure as I am working and learning almost every day.”

“And where do you live. Is it nice?”

Evan laughed. “I live in a room behind the print shop. It is about as basic as one can imagine. I have a view of an alleyway and I take my meals with the printer and his family. I have to say, I am looking forward to having my own shop one day soon.”

“And how will you accomplish that? Is it not expensive to set up a print shop?” Jenny asked as she offered Evan another serving of lamb from the platter.

“I and my parents have been putting some money aside. And one day…” He cast her a quick glance, “...might you be at my side?”

She did not answer but thought about her own hopes and dreams. Would she ever break free of her life in this small village? She could not help but think of the fine house she hoped to someday work in—fashioning her delicious cakes, pies, and pastries. A house like Pemberton, she could not help thinking, remembering her visit with the Duke. She could just imagine making her pastries in a fine house like that.

Evan was still waiting for an answer from her.

“How much longer is your apprenticeship?” she asked.

“I should finish by the end of the year,” he said. “Then I would like to work for a year or so as a typesetter before I think about setting up my own shop.”

She smiled. “You are an ambitious young man. I wish you well.”

“Oh, do play your lute for us Jenny,” Mama asked, as the dinner had ended, and the guests departed the dining room.

“I have not practiced in ages, Mama,” Jenny said shyly.

“Something simple, daughter,” her father urged. “It is so nice to have a happy tune after a fine dinner.”

Jenny caught Claudia’s encouraging smile as Jeremiah took her arm and escorted her to a sofa.

“Very well. But please forgive my mistakes.”

Jenny brought out her lute and sat on a chair as the guests and family settled into chairs, and Mother brought in a tray with freshly made coffee.

Stumbling through her first song she regretted not having more time for practice. But no one seemed to mind, and she received hearty applause when she was done, relieved to be able to take a cup of coffee and relax in after-dinner conversation.

After the evening was over and the two young men left, Claudia came over to Jenny and asked, “How did you enjoy yourself?”

“It was a pleasant evening,” she answered.

“Only just pleasant?”

“I enjoyed myself. And I noticed that you and Jeremiah were deep in conversation. You barely said a word to the rest of the family the entire evening,” Jenny teased. “Are you two becoming serious?”

Claudia did a dancing twirl down the hallway as they headed to their bedrooms. “Oh, Jenny, he is the most wonderful man I have ever met. I believe I am quite falling for him.” Then she twirled back to Jenny and took her arm. “And your Evan? Does he make you tingle?”

“He is very sweet, and I like him a lot. But I am not as exuberant as you are and am not all that anxious to enter into any serious romance just yet.”

“But why? You are two-and-twenty and should be thinking of marriage quite soon. Evan seems to be a very decent fellow. I would think you would be happy to have found such a fine young man.”

Jenny patted her sister’s hand as she stood at her room ready to go inside. “Not yet, dear Sister. I cannot tell you why, but I just know my life is not yet set on any course I can see. Life can be filled with surprises and I mean to take advantage of all of them.”