A Tale of Two Outfits: Part II

Evangeline awoke very late in the morning.  She had very little time to get ready before she was to be at Mortimer's for tea.  She was very pleased with her handiwork from the night before but it still needed to be pressed.  She threw on her dressing gown and got busy...

Meanwhile, Mortimer was busy at work in his parlor.  The bout of Influenza that was going around brought lots of customers to Mort's Mortuary.   There were so many bills to send out, letters to write, and the mortuary was running low on formaldehyde so an order needed to be placed posthaste.

Mortimer can type 60 words per minute.

Evangeline arrived promptly at noon for their tea.

"Evangeline, it's always a pleasure to see you.  You look beautiful as always. Is that a new coat?"

Evangeline flushed warmed inside, giddy that he had noticed.

"Thank you, Mortimer, well, yes, actually it is.  May I pour your tea?"

"None for me thank you.  Evangeline, I've had a letter.  I've asked you over here today so that I may share the letter with you.  I  think you might be happy to hear what it is says."

Mortimer read the letter to Evangeline.  It was from her cousin Parnilla, Parnilla Ghastly.

"Dear Mortimer,
After many years here in Paris I have decided to return to my home, Ipswich.  I fondly remember the times we spent together and look forward to seeing you again.  Will you remember me after all of these years?  I hope so, for I have never forgotten you.  Truly Yours, Parnilla."

Evangeline felt her stomach sink to the floor.  She was at a loss for words and could only stare blankly at Mortimer.

Parnilla's coming home to Ipswich?  Then Mortimer broke the silence.

"Evangeline, aren't you happy to see your cousin after all these years?  Finally you will have some family here in Ipswich with you."

Evangeline felt a cold shudder run through her body.  She did not  know what to say.  She went to warm herself by the fire.

It was then that the phone rang and Mortimer went to answer it.

"My dear Parnilla, so good to hear your voice again!  Yes, yes of course I would.  I shall see you soon."

Mortimer hung up the phone and turned to Evangeline.

"She's here!  Parnilla's here in Ispwich already!  She's asked us over for tea, shall we go Evangeline?"

"I've had my tea already.  I've just finished it"

"Nonsense, Evangeline, you know tea is just an excuse to get together!  That's what we call it.  Tea.  Come along, shall we go?"

"No, I...no, I can't.  I have to go home to...to see to Valentine.  She seemed to be ill this morning.  Ate a bad mouse, I suppose.  You know how it is."  Evangeline felt like she was the one who had just eaten a bad mouse.

"Well, alright then,  but let me see you home"

"No, but thank you."

And with that, Evangeline rushed from the parlor and out of the house.  She was afraid she might be ill.  She did not go home to see Valentine for that was just a fabrication.  She went for a walk to clear her head.  This could not be good news, she knew that Mortimer and Parnilla had once been an item.

Evangeline went to the one place that always brought peace to her lonely heart, Ipswich Cemetery.  She went to the Ghastly Mausoleum to pay her respects to her ancestors and to ask their advice.

She sat on the little stone bench in the graveyard and had herself a good cry.

When the tears stopped coming Evangeline felt better.  Parnilla had been gone so many years, maybe she had grown fat.  Or ugly.  Or both!  Maybe she had grown moles on her nose.  Or lost all her hair.  Indeed, there was no reason to despair until there was reason to despair.  Convinced that Parnilla had aged into an ogre, Evangeline decided to end her day in her most favorite of ways: a candlelit picnic in the cemetery!

You know there will be more because you and I both know that, in fact, Parnilla has not aged into an Ogre at all.

To be continued.

A Tale of Two Outfits

Now that our heroine is established in her attic, it's time to set her sights on getting her man.  Some of us don't know what she sees in him, but isn't that always the way?  Anyway, Mortimer has invited Evangeline over for afternoon tea tomorrow and she is in her attic now, fretting over what to wear.  The armoires are full of choices but he has seen her in every one of them.  She's getting a headache over this.

She lets out a sigh and realizes there is nothing to be done but to sew something new.  In a dusty old trunk in a dark corner of the attic Evangeline finds an old gown made of orange chiffon.  She shakes the dust out, and thinks "I can make this work."

Of course it needs to be taken in in the waist, let out in the bust, and needs some gold trim added to make it au courant and, well, more "Evangeline," but our heroine is no stranger to the old sewing machine left behind in the attic of Barkley Manor.   And so, as the clock strikes eleven, Evangeline sets to work...

She sews in to night, the gown becoming more voluminous with every passing moment...

Finally, just before midnight, she holds up the finished gown and admires her work.

As usual, Bella is out catching flies, Mouette is asleep in the corner, and Valentine is nowhere to be found so Evangeline asks the owl in the rafters, "How does it look?"

She can tell it isn't his favorite.  He prefers purple.  So, with another sigh, Evangeline puts the orange gown away and, just after midnight, begins work on a second outfit.

As dawn approaches (well, this second outfit has the most amazing black lace and chiffon bustle that took forever to get right!) Evangeline tries on her new creation for the owl:

She can tell he is pleased.  Finally, as the first rays of morning sunlight break through the heavy brocade curtains of her bedroom, Evangeline climbs into bed and with one last look at a picture of her beloved, she drifts off to sleep...

to be continued.