The Loden-Twins 4-6

Chapter Four - The ‘preconditions’ are assigned

Mr. and Mrs. Blackwood sat down with Mrs. Kelly in the large and elegant living room. “I think it was a very good idea of our Mrs. Miller to persuade you to come out of retirement” Mr. Blackwood said, pointing to a copy of the rules, Mrs. Kelly had provided “It sounds as if your experience is exactly what the girls need” “Thank you Sir, you are too kind. But I am afraid there are still some details to be decided. I am not sure if I should ask you or Mrs. Blackwood those questions, but I do believe they need an answer before I go back upstairs along with the other members of my staff.”

Mr. Blackwood was aware of the fact that his wife was not one hundred percent convinced that the rules she had read during the flight would be the best for the girls. She was afraid of the possibility that they would lose them in three years from now as they lost Maria. Not that she refused the lifestyle of the Reformist or did not believe in a strict education for young ladies, but she just found the daughters of HER little girl and she worried, if at all those punishments and savage sentences, a relationship between grandmother and granddaughters could arise. But Peter had been totally sure that this was the only possible way to go. He had promised his wife that this time it would not fail as the society the girls would live in was completely on their side. No girl the twins would meet was treated differently. None of them had more freedom or less strict educational methods to bear. So Angelica and Katharina would comprehend sooner or later that this was the today world and their future destiny.

“Please go ahead Mrs. Kelly” Peter answered before his wife could say anything. “You do not need to consult us at all, isn’t that right Margret?” “Of course. I was just wondering if there was anything else that might need defining but the rules seem to cover everything the twins might do or even think”

“That might seem to be but let me give you some examples so you will see that some details, the girls do not need to read in advance, have to be clarified. Otherwise we, as the Governesses might make decisions you are not happy with and, although you always have the right to overrule our judgment, it should not happen from the beginning. Girls their age have a sense for divergences between their guardians, and it would not be the first time that a girl could estimate that she could use this to her advantage. I have a little list I would like to go through if you will permit”

“Please, continue” Peter said, looking at his wife. Margret understood his look and just nodded. “First of all, we need to make sure that the girls find God. This will give them the strength and persistence that is required to go through the rest of their education. So a daily Bible study is absolutely mandatory. I would hope you leave it up to me to set the required hours in their schedules as well as the place the girls have to remain for those studies?”

“Why not? I believe we are clear about your area of authority?” Mr. Blackwood told her. “Well, I hope we are, but specially at the beginning the girls might feel the rules they have to obey from now on are too strict or even cruel. They might see their daily routines, the dress code or maybe even the Bible study as a form of punishment. A punishment they do not deserve from their point of view. And to make that clear, I do NOT believe they deserve a punishment for their former lives, the way they have been growing up and their obvious libertine education. But things have changed. And these changes might not be easy to follow for them. It will be a challenge, and with all understanding, the one or other punishment might be necessary. So I want to be sure that these orders do not get overruled, at least not too often and without knowledge of the reason.”

“I believe Mrs. Kelly, neither my wife nor I will overrule your decisions as we trust in your experience with young ladies” Peter said with a look to his wife. It was clear for all in the room that this was not only an answer to the head governess but also a warning to Mrs. Blackwood not to tamper into the girl’s education.

“Thank you Sir. I am honored by your confidence in my experience. So may I move on to the next point? I could not find any corsets in Miss Maria’s wardrobe, but as you know, we believe that this is a, or better said, one of the most important items. A girl that is laced by day and night does not only form her figure to the most feminine result, it also sustains her, it protects her and is a constant reminder of the regime under which the girl is living. Therefore I would strongly recommend taking the twins to the corset maker as soon as possible.”

Mrs. Kelly could see that Mrs. Blackwood was hesitant. She was such a slim person that she obviously did not require a rigorously laced corset to fit into her form-fitting costumes. So her recommendation was directed to Mr. Blackwood, who replied “I know it is the common fashion here and, from what I have observed, it obviously does no harm to the girls I have seen so far. I do not see any reason not to follow this advice. Do you Margret?” “No, I don´t, my dear” Mrs. Blackwood answered softly. “So, it’s agreed, next point?”

“Next is the verbal communication with the twins or maybe I should say THEIR conversation, Sir. You might not have heard any young lady speaking in public since your arrival in Meadvale, and that is for a good reason. The girls are muzzled. In former times the young ladies were just gagged, but this gave problems with their feeding and also, as the strap left marks on the girls faces it and was an eyesore spoilt their beauty. A couple of years ago, one of our dentists, Mr. Blackstone invented a kind of clamp with a hinge. It prevents the wearer from talking, but as the teeth are held slightly apart, it allows the feeding tube to reach into the throat. At the same time the tongue is depressed and as long as the girl gets a regular intake of fluids, it can be worn for long periods of time. The fitting takes not more than two hours, and I have made an appointment for tomorrow. Of course I can cancel it if you disagree?”

This time Margret was faster “Does this hurt, I mean the fitting or wearing this ah . . clamp?” she asked anxiously. “No, not at all Madam, at least not after the girl gets used to it. For beginners it might ache a little or swallowing becomes a little challenge at the beginning but after a time it gives the girl no problems even when worn for the whole day, I can assure you.” “Then we should give it a try Margret. We can always change our minds at a later time IF we feel it does any harm to the girls” Peter decided.

“Very well, now some minor accessories. You might have seen that girls wear mittens in public and I know families who see no reason to take them of at home. I propose that, as your granddaughters will be wearing loden coats in public and loden suits or dresses at home, that you order a set of loden mittens for each made by our dressmaker. She assures me this can be done overnight and delivered by tomorrow morning latest before we leave for the appointment with the dentist. I also know that you want them to continue with the Blackwood tradition of knitting at home. I do believe this is a very good hobby for the girls, but of course it requires more mobility for their fingers. So for home I would propose woolen mittens that have a removable flap to free the fingers. You might have seen this before. The only difference I could imagine is that those mittens have no thumb, and therefore knitted gloves as an inner layer. So the flaps have to be removed by one of us, but even then there will be no skin visible, as they still wear normal woolen gloves. It might be a challenge to hold the knitting needles at the beginning, but this is just a question of training”

“Very good idea, agreed without any doubts”, Mr. Blackwood said and waited for the next point.

“A fashion that is obviously not your favorite style is veiling. I have seen Mrs. Blackwood wearing a little hat with one gauze veil down to her chin but but I believe you will agree with me, that a complete and more strict veiling should be mandatory for the girls, and not only in public. A decision will need to be made if they are of the common material, which is two or three layers of gauze protecting complete face and an outer layer made of velvet or maybe loden in their case. This last layer leaves the eyes free of course and we can still decide if a wool layer in the form of a balaclava is required. For total mantling we can use the hood of their coats and capes as well as separate balaclavas in various styles and materials. For girls in disgrace we often use thick blankets to hide them, not on the street of course, but at home or during visits”

“It is out of the question that we will follow the ‘local fashion’ on this point.” Mr. Blackwood answered without hesitating. “IF the girls are to wear extra layers, like totally closed woolen balaclavas underneath, it will depend on their behavior or the reason for going out.”

“Very well indeed, now there is a last point, I would like to put as a reserve, just in case the girls rebel more than we all hope at the beginning. In my former employment in a residential school we had some ‘muffs’, these were simply tubes made of very strong linen with straps attached to fasten it. They were lined with Velvet, or fake fur, on both inside and outside and all the girl had to be told to do was push her hands in from both ends until she could hold her own wrists or forearms. All I, or the guardian, needed to do was pull on the hidden straps to pin the wrists together. Without the straps being loosened the girl could not remove her hands from the muff. This was a very effective, but completely invisible way of immobilization. In our case I could imagine an outer layer of loden – in the same color as the coat or dress Angelica or Katharina is wearing, then the linen and inside thick wool. The straps would then fix the linen tube with the wool inside, but the outer loden would look totally normal. Nevertheless neither girl would be able to remove her arms from the muff. Another way of immobilization would be to install heavy but well hidden zippers on each sleeve from shoulder to wrist on their coats. As long as they are open, the girl can move her arms, if they get closed, let´s say, to the elbows, the girl can only move her forearms. With the zipper totally closed the arms are kept tight to the body. To make sure that it remains secret that she has no use of her arms, a simple cape down to her hips would be enough. And I have found some in Miss Maria’s wardrobe.” Mrs. Kelly finished

“But does this not mean to put the girls in chains?” Mrs. Blackwood asked with discomfort in her voice, thinking that maybe her husband would decide on something similar for herself. “Not really in ‘chains’ my dear” Peter silenced his wife. “It is more an option to restrain the girls IF necessary, and under these preconditions I do not see, why we should reject this opportunity”

“Last but not least we need to agree about the social contacts for the girls. I believe for the first weeks they should remain at home, or better said in the house with just one strictly regulated walk through the garden every afternoon. Of course the girls will go to our church as well, but this is an appointment with God and not for socializing. Later we could start to invite other girls in their age to our House. I was thinking of girls such as the Harrington sisters, Henrietta and Georgina. They are very nice young ladies with perfect manners and fully agree with the ideas of the Reformist Society. At the beginning I would recommend that the twins just listen, conversation should follow as soon as we can trust their behavior.

“I think, this is a good approach, Mrs. Kelly. I am sure that contact with other girls will have a good influence on the twin’s manners and having good examples of how to behave will help them to improve.”

“Sir, Madam, I am pleased to see that we totally agree with the required preconditions to make young ladies out of these, excuse my words, little tomboys. It’s not the girls fault of course, it is a result of an insufficient education, but as I always say, it is never too late to face God in his glory, and to start any possible effort to become a better person. And I can assure you, I will do my best to support the girls on this way” she ended in a pathetic voice.

Chapter Five - The First Crash

Mrs. Kelly had just checked her notice, as she is a well-structured person and never forgets an issue when Miss Glass hurried into the living room without knocking.

“Excuse me Sir, Madam, but I´m afraid, Mrs. Kelly is required upstairs” “If anything wrong with the girls, then we should . . .” a worried sounding Mrs. Blackwood began, but Mrs. Kelly interrupted her softly but with but with firm voice. “Excuse me, Madam, I believe, everything is all right, and as we are finished with the details I believe you will excuse me? Sir, Madam? In case you have further questions or want a report of what happens through the rest of the day, I will be glad to see you this evening at a time that suits you”

“Very well Mrs. Kelly. Please go ahead and attend to your duties. The twins might have finished reading or maybe they are just hungry, as it is lunchtime I believe. We can talk again after dinner again” Mr. Blackwood finished their conversation and dismissed Mrs. Kelly. His wife was not so sure about the reason, as Miss Glass looked nervous, and Mrs. Kelly knew that there must be another reason because the girls had no permission to speak, so if it was the case that they had asked for lunch through the closed and locked door, this would not have required her presence. So she left the room followed by Miss Glass and as they entered the staircase she questioned the other woman.

“What is so important Miss Glass? I believe the girls are still in their room?” “Yes, Mrs. Kelly they are, but one of the girls, I believe it´s Angelica, is knocking the door with her shoes! But this is not the problem, she is screaming that she needs the bathroom and gives us two options in case we do not allow it immediately. She will either smash the window and climb out onto the roof, or pee in the corner of the room, as this will never become her bedroom anyway. Sorry, Mrs. Kelly, but these are her exact words” Miss Glass was uncomfortable to give this report as she never met a girl with such a temperamental character in her life.

“Good God” Mrs. Kelly said, “This might be a bigger job than we expected. But be confident. We have all the required abilities to overcome anything the twins might throw at us, and by the time we have finished with them they will be respectful, perfectly behaved young ladies. It will not happen today, or tomorrow, but we have nearly three years, more than a thousand days to do the job.

Mrs. Kelly opened the door to the girl’s bedroom just when Angelica yelled out “This is your last chance to prevent an accident. Either it’s in this room or on the roof.” When the door to the room was pushed open it nearly smashed into the girl “Thanks God. Where is the bathroom?” Angelica yelled and tried to move past Mrs. Kelly. “ONE MINUTE young LADY. HOW dare you to make such a noise instead of standing beside your bed quiet and reading as ordered?” “Didn´t I make it clear enough? I NEED the bathroom, NOW” “Well, in this case, as you get a shower and then dressed you may go, but as you will have read the folder on your bed, you should be aware that you earned a punishment at the first possible occasion, for several offenses simultaneously. Miss Glass, show her the bathroom, please” Miss Glass curtsied and followed Angelica, who ran out of the room without a word.

Katharina had observed the whole scene without making a sound. She had been sitting on her bedcover when the head governess had entered the room but was standing beside her bed now. She had read the rules more carefully than her sister. Angelica was so upset about the locked door that prevented her to going to the bathroom that she had just skimmed though the list of rules and punishments while shaking her head in disbelief. Katharina had always been the more settled of the twins. She had an analytic brain and was thinking about consequences before action. “Well, Miss Katharina, your sister does not prove the word ‘Angel’ in her name on our day of welcome. I honestly hope this first impression deludes me. On the other hand I am pleased to see you standing beside your bed, quiet as ordered. Although not reading - anymore? Also when I entered you were sitting on your bed cover. That is something that is NOT allowed at any time. Young ladies do NOT sit on a bed. Do I make myself clear?”

“But there is no chair in the room” was the answer, as she had found it more than useless to stand in the room without even knowing when they would be released. “Very well noticed on the one hand but the wrong answer on the other. The correct answer when I ask ‘did I make myself clear’ is ‘Yes, Mrs. Kelly’ when able to speak or bow your head when unable to do so, and in both cases the answer should be accompanied by a curtsey. Do I make myself clear?” Mrs. Kelly looked into Katharina´s eyes and the girl was taken under that look. She felt that although she had not thought about following even one of the rules in her folder, this was not the moment for rebellion. “Yes, Mrs. Kelly” she said, and although her curtsey was clumsy, it showed her willingness.

“For now, as anything is new to you, I will give you an answer to your remark” Mrs. Kelly said, obviously pleased with the reaction of the girl. “My stare still works” she thought satisfied about the power she could still radiate without saying a word. “There is no chair in here, as this is a bedroom, and nothing else. To read in here was an exception for the first day, as your standing desk is in the reflection chamber and your study room next to the staircases. Both will be shown to you at the time. So, now we come to the one and only question I have for now: Did you read and understand the content of the folder here beside you? And before you answer, please think about what you have learned just a minute ago. I did not ask you for your comments, or if you have any questions, I just asked ‘Did you read and understand the content of the folder?’”

Although Katharina did not see any need for one of the rules or was willing to accept any of the punishments, the answer to that question was undoubtedly yes. And under the same stare as before it came on its own out of the girls mouth. “Yes, Mrs. Kelly”. The governess did not avert her eyes from the girl, she did not even blink until Katharina added at least a tentative curtsey. “Very well, my dear. I am now going to introduce you your personal governess, Mrs. Hunter, and your junior governess Miss Bell.” She opened the door and turned around to ask the two women to enter the room. “Mrs. Hunter, Miss Bell, this is Katharina Egli. Miss Katharina, your governess Mrs. Hunter and your junior governess Miss Bell, whose role you will probably better known as that of a nanny” “Nice to meet you” replied Katharina and wanted to give her a hand. None of the women rejoined the gesture and Mrs. Kelly corrected the girl again. “A deep curtsey is the correct way a girl answers an introduction to an adult, my dear. Did your mother teach you no behavior at all?”

Katharina´s face stiffened. “My mother was the best person in the world and she taught me to act politely and respectfully to everyone but NOT to feel worse than anyone else! Not because of origin, age, money or achievement. She believed that we are all equal in the eyes of God and should respect each other as HIS children, and so do I.” the girl ended with tears in her eyes.

Mrs. Kelly changed the subject when she saw that the memories about her mother were a sensitive topic “Well said, my dear, but now it´s time to have a shower and get dressed”. May I strongly recommend that you follow your governess without any hesitation, especially in regard of your new dress code. Be aware that you have no choice and any form of resistance will result in a punishment”. Again Mrs. Kelly made sure to have direct eye contact during her ‘recommendations’ to give them the required power. With silent satisfaction she noticed a nearly inaudible “Yes, Mrs. Kelly” followed by a more or less hinted curtsey before the girl followed her governess from the room.

It did not take long for Angelica to return and her first reaction was to remain standing in the doorway. “Please come in, my dear” Mrs. Kelly said in a friendly tone. “I would prefer to stay where I am, because I have an aversion for locked doors” the girl said warily. “I am not used to repeating an order, so please” Mrs. Kelly changed the tone and looked directly into the girls eyes. “Okay, but the door remains open, please” replied Angelica in a similar tone and placed herself in front of the head Governess. “Please stand beside your bed” was the next command. “Is this necessary? Its so hot near the closed window as the sun . . .” “MISS ANGELICA” interrupted Mrs. Kelly the complaints “Your life will become much more unpleasant if you retain this attitude” “You mean the ‘punishments’ listed in this folder?” the girl said with a disparaging look. “You do not believe I can take this seriously? I am nearly an adult and you want to treat me like a six year old you can send to bed or lock in a room or wrap scarves around”

“I see you have read the folder” Mrs. Kelly said without taking any notice of the girl’s questions. “This saves time, as we can come directly to the advice I have just given to your twin sister. It is not a question what I ‘believe’ or not. For our own good You HAVE no alternative than to obey. And ‘for our own good’ has various meanings. You might be too young to oversee the consequences for your future personal development, as well as for your salvation, but in case you mean disobedience or ignoring your rules is an option for you, you will see, or better, you will feel the consequences very soon. And yes, we are talking about the consequences listed in your folder. I hope you do not expect we have not the preconditions for that. It is all agreed with your legal guardians and as you are a youth, or better said an orphan, that has been placed in the custody of your grandparents by the Swiss authorities you have no choice. Or better said you have just the choice to follow your governess and obey without any hesitation, especially regarding your new dress code that you are to begin wearing after you have had a shower. OR you can do the same but accompanied by an instant punishment. Now let me introduce you both to your governess and your junior governess, who, as I have explained to your sister, you might want to think of as your nanny. Mrs. Kent, Miss Glass, come in please” Angelica did not know how to react, those three women looked so confident and even threatening that she worried if she had a chance to fight back. Maybe it was better to do as requested and wait for a chance to talk to her grandparents. She could not believe that all this written in the folder, was known and agreed to by her grandmother. So she decided, at least for the moment, to obey.

The introduction and following order was accompanied by the same rebukes regarding the correct answer and the required curtseys and Angelica was near to another rebellion but in the end she obeyed and followed Mrs. Kent and Miss Glass, who in the meantime had checked if the extra shower room was free. Mrs. Kelly inspected the wardrobes of both girls to check if the required clothes had been prepared. She looked at the bar where the girls would stand during corset lacing in the future and found it a pity that this had to wait at least until tomorrow after their first visit to the corsetière. She was sure a tight laced corset would have been a good lesson to stop rebellion in Angelica because she had seen that the girl’s obedience was not a giving up of rebellion but a strategic action to wait for a better chance to escape. A chance, Mrs. Kelly was confident, would never come as long as she was responsible for them.

Chapter six - the first Outfit

While the girls showered Mrs. Kelly had a quick word with Mrs. Kent and Mrs. Hunter. She informed them about the positive feedback from Mr. Blackwood and the obvious hesitation of Mrs. Blackwood at some questions. “We need to make sure that all decisions that require a consultation or feedback are asked of Mr. Blackwood rather than his wife” she explained. “Mrs. Blackwood, although settled down in the Reformist Society seems to have some compassion for the twins. I mean it’s a pity that they lost their parents but if this would end in mercy during her education, they could have left them in a Swiss college or just hire Miss Glass and let the girls do what they want. But not under my regime! I can indulge Katharina, as her minor mistakes, such as sitting down on her bed or asking questions without permission, are the usual failures of all girls, although normally from those in a much younger age, but that is not her fault. So I think it will do it to add a thick woolen balaclava to her outfit, double layer with an eye slit only, pushed well down under her outer turtleneck and held by the collar of her loden dress” “So you want both girls to wear dresses instead of costumes?” Mrs. Hunter asked. “Yes, why not?” replied the Head Governess. “Did you check the available dresses? Are they all lined with wool?” “Yes. Some are thicker, some thinner, but it would be at least an extra layer on their upper bodies” Mrs. Hunter replied. “I believe we have some that are not lined with wool. I would like to keep these as an addition, at least for Katharina. ” Mrs. Kelly told her. “It´s a pity we have no corsets for the first day so the corselets will have to suffice” she added. Next will be the long armed turtleneck bodysuit plus knitted tights and gloves, all made from Angora-wool. Next she will be fitted with a thick face free balaclava that leaves eyes and nose free but covers her mouth to remind her about her failure. Then will come one of the white, sheep wool jumpers with the extra long and high turtleneck that has to be folded twice. First time it’s folded before closing the collar of the dress, second time is folded over the dress IF applicable. The turtleneck jumper is accompanied by knitted white tights of same quality. For Miss Katharina it is then followed by the Loden dress with stiff collar and cuffs and boots with a thin but warm wool lining.

“And for Miss Angelica? The same outfit for her?” Mrs. Kent asked Mrs. Kelly. “Well, you have been witness to her behavior and I do not believe she changed her mind just because of my warning. There was also a big difference in her answers, the way she asked questions and the nonverbal reaction. So I believe for her own good we have to be stricter with her. So she will wear a second pair of thick sheep wool tights and a complete wool lined dress. She will also wear long woolen scarves wrapped over her mouth and nose. Once dressed both girls will be guided to the study room, but place them in front of the standing desks please. I expect written reports about any misbehavior, either vocal or body language, they have both confirmed that they understood the rules. I believe you will agree that a strict beginning without mercy followed by some relief that the girls can earn with perfect behavior is better than a weak start where the girls have the feeling written rules are just ‘recommendations’. When they argue against punishments or feel that nothing is as bad as it looks, it will not work. Any questions?” The governesses shook their heads. It was clear to them that it would not be easy to get the girls dressed that way, but they agreed with the head governess that only a good start ends with the expected goal.

Katharina was the first to be led into her dressing room on the right side of their bedroom. She saw some closets and drawers but also open shelves. The shelves were full of woolen items in various thicknesses and the air in the room was sticky and everything smelled of wool.

There was a small sofa beside a table and a vertical bar with loops that could be pulled up and down. On the table she saw a huge amount of clothes, obviously provided for her. On a hanger was a thick dark grey loden dress with an extremely long skirt, long arms and a stiff collar. “Is that . . .” she began but had to clear her throat and start again “Excuse me, is this all for me?” “My dear, in the future you should learn to remain silent until given permission to speak, but as this is your first day I will excuse this, and yes, your twin sister has her own dressing room on the other side. So all you will find from now on prepared on this table or hanger is yours” Katharina inspected the various items and stopped at the balaclava with a question mark in her eyes. Impressed by the good progress Mrs. Hunter wanted to help the girl and so she answered the unasked question. “This balaclava is for talking without allowance in the bedroom, the rest is your standard outfit for the day” “But it’s not winter” the girl said before she remembered she was supposed to remain silent, but she never wore two woolen tights and two turtlenecks except on a cold winter day in Switzerland. “As I said, this IS your standard outfit my dear. Now no more comments otherwise the balaclava will not be the only additional item” Mrs. Kent answered in a warning tone. Hesitantly the girl started to dress, still not believing what was going on here. “I need to talk to grandma as soon as possible. She has to stop this nightmare” she thought while dressing. The collar of her dress was uncomfortably tight due to the two turtlenecks and the thick border of the balaclava. She wanted to drag on it but Mrs. Hunter immediately stopped her. “NEVER touch your clothes with the intention to change anything without permission or just to relieve yourself from any tightness or inconvenience” she said in a very strict voice. Katharina obeyed and was guided to the study room. The room was well heated and empty and she was ordered to wait in front of her standing table.

In Angelica’s dressing room the atmosphere was far worse. The girl had no intention of getting dressed in “a winter outfit during early summer”. It took the full power of persuasion from Mrs. Kent to convince her that she had no other option. Even the warning that her misbehavior would be recorded and end in additional punishments did not stop Angelica’s temperament at once. But finally she got dressed and joined her twin sister in the study room. Although Mrs. Kelly was ready for the inspection and the first lecture for the girls, she waited another twenty-five minutes. She wanted to see if the girls followed the order to stand motionless and in front of their own standing desk. As expected she found only Katharina where ordered. Angelica had sat down on one of the wooden chairs and they were talking.

The girls had started to talk as soon as their governesses had left the study room. Angelica was first to complain with loud voice. “It is unbelievable! I am wearing Angora tights and TWO thick woolen tights in addition! And then the corselet and an Angora turtleneck bodysuit followed by this incredibly thick woolen turtleneck. My dress is lined with wool and they expect me to keep this balaclava AND the scarves on as long as THEY want. But I don´t think so” she said and started to unwrap the scarves. Katharina was not so sure how to react. She had decided to wait for a chance to talk to her grandmother and did not want to upset the governesses too much prior to this. Of course, her balaclava was hot and itchy as well, and breathing through the thick wool was very annoying, but she also had recognized that her outfit was lighter than what her sister was wearing. Still hot, but one knitted tights, the lining of the dress and the scarves was a clear message what happened for disobeying. Angelica was so indignant at the unbearable outfit that she did not realize that her sister had no scarves. The third woolen tights and the wool lined dress were not visible and so she expected that her sister had already removed her scarves.

“Let´s take off this balaclava too, it is unbearable in this sticky heat and nobody can tell me that there is a need to hide in this room. Nobody can see us, and we can´t open the door or even the window.” Angelica found out, inspecting the room. She removed the balaclava and rubbed her sweat matted hair. “Maybe we should not change our clothes, Angie” Katharina whispered, remembering the harsh command when she just touched her collar. “Come on Kathy, if we stick together they can´t ignore it. It is definitely too hot in here and no reason for wearing such warm winter clothes. IF the belt of my dress was not so tight I would remove my woolen tights, at least the two thick knitted ones” “Your choice, Angie, but I will wait until we can speak to grandmother. I am sure she will bring an end to this nightmare, but we should not make our governesses angry before we can talk to grandma.” “You are always so polite and clever, my dear, but I believe we can show them that they may not do what they want, even before we got the help of grandma” Angelica said as she tried to lift her turtlenecks to get some air to her neck. She had just sat down when Mrs. Kelly, followed by Mrs. Hunter and Mrs. Kent, entered the room.

Miss Glass and Miss Bell stayed in the girl’s wardrobes because the first deliveries from Mrs. Foster, the dressmaker Mrs. Kelly had asked to make some express items were expected. The content of the cartons was separated into two identical sets, as Mrs. Foster was informed about twins as her customers. She had produced loden mittens without thumbs and lined with wool to match the coats, costumes and even dresses. She had also prepared the first examples of the muffs. Made from the same loden and lined they had extra straps made of linen to fix the muff on the wearers wrist and forearms as soon as the arms where placed parallel. Mrs. Kelly had not mentioned that the muff could be used in two ways, either the fashioned one, pushing each arm in from either side, or in a more restrictive way by pulling the muff over both forearms folded in a praying position. The fashionable and the praying versions are normally worn in front of the body but both can be worn with the arms held behind as well, and in this case the prayer version is painful. The girl needs to have flexible arms to reach a backward prayer and if wrist are then held in this position over an hour or longer, the shoulders hurt to the extreme.

The muffs had been delivered in closed versions (with just a hole at each end) but also in a version with Velcro and a zipper for the whole length of the item. This allows it to wrap over the forearms if they are already bound together by the small karabiner that had been sewn into each of the loden mittens. This allows the governesses to connect the wrists with one fast click on the karabiner. As the mittens would be tightly laced and lined, the wearer has no chance to get to the small bolt that opens the karabiner. It would then be easy to wrap the opened muff around both arms and pull on the three hidden straps that could then fix the muff from wrist to elbows and press the forearms tightly together.

Mrs. Glass and Mrs. Bell talked about the strict behavior of their head governess. “Do you think all of this was the original intention of Mr. and specially Mrs. Blackwood?” Miss Glass asked her colleague. “Not easy to say. Mrs. Blackwood did not look so stern, but maybe this was always Mr. Blackwood’s intention.” “However it’s the way Mrs. Kelly wants to go. I wonder why she is so merciless with the girls. I mean, they seem to be nice girls, just not used to our world. I feel we should give them some time to accommodate themselves but Mrs. Kelly gives them the full load from the first minute.” Miss Bell agreed “Yes, that’s true, but the Bible says they have to obey their parents, or grandparents in this case. There is no accommodation period mentioned in the words of God.”

“But were you dressed like that under your velvet dress by your mother?” Miss Glass asked. “Because I can remember I had to wear an extra layer when in disgrace. But this was, although it made it even hotter, not for punishment. It was necessary because we were not rich and I just had two good velvet dresses. Sitting in disgrace often meant having a thick blanket over my head, either at home, or fully dressed with coat, mittens and fully veiled at my aunt Mary´s home. So this extra layer was to protect the Velvet dress from my sweat.

My mother had to work after my father´s death and so she could not look after me all the time. So when I had to be punished and my mother had to leave the house she took me to my Aunt Mary. Of course it was deserved to give me time to regret my faults and find God, but to be honest, I hated having to spend the day at my Aunts house. First she let me sit down in the living room but when my mother left for work she ordered me into a small and windowless broom cupboard. She had added Velcro on both sides of an extra large and thick blanket and after throwing it over my head she could wrap me in the blanket and fix it tight to my body down to my knees. As I could not see anything in the dark and sticky room I did not dare to move as she warned me that I might knock something from one of the shelves onto my head. I moved just twice in all those years, and in this case I deserved and received an extra punishment from my aunt. There was no place to sit down so I had to stand motionless for hours. I was not even sure if my aunt was at home the whole time, or if she would have heard me in case I would have dared to cry for help or for release.”

“But I believe it was a good education for you to be more careful next time” Miss Bell replied and decided to ask Mrs. Kelly if Velcro would not be good for use on the blankets used during disgrace periods of the twins. Giving useful feedback for the twin’s education could only be good for her own status in the hierarchy as she had intentions of becoming a governess some day, in another rich family.