"I'll wear the blue one, Mr. Delancey adores me in blue, and he'll be the first man I escort this afternoon. And that lace, yes that one with the pearls, we'll use that to help keep half my hair up. Mr. Delancey also likes it when my hair is down. He likes to smell it." She gave a roll of her eyes when her servant gave her a knowing look. "Which reminds me, two extra sprays with perfume ought to do. In the back of my hair, yes, like that. Oh.. what am I telling you for?" Renna said with a sigh and shake of her head. "We've been doing this for years now, Lainy. But yes.. come, come, the corset needs to be tighter. All the men like their women with small waists and ample bosoms." And as she turned around she drew her hair over her shoulder and waited for her maid to cinch her tight.
It had been a good long year, too long in fact, (and perhaps, one could count it was MANY years) and with the out break of war, amongst other things, was paying it's toll on the poor courtesan. It seemed the market for men escorts was sky rocketing, while the one for women was dwindling. Though she had only lost two clientele, it was enough to start hurting her income, and she had to start looking for more men if she was to sustain this sort of life- and to keep herself close to Oakley.
Things had been going good for them- except the terrible fight they had had after this wedding. But she always felt foolish for it. Oakley couldn't help his position in life any more than she could. But that didn't stop her from being jealous. And with news he had a child, she had grown quiet and distant from him. She penned him, saying her excuse was 'He should spend time with his child.' But in all honesty, she was rethinking everything in her life. Yes, she adored and loved Oakley Brennick with her entire being-
but now that he was a father, things....
Seemed different, and she wasn't rightly sure it was fair to his child for them to be fooling around. He needed a respectable father, or so her aunt lectured.
Somehow her aunt had survived all of this years. She had gotten uglier as the years passed, appearing much like a crow. Though it was said this illness woud be the death of her, the poor old woman held on, seeming to want to continue to dictate Renna's life as much as she could. But it must've been her time to go, for the moment Renna thew on her bonnet and stepped out into the daylight, a man approached from a carriage and informed her-
"Your Aunt Maudy is dead."
The day went on as usual, she in her bouncy blue colors while bouncing on Mr. Delancey's lap. Then later that afternoon she met up with Mr. Quiggly, who couldn't just have a quicky in his study, no- of course not. He had some grand scheme to have her all tied up for that afternoon, and not that she was finally free to go and see to her Aunt's estate, she was itching at the rope burns and huffing about as she made her way into the house.
It was odd to see it, nothing seemed out of place, except on the bed her Aunt lay, unmoving, and quite cold and white. She stared listlessly at the woman's corpse for a time before sighing and ordering Lainy to cancel all of her appointments for the week as she went about preparing things for the funeral and the wake.
And it seemed just about everyone showed up for it- but most of them just wanting to pay their respects to Renna, for not many liked Maudy, but Renna herself was seen as a rare jewel, even to those who hadn't been her client, and so she was not surprised to see both Mr. Delancey and Mr. Quiggly in attendance as she politely entertained them both and went about the house mingling among all of the guests.
SO she should not have been surprised to see him- but had it not been so long...
she would not have acted the way she did. For the moment she caught sight of Oakley Brennick, she dropped her cup of tea as it landed with a clank and splash at her feet. And only then did she make a fuss and ask her servant to clean it up, before she exclaimed how she wasn't feeling well, and disappeared up the steps and away from the stuffy crowd.
She had been prepared to face her Aunt's death- but NOT to see Oakley again. At least not yet. And oh, how was she to explain herself!? They had made so many promises, yet here she was- shying away from him out of fear things should, would, ought to change because he had become a father-
and it was at this thought she finally found herself crying when, all throughout he funeral, she hadn't shed a single tear.