A Taste of Honey by Lindsay Kiernan Read Free Book Online Page A

one of them might be strangely familiar to her.
    After driving through town for awhile, they ended at the Brentley's small townhouse that was in fact larger than the Welling's entire home in the country.  From the outside it was one of the more modestly sized buildings, but the long narrow building consisted of three floors that rose up into the grey city skyline.
    Most of the bedrooms were on the third floor.  There was a small library on the second floor that housed more books than Katherine would ever be able to read, with a billiards room and private sitting area beside it.  The bottom floor had been designed solely for hosting small parties and events.  The front door opened up into a large hall with a sitting room to one side and the formal dining area to the other side.  The richly stained banisters and floors had been newly polished and dusted, making the house feel new, like no one had ever entered it before them.  Mrs. Brentley seemed to ignore the twins' awe as they walked in and stepped aside, watching as their things were brought in and a small army of servants rushed to and fro to help them by bringing tea, packing their trunks upstairs and starting to prepare them for tonight's party.
    The Brentl e y's carriage had been elegant and more comfortable than their father's, but until now, Katherine had never guessed just how well off Mrs. Brentley had married.  That a man with such means had married a simple shopkeeper's daughter brought her some hope that she and her sister would succeed in finding proper husbands that would please their mother.  Winnie had told her that Mr. Brentley's family had never received a title, but it was clear that her father had been a man of some wealth, to be able to own such a nice house that was only used a few months out of the year.
    They spent the next hour touring the house with Winnie as their guide.  Since Mrs. Brentley had only accepted one charge at a time in the past, the two girls would have to share the same room and even the same bed during their stay.  Katherine assured her that it would be no problem for them, as they had lived with the same arrangement back at home.  The bright yellow wallpaper of their room was set off with a darker pattern of ivy leaves and a few small red flower buds intertwined between.
    Katherine had a difficult time thinking about the room as her own, even for a short period of time as she had never stayed more than a night or two in any room besides the one that she shared at home with Robin.
    Their conversation, about what hours they would keep while staying with the Brentleys, was interrupted by a knock at the door downstairs.  “The gowns are here,” Mrs. Brentley called up to the girls moments later.
    While Katherine shared Robin's confused glance, Winnie jumped at the sound and ran downstairs.  Four large boxes were being carried inside with a half dozen smaller ones stacked on top.
    “Katherine, your boxes have the blue ribbons and Robin's are red,” Mrs. Brentley told them, as if they should have been expecting the packages all along.  “I had to order them off of the sizes your mother gave me in her letters, but I think that they will fit well enough for tonight.  Later this week we'll have a few others made that you can help choose the designs and colors for.  Within reason,” she added with a pointed glance at Robin that seemed to go unnoticed.
    Robin was not the least bit bashful about the gifts and she tore into the nearest box tied with red ribbons.  To her gleeful surprise, the dress was Robin's favorite color, a dusky green silk with amber earrings and a matching necklace to go with it.  The bodice lines were much lower than those of their previous dresses and closer to the current fashions.
    “I can't believe that our father was able to afford this,”  Katherine commented as she watched her sister unpack more of the boxes revealing a second dress similar to the first but in a deep violet shade and many