The storm had passed. Rays of sunlight shone through the wet window and created a mirage of diamonds on the floor. Birds sang outside. The fire had died, as had the trapped fly in the window. Ruth awoke, sore and stiff, head heavy, and temporarily disoriented.

Then last night came back to her. The excitement, the disgust, the pleasure, the horror, and finally the hurt. The dismissive wave of Magnus’ hand.

But her eyes fell on the tray with breakfast and the envelope. She sat up with a burst of hope. Her feet touched the floor. She reached for the envelope. A groan escaped her lips as she moved, for her body hurt from sleeping in an unnatural position. She also felt dehydrated. Her hand reached for the glass of water first and drank she it in one go. Then she took the envelope and opened it.

A gasp. She had never held this much money. Could this really be for her? Had he forgiven her? Or was he paying her all this for the night, sending her off. Either way, it sweetened last night’s blow. She pulled out the letter and read as quickly as she could. Not reading much however, she still had to go over it a second time, slowly, to make sure she understood.

Her heart leaped for joy. She could feel it beating fast in her chest. A grateful smile crossed her face. She could almost cry again then and there. His words were so kind, so apologetic, so respectful. And he wanted to give her so much. More than the money. She looked around for the dress. It was laid out on the bed. Chocolate brown. Not a colour she would choose. But what did she care, if he wanted her after all? He wanted to take her out to buy more things too. He wanted to show her the home. He wanted to make up to her. She had been upset over nothing. All was well between them. It no longer mattered he was old and ugly. She loved him.

She got up and walked over to the bed. Her fingers ran over the fabric of the dress. Though she didn’t like the colour, the fabric felt undeniably delightful. Could it be silk? She wouldn’t know. All she knew was that she had never touched such a fine material before. The model was modern too, not like the dress she had come in. It was more modest too, a day gown, suitable to go out in. She had seen rich ladies who visited Whitby in the summer wear dresses like these.

Ruth wanted to try it on right away, but her bladder troubled her and so she went to the washroom first and relieved herself. She flushed the toilet twice, just to watch the water go. It wasn’t the first time she had seen a flushing toilet, but she had never had time to really marvel at one. Would her home have one of these?

She turned to the sink, opened the tap and watched the water run. She washed her face. There was a tap in the yard outside the home she had grown up in, but she had never had indoor plumbing before. She hoped her home would at least have a bathroom with a tap and sink.

“Fuck,” she suddenly muttered under her breath. She crouched down, put her fingers into her ladies part, and after some fumbling, pulled out a pessary. A ‘womb veil’ some girls at the Pony called it. Ruth had gotten one as soon as they had told her about it.

Oh… Should she have cleaned down there first? She opened the tap, ran her hand under it and cleaned herself as well as she could. As for the pessary, there was no chance to clean it properly, and she didn’t want to leave it out. For all she knew Magnus would want her again later in the day. She rinsed it under the tap, then inserted it again. It felt cold and uncomfortable, but the sensation soon disappeared.

When she entered the room again, she entirely forgot about the nuisance, for her excitement over the dress distracted her. She quickly picked her undergarments and corset off of the floor and put them on. Then she put on the gown. She moved over to the mirror and admired her own reflection. The garment was a little too wide around her upper body, though she was able to lace it a little tighter. The maid would have to help her with the rest.

It didn’t matter. It was beautiful. She felt beautiful. And surely Magnus would be pleased with what he saw. Ruth beamed at her own reflection. The colour, too, looked better on her than she had expected. What was this wonderful dream she had landed in. When the door opened Ruth turned her head and offered the maid a radiant smile. “Isn’t it beautiful?”