Chapter 21
A Formal Affair
The ropes of the corset bar wavered, my grip on them firm while my ribs howled in protest. “Can you breathe?” Ruby asked.
“Barely,” I squeaked.
“We are done. Why do you think this horrible garment came into popularity? Why do women find it necessary to wear them?”
Why, indeed, did we subject ourselves to this torture?
The braided cords fell to the floor, limp, their duty fulfilled. Ruby draped my dress for the evening over my outstretched arms. While I sipped minuscule breaths, she fastened innumerable buttons.
“You are beautiful, Miss Anna.”
“Thank you, Ruby. Rarely do I dress in such fancy attire, of which I am quite content with. Being cut in half on a regular occurrence would not be pleasant.”
We gazed at my reflection in the looking glass and I was
