For four years twenty two year old maid Anna McVey has been a faithful lady's maid to Miss Catherine Ann Silva a New York socialite and heiress, Catherine an impulsive and domineering girl who could be kind but most often chose to be mean spirited was said to be the most beautiful socialite in America, she had quite the exciting life filled with glittering balls, the lastest fashions and a long line of handsome suitors. Yet money nor beauty made Catherine happy, and in a way poor, orphaned, servant girl Anna felt sorry for her. Then one faithful Autumn day Anna walked into miss Catherine's room to help her get ready for dinner not knowing soon she would be feeling very bad for herself.
"Please Miss Catherine do not make me do this, I am to be married soon to James Rafferty." Anna pleaded with her mistress while tears threaten to spill down her face. Fear was quickly boiling up inside her and Anna didn't know what to do. Yes, Miss Catherine was a spoiled child who always got her way, but this was lunacy even for her.
"The groom?" Catherine made a face as she looked down at poor Anna. "I am doing you a great service Anna, imagine it, you a simple maid turned into a Duchess. It is the stuff of fairytales, I almost wish I could be around to see it." Catherine smiled, she was not going to marry the impoverish English Duke to satisfy her mother's shameless social climbing ambitions. Catherine was in love with an Italian nobleman and planned to run away with him and have a great adventure, and she had found the solution to her problem, Anna.
"But miss Catherine no one will believe that I am you." Anna continued to plea. She could not do what Catherine asked of her, Anna had grown up poor and alone with no parents in a New York slum orphanage until Mrs. Silva a beneficiary of the home for unfortunate children found her to be a pretty child good enough to serve her Catherine. At the Silva's fifth avenue mansion Anna had found a family with the other servants and she had fallen in love with Mr. Silva's new groom, John Rafferty a boy from Ireland.
"Why not? have you not been trained as a proper lady's maid? You know all the latest fashions because you accompany me shopping and you can read and write really that's all you need. Besides no one knows me in England and mother is too sick to travel and daddy too old. It will be perfect."
"This will never work. Besides I refuse to do it." Anna said with false bravado.
"You will do it, because I am ordering you to do it and if don't I will have you arrested for stealing."
Anna gasped at Catherine's words, she had never stolen in her life. "I have not taken anything from anyone."
"What of my engagement ring on your finger?" Catherine said meanly.
"If I screamed right now my entire household will fall upon us and it will be the word of you Anna McVey a maid to that of mine Miss Catherine Ann Silva, who do you think they will believe?"
Catherine's words struck Anna and she began to cry for she knew Miss Catherine had complete control of her life and there was nothing Anna could do to get out of her clutches.
"Oh cease that infernal crying, Im making you a Duchess. I am going to rest now before tonight's gathering, I will leave a set of clothes out for you, meet me back here tonight wearing them. Now go."
***
Unable to control her tears and without a thought of what to do Anna sat at the small table in her room and wrote James a letter telling him what had transpire and declaring him how she loved him with all her heart and always would. After she was done the pain had dulled a bit and despair and anger started to take its place in Anna's heart. She looked down at the diamond sparkling on her finger and felt cursed by it. Hating the first moment she had laid eyes on it and thought it pretty. resigned Anna got up and prepared herself to meet with Catherine again.
"Amazing, Anna you look like a society lady. No one will ever know as long as you do everything we have discussed." Catherine said proudly surveying her creation, Catherine alway knew Anna was pretty but her transformation was astonishing. Lord Hampton was promised a beauty along with a vast fortune and with Anna he would get both.
"What you are doing is wrong." Anna said in a final attempt to get Catherine to see the error of her ways.
"What they did to me is wrong my parents sold me, they sold me for a title. I have never even laid eyes on this Hampton S. Taylor and daddy signed a marriage contract without asking me!" Anna knew of Catherine's misfortunes and she had once felt sorry for her and hearing the outrage in Catherine's voice made Anna angry.
"You are doing the same to me Miss Catherine, is that fair?"
Anna turned away from Catherine she couldn't hide her hurt and anger anymore.
"I'll tell you the same thing daddy said to me 'That's life, never fair so learn to adapt.' I guess I did."
Catherine felt guilt trying to worm its way into her heart. She squashed it, this was the only way for her to get the life she wanted. She did feel a little bad for Anna who was almost like a friend but life was rough and only the strong would survive.
"We depart tomorrow at dawn, be ready."
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