So, do you know what a coupe is? In the world of horse-drawn vehicles, each type had its own name and each name was important--as important as a convertible, compact, subcompact, luxury, sport, SUV. Do you get the point? If you are going to immerse your readers, you need to use the appropriate words from the past. I will perhaps add a little more description of a coupe later, but you can see it is covered for the riders (not the driver). It can carry at least five comfortably.
The driver opened the door of the coupe and handed down first the Freiherr then the Freifrau Bockmann. The Lady Natalya followed them, then Asmodeus. At the last, the driver handed down Aksinya. She was dressed in the finest clothing of anyone there. She wore a wonderful creation in red satin and white lace. Her hat was the newest style from Moscow, red brushed satin with a bit of lace and feathers. Her mother never had a chance to wear it. Although her uncle and aunt had put on their best, their best was nothing compared to the gowns Aksinya’s mother once wore. That and the long mink coat Aksinya had on marked her as the Countess Sacré Coeur expected.
The nun and older woman immediately came to Aksinya’s side. They both curtsied.
Freiherr Bockmann put out his hand, “Countess Golitsyna, may I introduce the Reverend Mother Kluge and Frau Drescher. Reverend Mother and Frau Drescher, this is my niece, the Countess Aksinya Andreiovna Golitsyna. She is the one we spoke about yesterday.”
The Reverend Mother’s wore a full habit with a wimple that only allowed her face to be seen. The wimple flowed over her head and shoulders and was lost in the folds of her habit. The face that showed was wrinkled, but appeared kind. It wasn’t a hard face or a harsh one. It seemed to be filled with a smile most of the time, like the smile that went out to Aksinya right now. Aksinya lowered her eyes, but not her head.
Frau Drescher on the other hand displayed features of steel. Her wire rimmed glasses sat back on her very sharp nose. Her eyes darted constantly until they focused on a person and then they didn’t seem to move at all until the woman was fully satisfied with her scrutiny. Frown lines marked the corners of her mouth and her eyes. She wore a frown now and unsuccessfully tried to turn that into a smile. She was slightly plump and wore a very severe dress that wasn’t a habit, but might as well have been.
First point is Aksinya's clothing. She is dressed appropriately now--the demon insisted. The clothing is not exactly appropriate for a school visit--unless you are trying to impress. The demon wants to impress. The gown is new, the newest fashion, and fabulous. The clothing is exactly what the school would find impressive.
So Aksinya should look like exactly what Sacré Coeur expects. Now we see a reflection of the school: Revernd Mother Kluge and Frau Drescher. Kluge means smart or clever in German--so should we expect that of RM Kluge? Perhaps. Drescher means thresher in German. Well, perhaps she is a thresher. We shall see. The descriptions put these two women directly in their correct situation in Sacré Coeur. We shall see how they fit into this school...and how Aksinya will fit in or not.
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