Vela thought for a moment, then shook her head.  "I will get sorted in here, and then go down to find Eleanor.  Thank you, Mr. Lane."  She moved to her crates and began putting the books and notebooks into the shelves as those would be more important than her clothing first.  She put the picture of her parents nearby on the table where she could see it when she was there in the room.

Once all those things were sorted, she then put her clothing into the bedroom appropriately.  Her bathroom personal items, she moved to put into the water closet where she would have access to them when she took her shower.  She had not brought a lot of things, but it seemed even homier than it already had now that her things were there.

"Welcome to the manor Miss Rosewine." Alber says to her before he departs to let her decorate her room. She is left mostly undisturbed at first but after about an hour or two there is a soft knock at the door.

"Hello?" The voice of Betsy comes from the otherside. "Vela? Heard from Albert that you'd just arrive, thought I'd come see if you needed any help."

There was one suitcase still with a couple of more business-style frocks and a couple that would look good at a dance or party.  She had already hung up the everyday type dresses and personal items.  She only had a small number of jewelry items in a small decorative box on a shelf in the bedroom.  She had left most of her more expensive items back at her parents' home.  She didn't think she would have needed them for the work she would be doing.  Her parents had given her a lot of expensive gifts and items as she grew up but it was not her style to show off.

Hearing the knock, Vela put down the dress she was about to put away back down on the bed.  Going to the door, she smiled seeing Betsy.  "Hello there.  Come in.  Please.  I am almost done.  I did not have a lot to put away, but it took longer than I expected.  How are you this morning?"  She indicated that Betsy should come on in with a wave of a hand. 

"I was just in the bedroom putting up a few more dresses."  She explained as she closed the door behind Betsy and then headed back to the bedroom.

"Oh, I am doing just fine thank you." Betsy says as she takes a moment to look around the room. The younger girl feeling a small bit of envy at Vela having such nice accommodations but she shakes it off and smiles. "I can't blame ya for taking your time. If I had this much space to myself I'd probably spend the whole day getting things just right." The girl says as she settles down a wicker basket she'd been carrying.

"This is fer your washing by the way. Anything you dirt you just put in this basket and whenever you need ta just put it outside the door. I'll make sure it gets laundered and pressed for you Vela." The girl says before following Vela into the bedroom and gasping. "Oh my, those are lovely." The girl says seeing the dresses, which were nicer than anything she owned.

"It is better than the room I shared when I went to school."  She glanced around the room.  "And bigger than the room I had taken for myself in the cottage in town for my business."  She responded.  "I will like it here, for sure.  It will be comfortable to write up menus and grocery lists in this front room rather than sitting on my bed or on the floor with everything spread around me each evening." 

She looked at Betsy and thought of the other young lady and her baby.  "You two must come up and sit with me some evenings and have tea and visit."  She declared.  Having friends her age and gender would be so lovely, she thought.

"Oh thank you."  She looked at the basket.  "I appreciate that."

Reaching over for one of the gowns needing put away, she fluffed it a bit to air it.  "Thanks.  I have to be ready for my business and for major events that might require a more fancy look but not look fancier than the client."  She explained.   "I thought I should have a few of each type just in case.  But the ones already in there are more for working in the kitchen itself.  And several full-length aprons, of course.  Those you will see in my basket a lot."  She chuckled.  "Some dishes are quite messy no matter how neatly I attempt to be."

"I mean, jeez..." Betsy comments as she looks around the bedroom part of Vela's chambers. "Yeah, you've got loads of space. Your bedroom is almost as big as mine and I don't have my own private water closet or sitting room." The sitting room could have comfortably fit two of her rooms.

The offer to come for a visit though is met with an excited clap of Betsy's hands. "Oooooooh, that sounds absolutely lovely! I don't think I've ever had an evening where I just get to sit and chat with some friends." A pause as she thinks and then adds. "Not since I was still a girl anyway, seems like my life has just been work since I turned sixteen. Not sure when Ma expects me to find time to get a man at this rate, I'll be a spinster." The girl shudders, at nineteen she was already getting close.

"Oh, don't you worry Vela. I can keep your clothes clean with no trouble. I've gotten quite good at laundry. Even mum doesn't complain about it anymore, though she still won't let me help with dinner since I burned that roast." The girl lets out a huff, okay so maybe it had been a multi pound, in both weight and money, prime rib roast she'd let sit too long. But the book had been very good, Lord Winthrope was having a dalliance with a scullery maid and oh she'd just wanted to melt.

Vela thought of the room she had back home.  It had been huge.  That she had left that kind of life to be a chef still made her parents wonder about her, but they wanted her to enjoy her life.  "That I got this job was fantastic, but the wages and this space, and they are okay with my business too is just amazing.  I think I must need to pinch myself every so often."  She admitted.

At that response, Vela made a plan right then.  "Ok, you two let me know what night is best, and we shall have a proper tea party once a week.  Unless I have an event, but even then we will just reschedule our tea to another day that week."  She nodded firmly.  She would make special tea cakes and little finger food items for them.  She would do up something special when she had her weekly planning meetings with Eleanor as well, as she would not want the older woman to feel slighted.

"We each have our talents.  If you are great with cleaning stains, that is important.  I made lace turned pink when I tried cleaning something I didn't want my mother to see."  She admitted with a soft giggle.  It was years ago, but she was still not allowed to touch the lace back home.

The sound that Betsy made in response to Vela's suggestion could best be described as a squee of delight. The girl actually started jumping up and down she was so excited at the prospect.

"Weekly tea? Like proper ladies? Oh, that sounds utterly marvellous. Oh, I should get a dress! Like, a proper one like you have! I've got a bit saved up ma tells me I should be frugal but oh, if I am going to have tea with such a worldly lady as yourself then I want to have a fancy dress."

It was a testament to how sheltered Ruth had been by her mother that she thought of both Vela and Ruth as being worldly, sophisticated, women compared to her as the plain drab girl. But she was tickled pink by Vela's invitation that was clear. So much so that Vela's reassurance was actually just accepted.

"Of course, you are right! I don't need to be good at everything, you can cook and I'll make sure all your washing is spic and span, make no mistake Vela. Oh, I cannot wait to tell Ruth about this I am sure she will be just as thrilled."

The joy the other young woman showed in her reaction to the idea, made a smile spread over her face.  She was looking forward to it as well.  Having friends, her own age, would be wonderful.  "We shall indeed be proper ladies."

She was concerned about the cost of a fancy dress, as she didn't know the budget the young woman had.  She looked at the young woman.  She would be too tall and more full in the bust for any of her older dresses.  She wished she had the curves up in the front.  She was shaped nicely but knew that men noticed the fuller busts first.  Not that she was worried about a man noticing her for that, not totally.  She did wish that someday a man would find her worth his time and interest.  Anyway, she put her thought back to the situation at the present.

"A nice dress would be nice, but don't overdo your budget.  If you do any sewing," she paused with a wave of her hands in a hopeless kind of action, "my mother tried getting me into something more 'normal' for a young lady, I have lots of lovely material, lace, buttons, and the such back in London that I never got around to using for dresses."  She offered.  "Probably enough for four or five new dresses."

"Miss Rosewine!"

The shock of what Vela was insinuating with this was enough to shock Betsy right back into formality. Which was a testament to how well her mother had taught her to mind her manners around the nobility honestly.

"Are you suggesting that I might acquire some of that dress material to make my own gown?"

The girl was doing her best to sound professional, all but steeling herself to have misunderstood. Though Vela would be able to tell by the shine of hope in the younger woman's eye that such an offer would result in more squealing and possibly a hug.