Groups

Description

Dressed in her maid's uniform of a black corseted dress and white ruffled apron, high-necked and severe, with a small pearl studded brooch at her throat her only decoration, Eva clothing is drab and plain compared to the romantic dress of her ward. But otherwise her appearance is perhaps more exotic than any other regular of the Upper East Side social circuits.

Her skin; a warm mocha blushing to berry red at the line of her cheeks, is in stark contrast to the fashionably pale complexions of the other ladies. Her features are not delicate, etched in fine ink and subtle watercolour, but boldly painted in bright brushstrokes. A mobile, full-lipped mouth is no neat rosebud, nor does her straight, distinctive nose, curling dark hair and strongly-arched brows lend her to classical angelic beauty. What they do, however, is give her a blatant earthy sensuality that no doubt would have embarrassed her had she been aware of it.

History

Anna is a second-generation immigrant and was born to Italian parents in New York just a year after they had left the rural poverty of their previous life in Umbria. Although capable of more, she left school when she was fourteen and began to earn her keep, first as a casual scullery maid working in the kitchens of various upper-class families, then later as a ladies maid. She has a good reputation and has become skilled in helping her employer pick out the latest fashions and coaxing their hair into the complex styles of the day. She has recently been employed by the Brampton family to tend to their débutante daughter.

Her role at social events is minimal and so, Anna will often stand on the sidelines, patiently waiting on a word from her ward. Occasionally, if an event is being held at the Brampton's house, she will wait on guests. Her job is well-paid and allows her a window into a world of balls and ball-gowns that she will only ever observe. Although in moments of frustration she finds this inequality unfair, she is usually content with following the social whirl of the lives of her wards as if they were characters in a novel, giving advice when asked.

Eva De Luca's Story