The Extravagant Life of Lady St. George
an excerpt

Lady St. George was pacing back and forth impatiently. She was due to meet with her husband in forty- five minutes in the parlour and she wasn't nearly ready. Her maid was no where to be found and her hair wasn't done. The Earl was a prominent member of society and expected everyone, even his wife, to do exactly as he commanded, when he commanded. But Aline was not an ordinary woman. She had always been headstrong, never wanting to be told what to do. Marrying the Earl, she now thought, was the worst thing she could have done. There were plenty of other well to do young men who would have let her have her say, all of whom were simply not as rich as the Earl of St. George. The idea that she could have married one of them had seemed ridiculous at the time. She was not particularly happy in her role as the wife of Lord St. George, but she played her part well.
"Elizabeth!" Aline called, "Where are you? If you don't come this instant, then I will throw you out on to the street and you can beg for your meals."
Elizabeth came in, not looking pleased with her mistress, and also looking quite suspicious with her hair tousled and her dress slightly off kilter. "You ungrateful wench!" Aline scolded. "Out! Send Bethany in on your way out the door."
"My lady, I apologize for my lax behaviour, and I promise it will never happen again... Please, my lady, you mustn’t let me go like this!" Elizabeth pleaded.
"Who are you to tell me what I may or may not do?" Lady St. George cried, "You have pleaded the same excuse before, and I have been benevolent. But now you come in here again in this condition, and what am I to do? Accept you back despite previous offences? I think not! Leave me!"
Elizabeth curtseyed to her mistress and left the room. Soon after, Bethany came in, accompanied by two body servants to help her get into her evening gown. "My lady, do you really think that it was wise to let her go like that? You'll never get another maid servant after she goes out and spreads this tale."