A Love Made to Measure by Eliza Emmett

Author:Eliza Emmett [Emmett, Eliza]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Victorian, Historical, Seamstress, Intrigue
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2018-05-18T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

One afternoon while she worked in her favorite corner, Cora realized that only twelve days remained until she had to vacate the shop. Fear and anxiety rose in her throat. Except for her sister, she hadn’t told anyone in her household. She couldn’t gather enough courage to speak to her father and hadn’t even confided in Nan despite Hattie urging her to talk to the other members of the family. In her worry, Cora had neglected to help the vicar for several weeks. It was one more thing to feel guilty about, and all because of the inconvenience of having to move her shop.

She had a place already, one found like a miracle a week before. It was a surprise how inexpensive the lease was. In another section of Regent Street—if anything, an even more stylish one—the building had imposing dark-wood doors and a large window, where two or three of her designs could entice new clients. When she first noticed the place, she was sure she would not be able to afford it. Yet she had asked, almost out of curiosity and without any hope, the price of such luxury.

She thought she had not understood it correctly when the landlord announced the cost of the lease. It was half her current rent. She had inspected the place as if with a magnifying glass in her hand, looking for what could possibly be wrong with it. Mold and humidity? A compromised structure? There was nothing.

But now Cora had the unfortunate job of telling her father what would happen. He loved their shop like a home. It wouldn’t really matter that the new shop was more opulent. He would have preferred to stay where they were at any cost, and she would have done anything in her power to make that happen.

“Sally, we need to start packing all the supplies that we don’t need anymore. We can start moving them tomorrow.”

“Yes, Miss Larsen. I have hired horses and wagons. It will be a short ride. We can make the trip several times.”

“Good, if we are careful, we won’t miss more than a couple of days of work. We cannot afford to stop. With the Season in full swing, we cannot waste a minute.”

When she couldn’t ignore anymore how hungry she was, Cora took a break for tea. She sat at the back of the shop with a fresh pot of Earl Grey, and nibbled on little sandwiches filled with cucumbers and soft cheese. She considered Grant Galavyin between bites. Those days, thoughts of him never left her for long. It was as if he were sitting in one of the entry armchairs, ready to waltz with her in the main room at a moment’s notice, or to let her rest her head on his chest while they lay on the chaise lounge in her office. The images of him sent piecing pains through her body at the end of each fantasy, when she had to acknowledge to herself he was not there.

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