The Bride of Ivy Green by Julie Klassen

Author:Julie Klassen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Fiction;Christian fiction;Love stories;FIC042030;FIC042040;FIC027070
ISBN: 9781493416042
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2018-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

chapter

Twenty-Nine

Victorine sat in her workroom, material spread about her, trying not to cry. She was learning that it was one thing to make a gown that looked good from a distance—one made to sparkle and give the illusion of grandeur and elegance—and something entirely different to create a gown that could pass the test of close inspection.

She had once designed and sewn her own court dress after studying fashion prints and newspaper descriptions of ladies at court. She also had experience in creating costumes quickly from secondhand material and making over dresses from the previous year. But to cut and sew something brand-new, with tiny, even stitches perfect enough to withstand the scrutiny of the dowager Lady Brockwell, her quizzing glass held close to each dart and seam . . . ? Impossible.

Victorine pressed a hand to each temple and moaned. “Oh, why did I ever say I could do this?”

She was tempted to tell Lady Barbara that such fine work was best taken elsewhere, and the sooner the better, so the woman could find someone else to make her daughter’s dress in time for the wedding. Victorine knew the longer she waited, the worse it would be. If only she could give the advance back and apologize.

But she couldn’t. She had already spent the money at the linen drapers in Salisbury—such fine material, along with all the trimmings, was very expensive, she’d learned.

There was no way out. She had to do this. Somehow.

The shop door opened, and Victorine turned to greet a customer. She instantly tensed. There in the doorway stood Ivy Hill’s former mantua-maker and milliner—and her present landlady. She had not seen her since signing the lease, and even then the property agent had done most of the talking. The elderly woman wore a frock of yellow-and-blue stripes, and a feathered cap. Fashionable, yes, though perhaps more suited to a younger female.

“Good day, Mrs. Shabner.”

The woman dipped her head in acknowledgment. “I wanted to ask how you are getting on here. And see the changes you’ve made to the shop.”

“You are very welcome,” Victorine said, forcing a smile.

The woman strolled slowly around the room, pausing to look at the display of bonnets and hats. “You have changed very little.” She gestured toward the front window. “May I look at your gowns on display?”

“Of course.” She stood awkwardly as the woman studied each one, lifting a sleeve here, pulling back a lining there, inspecting a seam.

“Excellent material and stitching.”

Victorine replied stiffly, “Thank you.”

“French designs?”

“Yes, I . . . am fond of French fashions.”

“Yet you do not wear them.” Mrs. Shabner gestured toward the frock she wore. Her oldest. Why had she worn it today of all days?

“I planned to do some cleaning today, so I dressed accordingly.”

The woman shifted her gaze to the new gown hanging on a dress form.

Feeling a bit defensive, Victorine said, “Miss Featherstone specifically requested a very simple, inexpensive daydress. It is not finished yet.”

“Hmm. Where did you say you spent your apprenticeship?”

Victorine clasped her hands together.

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