The Tiffany Girls by Shelley Noble

Author:Shelley Noble
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2023-05-09T00:00:00+00:00

Clara Driscoll could hardly sleep knowing that she was ready to present her full-blown dragonfly design to Mr. Tiffany. Mr. Gray had agreed to make the filigree overlay. The cost for it all, the hours of construction alone, would be formidable, but it would be worth it when they saw the finished piece.

Getting Mr. Mitchell and the other “powers” to agree would take both her and Mr. Tiffany’s compelling argument. And their approval depended on whether Mr. Tiffany saw its potential as Clara did. She wished she could have made a model to show him. In lieu of that, she’d had Alice draw up some watercolor transparencies that would give a better idea of what the completed lamp would look like.

Clara needed her sleep or she would be hobbled by one of her migraines while trying to be at her most persuasive. But the more she tried to fall asleep, the more awake she became.

And when dawn finally came, she had only dozed fitfully through the night and already her head was pounding.

She went early to the studio; she didn’t dare eat, but she drank a cup of coffee, which did help a little. She spent her time alone in the studio gathering her displays and her wits.

She wouldn’t be able to see Mr. Tiffany until ten. And though only hours away, it felt like an eternity. She didn’t usually feel nervous about her work; the smaller decorative pieces were based on the same theme and were easily adapted and reproduced, ensuring a higher profit.

But this. Clara had invested more in her dragonflies than she had in any of her other designs. She’d also created the dandelion lamp in a flurry of creativity. And was overseeing at least eight other lamps, some of them bound for the homes of society ladies, others to be displayed throughout the home architectural exhibits at the Paris world’s fair. But selfishly, she wanted her dragonflies to be chosen for the Tiffany Pavilion proper.

Clara never had false ideas about her own importance, nor ulterior motives, no more than most people, anyway, and she didn’t feel she had to prove herself to anyone. She was what she had always been, Clara Wolcott Driscoll.

But even though no one might ever know that she made this lamp, she’d given it her heart and soul. She wanted it out in the world. She had drawn up a prospectus on hours and materials. It was dear, but not as dear as the dragonflies were to their creator.

Alice came in early as expected. “So today’s the big day,” she said excitedly, then immediately frowned. “Oh dear, one of your headaches?”

“I was too anxious to sleep, but it will go away once I have this lamp started in earnest.”

“Which will be soon, I have no doubt.” Alice immediately reached into her large carry bag and pulled out a thermos. “I made strong tea. It always helps with your headaches.”

Clara smiled, suppressing the queasiness in her stomach. “You always think of everything. And I do appreciate it.

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