A Spoonful of Spying by Sarah Todd Taylor

Author:Sarah Todd Taylor
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Published: 2023-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

The next day, after making very sure that Casper had not crept into the taxi behind her, Alice set off for the Fashion pavilion. Madame Éclair had given her a much needed day off and she had worked all day on a new creation that she was eager to unbox in front of the models at the evening’s show. She needed to get their attention so that they might tell her more about all the people who visited the shows on a regular basis and this might just do it.

“What on earth!” Delphine cried as Alice untied the pink ribbons that held the box shut. The sides fell away, revealing a cake on the top of which was a perfect recreation of the fashion hall. Tiny purple flowers cascaded down the sides. The columns that ran round the room were etched out in ivory icing, and in the centre was a stage on which stood perfectly recreated models of Eva, Delphine and the other models wearing the dresses that they had worn the day before.

“That’s Joie du Printemps!” Eva said. “Oh, Alice, it’s beautiful.”

“Wait till you see this,” Alice said. She pressed a button on the base of the cake stand and the stage began to rotate, the tiny sugar models each doing a waltz around one another.

“How!” cried Delphine.

Alice laughed. “I built it round a music box,” she said. “The cake is hollowed out in the middle. I’m going to do the lozenges as usual, but I’m going to recreate the show with all of you in it as well. By the end of the show the tiny models will all be wearing the dresses from today’s show.”

“Will mine have the beading before Charles starts picking at it or after?” muttered Eva. “He really has a cheek. They’re Monsieur Fouray’s designs, not his. He’s meant to improve the fitting and make sure we look our best in them. He’s not meant to mess around with the beading and change the designs.” She stared at the tiny sugar Eva still spinning round on her music-box stage. “He’s already started on me today, you know. The first thing he said was, ‘Mam’selle Castillion, you must make sure that your stole this afternoon is wrapped left over right. The beading must hang correctly.’ I mean, what does it matter? It looks the same however I wear it.”

Alice didn’t really care about Charles. She wanted to know more about the people who came to watch the shows.

“I suppose Madame Grenouille will be here today,” she said. “She seems to be at every show.”

Delphine laughed. “Oh, that old dear, yes. I don’t think she ever buys anything though. I can’t think why Monsieur Fouray keeps letting her have tickets.”

“Is there anyone else who is here a lot?” asked Alice.

Eva shot her a curious look. “Well, most of us have followers, if that’s what you mean?”

Alice blushed. Of course, as they were so beautiful, it was natural that the models would have young men who wanted to take them out to tea, but she hadn’t been thinking of romance.

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