Page 19 of The Duke Meets His Match

When she had initially made her come-out, Mama and Papa hadn’t been able to afford the most fashionable modiste for her wardrobe. She didn’t really think it had made that big of a difference—she’d had suitors, and a couple of them had hinted at marriage.

But having suitors and finding a suitable marriage partner amongst them had been a challenge for Susan, much to Mama’s dismay. She could not see herself married to someone less intelligent than she, regardless of his rank or wealth. How could she live with decisions he made that affected her life if shedidn’t respect his ability to form those opinions and make those decisions?The answer was: she couldn’t. And after what had happened with the one man who’d made a claim on her heart, it had put an end to romance, as far as she was concerned. She had no more expectations of marriage and a family of her own and had learned to be content.

Madame Veronique opened the door and threw her arms wide. She was a rather petite lady—not quite what Susan had expected, for some reason—but what she lacked in height she made up for in energy. “What have you brought to me, my lady?” Madame said in an outrageous French accent. “Ah, I see”—she tapped her chin with her forefinger—“we have a diamond in zee rough we will transform into a diamond of zee first water, yes?”

“Oh, yes!” Lady Walmsley replied enthusiastically.

They followed Madame Veronique into her shop while Susan tried not to take umbrage at being referred to as rough. She was hardly that.

She stopped briefly and considered Madame’s words.Wasthat what other people thought when they saw her? Or was Madame exaggerating for effect?

Susan shrugged. She had agreed to this, so she would soon find out.

***

Madame Veronique’s shop was an elegant establishment decorated in a style that would appeal to the ladies of theton. The walls were cream, with white moldings,and dainty-looking tables and chairs clustered within the perimeters, beckoning toshoppers to sit, take tea, and peruse the fashion plates. A cabinet against one wall seemed to overflow with accessories, such as shawls and fans, and next to it, a full-length mirror allowed customers to see themselves in Madame’s wares. The large window at the front of the shop currently displayed dresses for different times of the day—all done in a variety of pink fabrics: a day dress with a matching spencer, a silk gown suitable for supper at home, a velvet ball gown—

Madame clapped her hands, startling Susan from her thoughts. “Quickly, come! We have much work to do!” Madame said as three seamstresses scurried out from a back room.

Almost before Susan could blink, she was rushed into a dressing roomand stripped down to her chemise. Every inch of her—she was certain it waseveryinch—was measured and then remeasured for accuracy. Susan’s arms wereoutstretched for so long, she felt like a scarecrow. The modiste she and Mamahad visited during Susan’s come-out and the subsequent Seasons had beennothing like this. She felt simultaneously irritated and entertained.

Finally, Madame Veronique, who had supervised the entire process, nodded. “C’est bien,”she said with another nod. “Very good. You know what to do next.”

The seamstresses—all but one—scurried off, and Susan glanced at MadameVeronique as the seamstress who had remained assisted Susan back into her clothing.

“Whatdo they know to do next?” Susan asked warily.

“Zees eez where zee fun begins!” Madame replied.

Fun for whom?Susan thought as she dressed. And why had no one ever told Madame Veronique her accent was absurd?

When Susan returned to the showroom, Lady Walmsley was sitting on acushioned chair, sipping tea and poring over fashion plates, oohing and aahing.

Madame Veronique crossed over to her and looked over her shoulder. “Ah, now zees one.” Madame pointed at a specific fashion plate. “Very flattering,non? At least two day dresses for Miss Jennings from zees one. Your Miss Jennings—her complexion! So creamy, with such adorable little freckles—just enough to be enchanting. Her hair—eet eez long and thick and luscious, like a rich chocolate, although ever so curly and wild. There eez so much Madame can do. So much!”

The seamstresses returned from the back room with bolts of fabric and set them on the counter at the back of the showroom, and then Madame led Susan to the counter. “You see, Lady Walmsley, zees muslin with zee pretty flowers for zee day dress, and zees green one, too, and zees”—she pointed to a bolt of the most delicate silk Susan had ever seen—“for zee undergarments.”

“My undergarments are fine,” Susan said, feeling her face go red. Howmaddening! She was well past the blushing-young-maiden portion of her life.

“Zee lady feels most beautiful when zee clothes zat touch her skin make herfeel zat way,” Madame said. “Beauty begins on zee inside and continues outward.”

That may be true, Susan thought, but it was going to cost a lot more ofLady Walmsley’s money than she’d anticipated. “Lady Walmsley, surely there’s no need,” she argued. “I cannot ask you to replace my entire wardrobe in this way.”

“Tut, tut,” Lady Walmsley said with a wave her hand. “In for a penny, in for a pound, as the old saying goes.”

Madame Veronique nodded decisively.

Susan sighed.

“Now, see,” Madame said. She led Susan to the mirror and, with a seamstress’s assistance, draped Susan with a variety of fabrics in an array of colors. “Zee lilac, don’t you sink? And zees silk—see how eet brings out zee color of your eyes? Very pretty. What do you say, Lady Walmsley?”

“It’s lovely,” Lady Walmsley said. “They all are. I can scarcely wait to see them all completed. You are going to shine wherever we go, Miss Jennings.”

Susan sighed again.

“I know it’s asking a lot, Madame,” Lady Walmsley said, “but is it at all possible to have a couple of gowns ready in the next day or two? A day dress, at least?”

Madame tapped her chin in thought. “Zee flowered muslin—I sink we can have eet ready by tomorrow—and perhaps one of zee simpler evening gowns. We are so busy zees time of year; of course, zat is no surprise to you. So busy. But we will see what we can do.”

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