Page 30 of The Duchess’ Modiste

As Chloe leaned on the nearest table, tapping her chin in thought and planning what else had to be done, Rosaline hurried around the space. In her curiosity and keenness to admire, Rosaline kept rearranging the bolts. Chloe ended up hurrying on behind her, tidying up as she went along.

“I am so glad I could take time out from the Duke’s estate to come and see you here,” Rosaline said with a happy sigh as she walked round the space. “To think you will soon be a well-known modiste for the ton? Oh! It is just too exciting. I can scarcely stand still.”

“I had noticed,” Chloe murmured wryly, though Rosaline didn’t seem to have realized. Chloe rearranged some of the bolts that Rosaline had misaligned, before returning her focus to her friend. “I think calling myself a modiste to the ton is jumping ahead a little bit. I am not yet open, remember. When I do open, people may not come.” The mere thought made Chloe fidget with her hands nervously, before glancing out through the windows.

She found she was expecting someone, but he hadn’t come.

Not today anyway.

Leo had come most days, to talk of business or the paperwork that had yet to be completed, but so far, he was missing this day. His absence from her shop made her more than a little sad, longing for his presence.

“Chloe? Did you hear me?”

Chloe whipped round to see Rosaline waving a patch of silk in front of her eyes.

“What was that? I’m sorry, I was in a world of my own. Thinking of . . .” Chloe chewed the inside of her mouth, thinking of a passable lie. “The shop.”

“Yes of course. Chloe, it is coming on beautifully, you must not worry.” Rosaline replaced the silk to one of the tables, nearly getting it in the right place this time. “I do not doubt you will be the talk of the town. Lord Gloucester agrees with me.”

“Lord Gloucester?” Chloe dropped a piece of silk, just after she picked it up to rearrange it. She had to grasp it from the air as it swayed back and forth, like a falling feather. “I see he is still on your mind.”

“Very much.” Rosaline stopped hurrying back and forth. She turned to face Chloe, with a smile on her face so great that the creases in her cheeks reached her eyes. “Chloe, is it wrong to put such hope on a gentleman?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that Lord Gloucester struck me at the ball.” Rosaline turned in a happy circle. “One dance, and I could not stop thinking about him. I keep imagining that dance as if it was a bolt of lightning! He was the bearer, and I was the one hit.” She giggled at her own words and began to re-enact her dance. When she took Chloe’s hand and dragged her into the dance, Chloe had to work hard to stop herself from colliding with one of the tables. “I did not expect him to stay by my side all night, nor to ask me for a second dance. What do you think that means?” She abruptly stopped dancing, so suddenly that the momentum nearly made Chloe fall over. She clung to the nearest table and stood straight again.

“I think it means that if you see him again, there will be a lot more dancing around my shop,” Chloe said with wit, prompting Rosaline to giggle, then dance again by herself. This time, Rosaline was more cautious, barely turning in a circle.

Chloe turned her attention to setting out more bolts of fabric as she thought back to the ball and what she had observed between Lord Gloucester and Rosaline.

“I did not think an earl would ever notice me,” Rosaline said, her voice breathy as she looked to the ceiling. “I would have just been happy to be at the ball, standing amongst the candelabras. I hardly expected for Lord Gloucester to pay me such attention.”

“I would have wagered money on it,” Chloe said quietly. She knew Rosaline was a beauty. It was hardly surprising she had caught a gentleman’s attention.

“Oh Chloe! Do you not think it wonderful to dance with a man you find truly fascinating?”

Chloe faltered with the bolts of silk. She thought back to the dance she had shared with Lord Felton. She considered the way he had held her and his hand sliding further across her back. Her memories made her breath hitch.

“Yes, of course. It is natural.” The words came out as a whisper as she pretended interest in the fabrics. “You were fortunate though, to dance with your admirer twice.”

“Admirer?” Rosaline hurried to the other side of the table, leaning on it to catch Chloe’s eye. “Do you think that he . . . I mean, do you think he enjoyed that night as much as I did?”

“I am no great connoisseur of human behavior, but I do know no man dances with a woman they do not wish to dance with. Especially twice.” Chloe pointed out with wide eyes.

“But he is an earl!” Rosaline gushed. “And I am . . .” She gestured to her own body, then she grasped the skirt of her somewhat tattered gown. “I am the daughter of a tailor, and a seamstress by trade. The Earl could give his attention to any more deserving young lady.”

“Does position make them more deserving? Bah!” Chloe laughed at the idea, scoffing in such a way that Rosaline smiled a little. “I have met many a lady of the ton by now, and I am happy to say that any lady I like I judge because of her own merit, not because of her position. In fact, I have met a few ladies from the ton who I would be very glad not to see again.” She handed a piece of silk to Rosaline, silently asking her to help by folding the material. “Do not judge yourself by position, Rosaline. Judge yourself by your heart. It is the only true measure of a person’s worth.”

“How poetic,” Rosaline said as she folded the silk.

“Hmm, it was. I think Maeve would be quite proud of me. Perhaps some of her writing has rubbed off on me over the years.” Chloe sighed as she stood back. “Maeve is one of the reasons I believe that affection can cross positions, Rosaline.”

“Truly?” Her friend paused, lifting her eyes to meet Chloe’s.

“Maeve’s father may be an earl, but he has long since fallen from any great position of wealth. When Maeve’s head was first turned by the Duke, I heard her say on more than one occasion that he would surely notice a lady of better position than her. What happened? The Duke noticed only Maeve.” Chloe smiled with the words. “Where love is concerned, it makes awareness of position and money blind. I am quite convinced of it.” Chloe turned and hurried to a table at the back of the shop, which was to be her main countertop. She reached into a box of freshly delivered laces, and picked up one at a time, admiring the fine needlework.

“You speak as if you know what love is, Chloe. Have you been in love?”

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