Hom inclined his head and draped clothes over the suite.
Melody walked up to Lydia, and without any request or invitation, she held Lydia’s arms out and ran her hands alongthe underside of them before then following the angles of Lydia’s body down to her hips.
“Yes, yes, I’m sure I have some dresses that are the perfect fit for you. You have a figure that is a delight for modistes! It shall look like the gods have draped you in their clothes, I’m sure. Now, if you would just turn around for me,” Melody said, showing surprising strength as she twisted Lydia’s hips. Lydia gasped somewhat as she was turned around abruptly. She bent over, placing her hands on the top of the chair. Melody ran her hand down and then bent, taking the measure of Lydia’s legs.
“Perfectly in proportion, just as it should be. Not like me. I’m too lumpy, like my mother’s porridge,” she laughed.
“Is everything progressing as expected?” Victor asked.
Lydia had not seen him enter the room because her back was turned. She angled her head and looked over her shoulder, her cheeks turning crimson when she realized that Victor was staring at her in this unusual and perhaps compromising position. He quickly averted his gaze although she could still feel it passing down her back, along her bottom.
“Ah, Your Grace! It’s such a pleasure to meet you, and I’d like to thank you most kindly for engaging my services. To serve your family is the highest honor, and I shall boast about it to everyone,” Melody said.
Victor inclined his head.
“I was informed that you were the best,” he said and then looked towards Hom, who was still busy arranging the dresses.
“Indeed, indeed. I’ve paid a lot of people to say that.” She winked and nudged Lydia. Her laugh was warm. “I’m only joking. Don’t mind him by the way. That’s just Hom. You get used to him eventually, and he blends into the background. I like to think of him as a tall lamp.”
“Mr. Hom,” Victor said, tilting his head back as he stared up at Hom.
“It’s just Hom,” Melody and Lydia said in unison. Victor had a baffled look on his face which Lydia found amusing.
“I was just measuring your wife, and I think I have the perfect dress for her, Your Grace.” Melody abruptly pulled Lydia around and then swanned across the room, gathering a pale-yellow dress in her arms. Lydia teetered to the side, almost losing her balance. Victor went to take a seat, but Hom pointed to one of the dresses. Victor had almost sat upon it, and the stony, silent glare on Hom’s face encouraged Victor to move.
“Now, try this one on for size,” Melody said, handing the dress to Lydia. A butler had moved her screen from her chamber to this room. Lydia took the dress behind it and changed, a maid coming with her. As the clothes slipped away from her skin, she became acutely aware that Victor was sitting on the other side of the screen.
There was only a thin barrier between them, and his eyes might well have focused on the screen. Was his gaze penetrating enough to see through the screen? It was impossible, she knew, and yet the thought made her skin tingle uncomfortably anyway. Trembling breaths passed between her lips, and her heartbeat was rapid.
“Oh, that looks wonderful,” Melody said. “You look like you should be in a palace—not that this estate isn’t a palace, Your Grace,” she caught herself.
Lydia held her head high and clasped her hands in front of her abdomen.
“It is… adequate,” Victor said.
“Adequate? Your Grace, you won’t find finer threading anywhere,” Melody replied then turned to Lydia. “How does it feel? After all, everyone else only has to look at it while you have to wear it.”
Lydia was almost tempted to declare that she loved the dress if only to test Victor, but if she was going to do that, it would not be with this dress.
“Actually, it is a little tight,” she said, running her hands over her waist where the dress pinched.
“Oh dear, we can’t have that. Perhaps my eyes are not as good as they used to be. It happens to everyone, you know,” Melodysaid, rushing towards Lydia and escorting her back to the screen. “You get changed, and I’ll hand you another dress. Hom!” she summoned and turned away.
Lydia took the next dress, and she immediately knew that this one would not do.
“I don’t believe I need to show you this. I can feel that it isn’t right,” she said.
“I think we should see anyway, if only to be thorough,” Victor replied. Lydia lifted her gaze to the ceiling as she emerged from behind the screen.
“Why is the dress so heavy?” she asked. She could feel the weight pressing upon her shoulders and making her bow. Her knees bent under the pressure, and she didn’t think it would be long before she was sweating.
“Because it’s made with sturdy thread. It’s dependable, and it won’t let you down, but perhaps, it is suited for the winter period. Let’s try again,” Melody said, and once again, Lydia moved behind the screen.
There would have been some women who would have loved trying on all these different dresses. Lydia felt as though her grandmother would have been brimming with happiness, but it soon became interminable to her. Getting in and out of the dresses was an ordeal, even with the help of a maid, and it didn’t help that Victor didn’t seem to be impressed by anything.
Melody’s enthusiasm was indefatigable, and she sang the praises of every dress she presented to Lydia until it was deemed inadequate, and then Melody quickly disparaged them.
Some dresses were too tight, some too colorful, some were billowing, and some weren’t billowing enough. There were long sleeves, short sleeves, bright colors, pale colors, and while there were elements that Lydia and Victor liked, there didn’t seem to be a single dress that contained all the elements they both sought.
