Page 94 of A Much Maligned Miss

“Oh, the dressmaker,” Caroline said, sitting up. “Oh, I do hope it’s my new plaid walking gown!”

“It’s more likely to be your finery for the grand opening,” Effie opined. “His lordship is sure to have asked for that one to be the priority.”

Her face fell. “Oh, yes of course.” Then she remembered he had warned her he was ordering supposedly “flashy” gowns for the gin palace, and felt her excitement rise again. What would it be like? She jumped up from her seat. “Shall we take a look at it?”

“Hold on a tick,” Effie said. “I’ll go and fetch some scissors.”

“I have some here in my sewing box. Wait!” she said as the delivery men started to shuffle back out of the room. “Your tip.” She was glad now that Gervaise had emptied the contents of his pockets into her purse that morning. At the time she had wondered what he imagined she would ever spend it on. “There you are, have a good day.”

“Much obliged, miss.”

“New gown? Ooh, let’s have a look,” Gracie said, hitching her skirts and hurrying over, duster in hand. “Is it anything like that one?” she asked, nodding to the frilly little doll.

Imagining herself in such an elaborate pink gown, Caroline gave an involuntary spurt of laughter. “I shouldn’t think so. Gervaise’s tastes seem to me much more elegant and refined than my own inclination. I was only involved in the ordering of my day dresses. He selected everything else.” Carefully, she cut the string and started unwrapping the uppermost of the boxes, which were cream and decorated with glossy ribbons.

“Ooh, fancy packaging!” Effie said excitedly. “Must have cost him a pretty penny.”

“I should say so,” Gracie agreed.

Caroline lifted the lid and gasped at the contents within. “Goodness!” she breathed, carefully lifting the scarlet bodice out of the tissue paper. Effie whistled as Caroline took in the elaborate pattern of the jet beads quivering all over the bodice. The dress must come in two parts.

“You was saying,” Gracie cackled. “I can’t see nuffink discreet about that!”

“It’s gorgeous!” Effie sighed enviously. “You’ll draw every eye in the place.”

Caroline turned the dress around, admiring the profusion of faceted black beads which hung artfully from the bodice where they would drape down over the skirts in an elegant fall.

Mr. Bailey peered around his canvas. “If his lordship wants you painted in that, tell him I’ll do it,” he offered generously.

“That would make a picture and a half!” Gracie leered. “You’ll be giving all and sundry an eyeful in that bodice.”

Caroline eyed the neckline nervously. It did seem rather low now that she came to look at it. Still, she had told him she looked forward to dressing “as a bird of paradise.” She could hardly complain now he had ordered her the appropriate plumage!

“These other boxes will be the skirts and petticoats, I expect,” Effie said, glancing at the remaining boxes.

“I think they must be. I won’t open them here. They can go straight up to that room Gervaise is using for his dressing room. He did say he would share it with me.”

“Right, I’ll get Reg to carry them up, so they’re safely out of the way,” Effie said, turning briskly on her heel. She was busy today organizing all the bottles behind the bar exactly how she wanted them for she started training her fleet of barmaids that afternoon and was fizzing with enthusiasm.

“Thank you, Effie.” Reverently, Caroline lay the bodice back down in its tissue and cardboard, replacing the lid. Gracie drifted off again to ply her duster over the wooden panels, and Romulus returned to steal the bobbin off his brother and bat it under one of the booths, where it got wedged against a screen and Caroline had some trouble retrieving it.

“You must be almost finished now,” she said frankly as she returned to her spot sat opposite the artist. He grunted. “You only have three days left.”

“I stand in no need of a reminder,” he answered sourly, and Caroline reached for her book once more, happy to disappear among its pages. When Gervaise and Ralph returned late afternoon from their social rounds, Caroline was still sat in the same spot, quietly sewing, the two cats draped over her legs and sleeping soundly.

“How was your day?” she asked, looking up. “Did you entice many customers for The Citadel’s opening?”

Ralph waxed lyrical about future patrons for a few minutes before Effie’s team behind the bar distracted him and he headed in that direction to see how they were getting on.

Gervaise dropped down into the seat opposite hers. “Where’s Bailey?” he asked looking around and no doubt noticing the missing easel and paraphernalia.

She set down the little doll’s dress and slipped her needle into the pincushion. “He has left already. He no longer needs me and said he can add the finishing touches in his studio. My toga is now officially retired,” she said, gesturing to her sheet which could barely be seen bundled up as she now was in dressing robe and shawl. “He will deliver the final piece on Friday morning.”

Gervaise nodded. “I see. Did he let you view it?”

“He did, finally.”

“And your verdict?”