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Rebecca glanced at Susan to see how she should react to the woman’s obviously bad French accent. “Thank you?” she finally replied to the modiste after Susan only looked at her with a straight face, although her eyes were twinkling. Rebecca hadn’t intended for her words to come out sounding like a question, but it had happened, nonetheless.
Madame Veronique actually grinned. “She wasn’t born with the same level of cheekiness as her elder sister, was she?” she asked Susan in a normal British accent.
Susan grinned. “No. I claim the prize for cheekiness, but she will always claim the title of spoiled baby sister.”
“Susan!” Rebecca exclaimed, feeling her cheeks heat up.
Susan laughed.
“I just knew things would be lively when both sisters were in Town together!” Lady Walmsley said with a chuckle.
Rebecca had only just met Lady Walmsley this afternoon, and she had found her to be a sweet elderly lady, small in size with gray hair verging on white. At present, she was being handed a cup of tea from one of Madame Veronique’s shop assistants.
“This is going to be such fun! I’m delighted to have been included in this little shopping adventure, Miss Jennings. Spoiling your sister was the most joy I’d had since meeting my dear grandniece Ameliaandher marriage to Halfordandthe birth of their adorable little girl, Alexandra.” She sighed contentedly after taking a sip of tea. “Somuch to be thankful for! Oh, I’mexceedingly gladAylesham and his duchess brought you back to London for the remainder of the Season! And I can tell you are a delightful young lady, not spoiled in the least.”
“Thank you, Lady Walmsley,” Rebecca said. “It’s nice to hear some kind words spoken about me from somebody.”
Susan laughed again.
“We must get you to the dressing room,” Madame Veronique said, her French accent apparently gone for good. “Are you able to stand without your crutches for any amount of time, Miss Jennings? If we can get them out of the way, my assistants will get more accurate measurements. Never mind. Mimi! Sophie! Quickly, show Miss Jennings to the dressing room, girls. Sophie, help her stand without her crutches while Mimi takes her measurements.”
“Yes, Madame,” Mimi said with a curtsy.
“Yes, Madame,” Sophie echoed, also with a curtsy.
Both girls came immediately to Rebecca and led her to the dressing room at the side of the shop. Once inside, Rebecca saw it was a room with a great many mirrors on all four walls and a raised platform for clients to stand on in the middle of the room.
“If you’ll stand on the platform, Miss Jennings, we can help you with the removal of your gown,” the girl called Mimi, who was not much older than Rebecca herself, said. “Once you are down to your corset and chemise, Sophie will support you so we can move your crutches out of the way of my measuring tape.” She glanced at Sophie, who nodded in acknowledgment.
“May I take your crutches from you now?” Sophie said once Rebecca’s gown had been removed. “You may place your hands on my shoulders for support, if you need it.”
Rebecca handed Sophie first one and then the other crutch, placing her left hand on Sophie’s shoulder. Once Rebecca had stopped wobbling on her single foot, they measured her waist first, then her bodice and hips.
“Excellent,” Mimi said, stopping to jot down the numbers. “Just a few more now.” She measured the length of Rebecca’s arms and her legs, her neckline, and the distance from her neck to her waist in back and from her neck to the floor. Mrs. Taylor had never needed so many different measurements before. It was all rather interesting.
“There now,” Mimi said. “We have a gown or two in the back room that should fit you quite well. I’m going to get one of them for you to try on so you may see what this year’s styles will look like on you.” She flitted out the door.
Sophie handed Rebecca her crutches. “You may use these until she returns. It will probably help you feel a bit more secure.”
“Thank you.” Mimi and Sophie seemed like the sort of young women Rebecca would have enjoyed having as friends had they lived in Lower Alderwood. She couldn’t help but think that but for the circumstances of their births, Rebecca herself might be working in a dress shop and Sophie or Mimi might be getting a new wardrobe.
That thought brought to mind the tiny girl whose mother had died in childbirth: Lady Rose Fortescue, Ben’s little daughter. How would the loss of a mother in baby Rose’s life affect her as she grew up? Rebecca had never pondered such things in great detail before.
“What do you think?” Mimi said, returning to the dressing room with a pale-blue gown. “When I saw your pretty eyes, I knew this was the one I should bring for you to try on.”
“Oh yes!” Sophie exclaimed.
Once again, Sophie took Rebecca’s crutches and supported her while Mimi assisted her into the gown.
“There!” Mimi said at last, just when Rebecca thought she might topple over. “It’s a near fit, just a place here at the shoulder and in the bodice that need to be taken in.” She stepped back to take an overall look. “I’m going to get my pins.”
“Your eyes look like sapphires,” Sophie said as she handed Rebecca her crutches when Mimi left the room. “The deepest, bluest sapphires I could ever imagine. The gentlemen are going to swoon when they see you, Miss Jennings.”
Rebecca highly doubted that, but she smiled at Sophie nonetheless. She could see why the colorful Madame Veronique had hired these two young women to be her assistants. They were helpful, industrious, and cheerful.
“That would be quite a sight, wouldn’t it?” Rebecca said. “Entering a ballroom and watching as every gentleman in attendance collapsed to the floor in a dead faint after a mere glance at my dazzling blue eyes.”
Sophie grinned and then giggled.
