Second-Hand Dresses

Chapter 19: Fury

No one expected an ambush any more than a smith doesn't expect their shoddy shoes to fall off the horse.

—Chinóra Fugamichyo

Lily hummed cheerfully to herself as she circled around her work table. Parts of Nirih's dress were spread out across the surface, pinned by stone weights. She had a few of them sewn together with brightly colored threads.

She had other parts of the dress already hanging off a customized wicker form that matched many of Nirih's measurements. Like her repair of Kendrick's suit, each of the different fabric pieces were different colors but matched in texture.

As she lined up the next two pieces together, she glanced up at the other forms. She had three other dresses blocked out and hanging from the wicker shells. They were all the proper shapes but she still hadn't finished coloring them.

It felt good to have some progress toward her obligations. After nights of dreams and mental blocks, everything eased up. It had been two days since Kendrick walked her home. She enjoyed a little guilty pleasure, teasing herself to an orgasm to images of both him and Hasan to ease her into sleep; it seemed to quiet the nightmares and give her a chance to focus once again.

Drawing out a thread, she fed it through a needle and began to lay down a neat line of stitches. She could afford to lose herself in her work, she had at least an hour before business started.

She was about half the way through the line when someone began to pound on the door. She missed a stitch, punching the needle through the wrong bit of fabric. She hissed and started to aim the needle to reverse the stitch.

"I know you're in there! Open up!" It was Djulian.

Lily held herself still, her good mood evaporating almost instantly. She straightened and then frowned, she didn't think she was late for Nirih's presentation. Glancing at the open door between her work area and the front, she could see a bit of the front window from her vantage point. There was no point in hiding herself from Djulian.

She continued to look around until she spotted her schedule book. It would bring her across the door and reveal herself fully to Djulian. She knew it would infuriate the powerful woman but she had to be sure.

With a sigh, she dropped her work and crossed over to her desk. She cringed as she did.

"I see you, cow!" screamed Djulian. The older woman continued to pound on the glass, rattling the glass with every impact.

Lily ignored her for the few precious seconds it took to find the page on her schedule. She ran her finger along the calendar line. She still had four days before Nirih's first scheduled fitting.

Her heart sank. She was more than behind on her work. She would have to work night and day to meet the date but it was possible. With a groan, she closed her book with a snap.

"Come on! Open the door!"

Lily turned and headed to the front door. She knew it would be bad news but she still lifted her chin and prepared for the onslaught.

Djulian didn't stop pounding on the glass. She was dressed in a white-trimmed gold dress. The corset was slightly off, giving her a lop-sided appearance that only a seamstress or gossiper would notice. She looked furious, more than even Lily would suspect for the time left until the first fitting.

A ripple of concern filled Lily but she unbolted the door and held it open.

Djulian shoved her way in.

The door smacked against Lily's foot. She stepped back with a wince. "Tadame Djulian de Kasin na Maifir, how may I—"

"I just heard that you haven't even started my daughter's dress!"