Burned

3

            The next night, Louise was brought a box tied up in ribbon. Alfie had sent her home a bit early so she could bathe and make sure the dress fit.

Louis thanked Ollie for delivering the box and took it to her room. She set it on her bed and slid the top off. Folded under a bit of tissue paper was a royal blue evening gown.

"Mercy..." She lifted the garment up delicately to take the rest of its appearance. The front was intricately beaded, the shiny facets catching the lamplight and making the dress glimmer. It was floor length, with a long row of buttons in the back traveling from the top all the way to where the dress's skirt flared out behind. The beaded bodice formed a sweetheart neckline, ready to hug the waist.

Louise stared at the gown, dumbfounded for a bit. Despite growing up in a well off home, she hadn't seen anything quite so stunning. Her father insisted she wear modest dresses when attending events to keep his only child and precious daughter safe from the wandering eyes of boyish elite males. And of course, when she married her husband, she had no use for nice dresses.

But this dress, royalty could've worn it or the stunning fashion models in Paris. It seemed to be the right size, but she wasn't sure she'd fit the mold of a woman who would wear such a garment. But it was too late to get another dress and none of the clothes she had would be appropriate for the event.

She set the dress on her bed and glanced back at the box.

A set of gloves sat waiting for her among the tissue paper. The satin fabric reminded her of her mother. She and Louise's father would regularly attend parties and galas. But they never neglected her. She could almost smell her mother's perfume, remembering how she'd touch her daughter's cheeks with the silky gloves while kissing her goodnight.

No one could be more beautiful than her mother.

Louise slipped the dress on and realized there was a problem. She reached behind her and tried to do up as many buttons as she could. But the twisting tugged painfully at her stitches and made the feat impossible. She huffed in defeat and weighed her options. She could wear a shawl to cover up the undone buttons but the fabric folded a little because it wasn't fitting the way it was meant to. The second option and the most daunting was to ask Alfie to finish the buttons. Her boss of just over a week.

There wasn't much time to decide as the clock on the wall told her Alfie would be arriving soon.

"It's only a few buttons..." She whispered under her breath and hurried downstairs.

~~~~~~~~~

Around seven, the car pulled up to her apartment.

Alfie had gotten out of the car to greet her properly. He appeared more clean-cut than usual but still onto his air of power. He wore a well-fitted tuxedo with his heavy black coat to keep him warm in the cold London night. His beard was trimmed and he had his familiar black hat. He stood on the sidewalk; his feet set wide apart while resting his hands on top of his cane.

"Fucking hell." Despite his formal wear, Alfie didn't change his vernacular. Expensive fabric couldn't change that. "Thought you'd look lovely in that color. Nice to see I was right, usually am."

Louise smiled and stood in the doorway. "Could I just ask for a favor?"

"Yeah, what's that then?" He walked over to the steps.

"Just fasten the last buttons in the back." She turned to show him. She gathered her curls away from her neck so he could help.

Alfie felt a lump stick in his throat. He'd noticed the change in him over the week of having Louise around. He thought it would be easier to ignore it but that wasn't the case. It was hard enough just being around her in her work skirts. Seeing her dressed up like London's aristocracy was killing him.