She picked bright coloured dresses for Aurora and sent her to the dressing room to change.

When she came out, a few alterations had to be made to make it fit her better.

Miss Cassandra Sparks, as she came to eventually know, could not shut her mouth for longer than five seconds.

If she wasn’t talking about the dresses, she would be sharing her experience with other clients or asking her about herself.

Claire said very little, wishing the fitting would be over and they would be on their way soon enough.

And they hadn’t even been there much more than an hour.

When Aurora had tried out a substantial amount of dresses, she decided to call it a day.

"It’s sad that you are in such a hurry, my Lady. I was having tea prepared."

Claire smiled. "We would have loved to stay, but there are many things to do at home."

The woman nodded.

With a clap of her hands, her attendants flocked in with wooden boxes containing the dresses. There were three boxes and each of them contained three dresses.

"Thank you. How much for all the dresses?"

The woman glanced at all the boxes and shrugged.

"Don’t bother paying, lovely. All I ask is that you make me your modiste when you do become the Queen." Then she laughed mischievously. "All the other modistes will be envious."

Claire and Aurora exchanged glances.

Why was the woman so confident that she would become the Queen? What if she never did?

"Please let me pay you for your services."

The woman fixed her with a steady gaze.

"Do not bother. Just don’t forget me." Turning to her girls, she said, "Help them take their things to their carriage." And she went up the stairway.

Claire stood there gaping at the stairway she just disappeared through.

"Let’s go, Claire. You are always suspicious of gifts."

Gifts? The dresses weren’t gifts. They were a means of bargain.

And she wasn’t sure she would live up to her own end of such a bargain.

"We should stop by and get Arlan a few things as well." Rory said as they walked out of the building and into the sun.

When she opened the door, part of her expected Arlan to have run away.

But he was still seated exactly where he had been, his face hanging out of the window.

He however turned to look at them when they entered the carriage.

They were finally set to return home. But as they were passing, a jewelry shop caught her eye.

She didn’t have any matching jewelry for the ball.

At her whim, the carriage came to a halt and she dragged Aurora with her into the stone buildings with beautiful window panels.

The woman that sold the pieces also wore spectacles, but she had a long, angular face and very unfriendly eyes. She didn’t smile but Claire could see her yellowing teeth as she spoke.

From her dark brown hair, it was clear she wasn’t old. She wore an ash coloured dresses and a locket on her neck.

"How many I be of service to you?" Even her voice sounded like it was coming from her nose rather than her mouth.

Claire glanced at the pearls and rubies that were on display.

"How much for the pearls?"

The woman tilted her head and said, "How much do you wager?"

Claire blinked. "Fifty pieces of silver?"

The woman picked up the pearls in her bony fingers and handed them to Claire.

"Feel the weight of it and tell me if you think such a paltry wager is befitting of it."

The necklace was indeed heavy. They were real pearls.

"Hundred?"

The woman’s lips cracked ever so slightly.

"Very well. Let me have it wrapped for you."

Aurora tugged at her arm. "That was a lot of coin, Claire. Is it worth it?"

She said nothing.

The woman returned with the packaged necklace and Claire counted the coin and gave it to her.

They exchanged items and they were on their way again.

By the time they returned to Penbrook, the sun was setting.

Maria and her cohort rushed out to help them with their baggage while the scullery maids announced that dinner was ready to be served.

Arlan quietly slid out of the carriage and went to stay at the back of the house with the stable boys.

Claire didn’t care where he went, as long as he was nowhere around Aurora.

But was she overreacting?

"You went to the dressmaker’s? Can we see what you bought, my lady?" Maria asked.

The other one scowled at Maria like she had commited a heinous sin by asking to see a few dresses.

"Of course." Claire humoured her.

She rushed to assist the single footman they had with the boxes he was bringing inside.

Claire led Aurora up the stairs.

When she reached the room she had picked out to be hers, she flopped down on the bed with a sigh.

Her sister stood watching her before mimicking her movement.

They both giggled until they grew quiet.

"Do you like it here?" Aurora asked her.

She stared at the ceiling covered with the mosaic of a burning forest.

"Should I be honest?"

Rory chuckled. "Of course, Claire."

She shook her head. "I want to sell the house as soon as possible."

Rory sat up instantly. "What about Arlan? What will happen to him?"

Claire narrowed her eyes at the girl in front of her.

Why was her first concern always Arlan? 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Tell me exactly what happened in the carriage earlier today, young woman. Did you allow him to put his hand underneath your dress?"

Aurora’s eyes were wide with fear.

"He said he would never talk to me again if I didn’t let him. And I want him to talk to me, I really do."

She closed her eyes for a moment to anchor her scaling thoughts before she opened them again.

"Don’t ever let him do that again, no matter what he says. Good friends don’t do that to each other, Rory."

Aurora paled.

"Are you upset?"

Yes, she wanted to say. But instead, she said, "No, and even if I was, it wouldn’t be with you."

"I promised that he could sleep with me in my new room tonight."

Claire wanted to gag herself.

"You did what!"

Aurora jerked, startled by her outburst.

"To chase out the bad ghosts - that’s what he said."

Claire fell back against the bed and covered her eyes.

’Please don’t be another uncle Jarren in the making’, she prayed inwardly.