Chapter 49 – A Successful Piece
Jade took a shortcut when designing the pattern for the miniature decorative screen. She deliberately chose a simpler colour scheme and pattern to reduce the workload. This way, she could test whether the students were able to work together with Clara, and whether the Chinese embroidery technique she had recreated – rather poorly – from her vague memories was truly worth the long hours of effort.
One might argue that completing such a project was still good practice for the girls. However, for students who did not have the luxury of spare time and needed income to improve their lives, spending hours on work that earned them nothing would simply be a waste.
In truth, Jade was making a gamble.
If the students performed well, they could immediately begin work on the £50 decorative screen. In that case, everyone would earn a little extra coins, a happy ending for all involved.
If not, they would only have wasted their time, and the girls would continue earning the usual penny a day. Nothing in their lives would change.
Ten girls, including Jade and Clara, worked together to complete the miniature screen. Those who were skilled – like Clara – handled the most difficult sections. Those who were less skilled – like Jade – worked on the decorative border, or embroidered leaves and branches along the sides.
Perhaps the work flow was smooth. Perhaps Clara and Jade had taught the technique well. Or perhaps the students simply possessed natural talent for needlework.
Whatever the reason, the miniature decorative screen was completed within a week.
The result was stunning for a piece crafted by the hands of ragged school girls.
It depicted a realistic bouquet of white lilies arranged in a basket, set before a window that opened onto a picturesque landscape. Various shades of white were layered and interwoven so delicately that the colours shifted almost imperceptibly, creating an effect so refined that it might easily be mistaken for an oil painting.
The darker tones of the basket enhanced the purity of the lilies, while the distant scenery in the background – embroidered using the most ordinary and basic stitches – served as the perfect foil. Anyone who glanced at the screen would instinctively ignore the rougher lines in the background and focus instead on the luminous white flowers.
The embroidered image of the lilies had not yet been removed from the frame; Jade wanted to show the tuition class’s hard work to the clergy in the domus. She had not yet decided where to commission a proper wooden frame and glass for it. Even so, when the piece was presented to everyone during supper, the room filled with astonished gasps.
Mrs. Whitcombe was especially overwhelmed. Tears welled in her eyes as she reached out with trembling fingers to touch the lilies – but she stopped herself at the last moment. Instead, she withdrew her hand and embraced her daughter with a soft cry.
“Clada, oh, my Clara! What a beautiful piece of work you’ve created!” Mrs. Whitcombe dabbed at her tears with a handkerchief. “My Clara, you have become such an accomplished young lady, and I did not even realise it, oh…”
The embroidery frame itself was rather heavy and difficult to pass around, so everyone took turns approaching the piece to examine it more closely.
The nuns were especially curious. They had never seen anyone layer stitches repeatedly and blend colours in such a way.
“Oh my, Miss Jade,” Sister Geenia exclaimed, “how did you manage these unusual colours? They appeared white, yet each shade is clearly different! Don’t tell me you purchased separate threads for every shade of white. I know you would never spend the students’ funds like that.”
“I blended the threads myself,” Jade replied, twisting her fingers together in demonstration. “We unraveled the strands and mixed threads of different colours. If you look closely, you can see where the colours blend together. In the future, if we improve the blending, the flaws should become much less noticeable. Of course, it would be best if we could buy different shades instead of blending it ourselves. It’s quite time-consuming.”
“That’s brilliant!” Sister Geenia exclaimed.
Murmurs of discussion spread among the clergy, while Father Rochester raised a hand, gesturing for Jade to come and sit beside him.
“Father?” Jade lowered her head slightly as she approached, giving him her full attention despite the bustle of the crowded dining hall.
“Miss Jade,” Father Rochester began, smoothing his moustache thoughtfully, “do you intend to sell this piece of artwork anywhere?”
“No plans yet,” Jade replied, shaking her head. “I still need to order the frame and glass before deciding what to do with it. It might look nice now, but once it’s framed, it may not look as good as we expect. If that happens, I might need to reconsider the design – or choose a different frame.”
She paused, then added, “As I mentioned before, this is only a demo–I mean, a test – to see whether the girls can work together on a larger project.”
Father Rochester remained silent for a moment before asking, “And you plan to produce a decorative screen with one panel roughly as tall and wide as yourself? Preferably five panels, with three panels as the minimum?”
“Yes.”
“How long do you expect such a project to take?”
“Well…” Jade began, quickly calculating in her mind. “This one is a two-fold mini-screen. Each panel measures 12 inches wide and 14 inches high, and the design is relatively simple. As Father may have noticed, I took a shortcut with the background.”
“It took ten of us – including myself – to finish it in one week. I won’t be participating in the needlework for the larger project, since I’ll need to focus on other matters, so that leaves nine girls.” She continued, counting quietly on her fingers. “If we make a five-fold screen, with each panel about 1 foot wide and 6 feet high, and use a more complex design… I estimate it would take at least four months. That’s assuming the girls can gather to work every day, like they have been recently.”
She nodded slightly and added with a hopeful tone, “If everything goes well, we might be able to sell it during the social season – perhaps through the milliners or dressmakers. They’re the ones who usually sell to wealthy ladies.”
A long silence followed after her explanation.
Jade studied Father Rochester’s expression carefully. “Is… something wrong?” she asked cautiously.
“Nothing at all, Miss Jade,” Father Rochester replied calmly. “I am thinking… perhaps rather than selling the embroidery through milliners or dressmakers, why now first ask Lord Ashborne what his sister, Lady Eleanor Ashborne, might think of it?”
“Ask Lady Eleanor Ashborne?” Jade blinked in surprise.
“I suppose she might buy the piece out of kindness, just to help us,” she said slowly. “But Lord Ashborne has already provided us with so much support. I wish to show him that we can honour his generosity – let the public see that the domus in his parish is striving and thriving.”
Jade thought of how most charities she had witnessed back in her previous life operated – they published reports in newspapers and displayed their biggest sponsor’s name on their websites to show gratitude. Jade knew Mr. Rich Sponsor probably didn’t care about his good name being publicized, but she felt this was something the domus, as the recipient of such help, was obligated to do.
“And we should also try to attract donations from others. We cannot continue to burden Lord Ashborne’s finances alone; I don’t suppose that is the proper way to express our gratitude.” Jade nodded firmly to emphasise her point.
“I understand, and I agree with you, Miss Jade,” Father Rochester said with a gentle smile. Among the people in the domus, Jade was one of the few whose thinking aligned closely with his own. “I was merely considering that an endorsement from a Lady of rank might help spread word of your work. After all, Miss Jade, what you are offering is essentially a service: the creation of a customized artwork.”
He gestured toward the embroidered lilies. “Something not unlike commissioning an artist to paint a portrait or a mural.”
“Customized commissions?” Jade was surprised by Father Rochester’s suggestion. She glanced toward the embroidered frame surrounded by the clergy, where Clara stood explaining which student had worked on each section of the piece.
“Father, do you really think our work can compare with that of professional artists?” Jade asked. “I mean, we’re still under the name of a ragged school. Wouldn’t people look down on our creation because of that? And if the patron wanted to meet the artisans… what they’d see would be a group of skinny girls in ragged clothes, barely able to keep themselves clean despite their best efforts.”
“In the name of the Light, and in the spirit of charity,” Father Rochester replied calmly, “I believe those who choose to commission such work would be precisely the sort of people who are pleased to see delicate blossoms blooming from the mud.”
“Alright, that’s our target audience then,” Jade said with a nod. After thinking for a moment, she added, “ Originally I planned to make Roses ofLove the theme for the five-fold screen. But now I’m thinking Lotus ofPurity might be a good idea too.”
“Lotus?”
“Yeah. The flower that grows out of the mud,” Jade said. Seeing the confusion on Father Rochester’s face, she added, “You know, the one with big leaves that grows in ponds and lakes? The one you mentioned just now?”
“I supposed you may be referring to water lilies, Miss Jade?” Father Rochester said thoughtfully. “They are indeed often seen as symbols of purity rising from the mud. That would be a fine theme. Though Roses ofLove is also an excellent choice.”
Is water lily another name for lotus? Jade wondered. She did not think the two were exactly the same, but she nodded along anyway.
“Yeah, Roses of Love would probably bring in some handsome coins if a gentleman wanted to please his lady with a decorative screen. But Water Lily of Purity sounds nice too…”, Jade said, feeling torn between these two ideas. She frowned slightly. “Perhaps I should stick with roses?”
“Perhaps it would be wiser to consult Lord Ashborne – or Lady Eleanor Ashborne – before making a final decision,” Father Rochester suggested. He then nodded toward the crowd gathered around the embroidery. “I believe Miss Clara needs your assistance, Miss Jade.”
“Alright. I’ll update you soon, Father,” Jade said as she rose and returned to the others.
Later that evening, after they had returned to Jade’s room, she discussed the matter again with Clara.
“Roses or water lilies?” Jade asked as she worked with her hands, carefully removing the White Lilies from the embroidery frame before attaching a new piece of blank fabric. “Both have their own audience. Either one could sell well.”
Clara did not choose between them; she just simply stated the fact: “The entire tuition class is studying love and romance right now, Jade.”
“...Right.” Jade slapped her forehead. “My thoughts must have been wandering off to some galaxy just now. Yep! Focus on Roses of Love, then we work on the water lily!”
“Besides,” Clara added thoughtfully, “do you actually know what water lilies look like?”
She gestured lightly with her hand. “We were able to embroider white lilies because we knew how they looked. But I doubt many people here are familiar with water lilies. They grow in ponds or slow rivers, not in our houses. Have you seen any ponds nearby? I’m quite certain they don’t grow in the Lysmere River – it flows far too quickly.”
“...Good point,” Jade admitted with a wry nod. “I suppose I should actually observe one before drafting a design.”
“Now then, shall we decide what colours to use for the Roses?” Clara continued, her confidence clearly growing after leading the needle project, “Or perhaps we should have our students practice on smaller roses first before attempting large ones? My, a screen as tall as us – we must ensure the roses are the right size for the overall design, Jade.”
“No problem, I already have a rough draft here…” Jade replied. She gathered her scattered thoughts and began discussing the details with Clara, completely unaware of the astonishment Lord Ashborne would feel when he received her letter requesting a meeting during her supposedly idle winter.