Chapter 39: A Sparkling Gem
"Good morning! Welcome to Lady Florence’s Boutique!"
As Tillian and Aideen walked into the dress shop, they were immediately greeted by a tall, slender woman in her late thirties.
She was dressed in a rather modest green dress with a tall neck, long sleeves, and pearl buttons lined down to the waistline.
Her straight blonde hair was gathered in a very neat bun on the crown of her head and wrapped with a thin, white ribbon. Her face, long and skinny, boasted a healthy complexion, but the big, round silver frames of her glasses seemed rather out of place as they covered nearly half of her face.
The woman trotted briskly towards the early visitors, offered them a generous bow, and introduced herself in a polite voice,
"My name is Beatrice; I am Lady Florence’s first assistant, and today you are in my care."
Beatrice ushered the couple further into the store and continued,
"As autumn is coming to an end, we have already begun advertising our new winter collection. As you know, all dresses are unique in their design, which means no other lady in the entire Geraldion will have the same dress as you, My Lady."
She paused in front of the dress stand with a dozen mannequins clad in warm winter dresses and fixed her curious, anticipating gaze on Aideen, whose sparkling eyes were running absentmindedly over the space in front of her.
Beatrice arched her thin eyebrows and shifted her eyes to the Duke, who cleared his throat, then gently placed his big hands on top of Aideen’s shoulders and explained,
"Yes, we are aware of the outstanding nature of your designs, Lady Beatrice. Right now, however, our top priority is a dress that is made only once every year and has no rivals in terms of its price."