sneaking into my window more than once, drawing his hands down my body, whispering words in my ear that left me heated, throbbing. Ten months. It had been ten blasted, hellish months. Why would he not leave me in peace?
A bell rang from the front receiving room.
Mrs. Lamier sighed. I worried about the woman. She was older than Helen, when Helen had died. I’d come to depend on her so much in the couple weeks we’d been together. Izzy wasn’t my only family now. “Oh dear, that must be our two o’clock.”
“You hold Izzy, and I’ll help Miss Lamier with the measurements.”
“Are you sure?” She cuddled Izzy closer, as if she hadn’t any intention of leaving. “My fingers are aching today. Oui, certainly rain in our future. However, my daughter could use the assistance”
I hid my smile. Mrs. Lamier’s daughter had warned me that her mother was making excuses more often lately, which is why they needed an assistant. “Yes, it’s mere measurements. I can handle that.”
She smiled up at me. “Mon ange, you are too kind to this old woman.”
“You are far from old,” I said, kissing her slightly rouged cheek. “And I owe you and Miss Lamier everything. Izzy and I would be on the streets…”
She tsked.
“It’s true. I will forever be grateful.”
“Non, we are famille now.”
And I knew she meant every word. Ducking my head so she couldn’t see the gleam of tears, I hurried down the hall. I’d been so alone for so much of my life, I wasn’t sure how to take this sudden family. How much things could change within a few weeks.
I could hear Miss Lamier talking to the client. While her mother was kind, gentle, Miss Lamier was a whirlwind of energy that few could keep pace with. Her face was narrow and her nose hooked like a crow, yet somehow, she was the most stunning woman I’d ever met. Why? I wasn’t sure. Her enjoyment of life, her French accent, her Parisian style, or perhaps it was merely her confidence. Whatever it was, the combination made her utterly irresistible.
Miss Lamier stood in the receiving room, speaking to a stunning blonde woman who seemed vaguely familiar. Then again, all these rich English women tended to look the same. I’d forever be grateful to the Lamiers, who had welcomed me with open arms. Even if that meant dealing day after day, with spoiled women of the ton.
I waited beside her as they discussed the beautiful woman’s upcoming wedding. She was young, not much older than me. The material of her blue dress was fine, her skin clear porcelain perfection. She had the golden hair and pink bow mouth English men seemed to adore. In other words, she was the complete opposite of me.
“I heard about you at a ball from an actress, of all people,” the woman admitted with a blush that only highlighted her high cheekbones. “She heard it from her maid that you had designed a gown for the Queen’s cousin. A new up and coming seamstress. She insisted I needed to make an appointment before you were too busy.”
I bit back my laugh. If only the rumors were true.
“Well,” Miss Lamier said, smiling demurely. “We don’t like to brag of course, and we always keep our client’s names confidential, but…there is some truth to what you’ve said.”
The woman giggled, hiding her lady-like laughter behind white, gloved hands. “How jealous they’ll all be that I managed to procure your services before them!”
I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes. They must have been her friends.
She wasn’t the first woman who had claimed to have heard about us from a maid. Who was this person spreading rumors about the Lamier women? Was McKinnon up to it? I wouldn’t doubt it. He might be rude, he might be demanding, but it was obvious he was loyal to his friends.
Miss Lamier caught my gaze. I didn’t miss the sparkle of amused success in her brown eyes. “Oh, there you are, Ginny, my dear.”
I smiled politely, and bobbed a curtsey. “Madame. My lady.”
“My dear, this woman needs a new wedding trousseau.”
“How lovely,” I murmured, taking the tape measure from my pocket as I eyed the woman’s body. As with all women of wealth, it was hard to decipher her true form underneath corsets and bustles. “What lovely coloring you have. How splendid you’ll look in a pastel.”
She blushed, pleased with my compliment. “Oh no. I know exactly what I want.”