WolfeStrike (De Wolfe Pack Generations #2) - Kathryn Le Veque Page 0,100
other with a few posts in the middle to help support the weight of all of the garments that were hanging on the rope. Gilbert had invented a type of hanging frame for these garments that filled them out so women could see them as they were meant to be. It looked like a square made out of wood that hung from a rope.
It was quite inventive and Tor went to the hanging dresses to look for one that he liked. He could have had Isalyn select the dress but as he had told her, he wanted to do it. He wanted to select it and he wanted to pay for it because it was a gift to his wife on their wedding day, and he didn’t want any help in selecting it.
He wanted it to be special.
There were quite a few dresses strung up on the rope and there were a few women looking at them. Isalyn was still attached to his arm but he pulled her hand from his elbow and clutched her fingers tightly as he walked from one end of the display to the other.
As he walked, he visually inspected every garment. Some of them were quite spectacular, while others were simple and durable. They were loosely basted, with no hem on the bottom, so they were essentially an unfinished product. He swept the line of dresses twice and was considering a pale blue silk when Gilbert suddenly appeared with his majordomo, both of them carrying garments from the rear of the stall.
“I have been saving this one for someone who could afford it,” Gilbert said, holding up the dress. “This is a fine and expensive dress, all the way from Venice. The fabric is called nacrè. It is made from two different colors of silk, in this case blue and pink, to give the fabric an iridescent look, like a butterfly’s wing.”
When Tor heard Isalyn gasp at the sight, he knew he’d found the dress. It was a truly spectacular piece – figure-hugging, with embroidered seed pearls along the neckline and down the sleeves, which were split from mid-arm and trailed well past the hands. The combination of the two colors gave the fabric a lavender color, truly something spectacular to behold.
The majordomo had the matching shift, which he held up for Tor’s inspection. It was white, made from silk, and both sleeves were covered with the same seed pearls that were around the neck. When worn with the dress, the shift sleeves would peek out from the split silk sleeves of the gown.
It was a dress made for a queen.
“How much is it?” Tor asked.
Gilbert looked at the dress. “For a garment this rare?” he said. “Very expensive. One hundred and twenty pounds.”
“I will take it,” Tor said without missing a beat. “She will need slippers to match. Do you have them?”
“Of course,” Gilbert said. “I will send her with my majordomo to select everything she needs.”
“Good,” Tor said. “But first, let me look at your rings.”
Gilbert was motioning them to follow and Tor still had Isalyn tightly by the hand because, at this point, she was content to be led around. Tor was the man with a plan and she was happy to let him carry it out. As they followed Gilbert to the rear of the stall, Tor turned to look at her, receiving a sweet smile for his effort. There was something in the air between them, now more powerful than ever before. He smiled in return just as Gilbert reached his destination.
It looked like an enormous wardrobe, but when he opened it, it was full of treasures. In fact, there was an armed guard standing in the shadows nearby, positioned to protect the contents. Gilbert didn’t even let Tor look through his stock because he had something in mind right away.
“There is something here I want you to see,” he said, looking through the boxes. “Unless it has been sold, but I do not think so. It is rather unique and… here it is!”
He pulled forth a big, teardrop-shaped garnet set in dark yellow gold and handed it to Tor, who studied it carefully. Isalyn was looking over his shoulder, thinking that it was quite lovely but also quite big. She had never envisioned herself wearing a boulder-sized gem on her finger, but she didn’t want to spoil Tor’s fun. If he wanted her to have it, then she would wear it happily.