Isabelle startled; she had forgotten about Jean. So, when the other woman pulled her hand, she almost screamed in fright. Jean, unaware of that, just pulled Isabelle away and whispered, "Are you really giving up on the thread? Didn't we come here just for that?"
"But we cannot force the lady to get it for us if she does not want to." Isabelle rejoined. Jean opened her mouth, closed it and nodded defeated. Isabelle inwardly sighed. "Just wait." She said before turning to Mrs. Attile. "Last time, I saw a very nice bolt of fabric. I think it was this way." She pointed towards a corner of the shop. "Come, Lucas, I will show you." The man let himself be dragged to where she had pointed. "Here! What do you think?"
Lucas stared at the fabric she pulled. His eyebrows jumped as Isabelle slightly rubbed the white fabric, and looked for words to describe what she was showing him. "It's too..." He spoke only to fall silent again. As he mulled on what to say, his expression became troubled. Isabelle seemed to like it, however…
Noticing his expression, Isabelle giggled. "It can be used over another fabric." She told him, guessing his thoughts over the fabric. She refrained from laughing when his expression eased and nodded, content of her choice.
"It's fine then." He said. Isabelle bit her tongue to not guffaw.
How can he be so big and so cute?
When she managed to put herself together, she commented, "I was thinking of using it for the wedding dress, in layers over a solid fabric; maybe sateen…"
"What a wonderful idea!" Jean suddenly exclaimed, having heard the whole conversation. Her mind conjured the design and her excitement reached a high level. "I really want to see the dress when it's done! I think what I'm imagining isn't doing it justice."
Isabelle smiled. "Well, you might as well see it since I wanted you to help me with something for the big day." There was so much she could do on her own. Just making the clothes was a huge task she imposed on herself. So, when it came to other things, then she had no option but to ask for help. Jean was the only person she could ask for help.
"I would love to!" Jean quickly accepted, completely delighted. She needed to discuss with her Husband what they could give Isabelle and the guys on the big day.
"I want to see it, too." Mrs. Attile, who had been silently listening to the conversation by the side, piped up. "In fact, I have some fabric here that many city ladies use for their wedding dresses." She beckoned at Isabelle to follow her, which she did; curious as she was to know what the older woman had for her. "This!" She grabbed a bolt of white fabric and extended it on the counter.
It was kept behind the counter, like a treasure, because to Mrs. Attile it was a treasure. She had practically begged her cousin to gift her the leftover bolt of fabric because she wanted to use it herself. However, with the arrival of the young woman, then she thought of a different use for it.
It was a very soft fabric to the touch. And it also had a very luxurious appearance. Like Sateen, it had a glossy sheen on the outside and a matte finish in the inside. However, Sateen was a bit rougher than the fabric on the counter, which was very sinuous and slinky that made it perfect for wedding dresses. That was why Mrs. Attile showed it to Isabelle. And Isabelle was very aware of that.
On that note, Isabelle carefully asked: "How much is the yard?" With such a wondrous fabric, it sure was not going to be cheap.
"10 coins." Mrs. Attile stated.
Silence.
Everyone in the shop was spooked by the price. 10 coins for only one yard! Lucas suddenly felt breathless, Jean almost swayed on her feet, Ginna felt her knees weaken and Isabelle just turned her incredulous gaze at Mrs. Attile. The owner of the shop had no expression on her face and just placidly looked back at Isabelle.
Narrowing her eyes, Isabelle immediately questioned: "What is the catch?"
Mrs. Attile did not immediately reply. She carefully pondered the words she wanted to say. Her gaze inadvertently landed on Lucas' shirt. It was a design not seen on villagers or even townspeople; she had seen it on city attendants. It was a simple design, however, the cut and the almost invisible embroidery on the seams was very telling.
If she could not rope the young woman into her new project…
"Alright. You win. I can get you the thread. Of course, you will have to pay for it, plus the delivery. In exchange, I want you." Mrs. Attile let subtlety fly out of the window and directly expressed her desire.
"I beg your pardon?" Isabelle blinked, perplexed at the other's words.
Mrs. Attile realized what she said could be misunderstood. "Not in that way." She shook her head and hands, and then explained what she was meaning to say. "This shop is a bit out of the way. The location is not that good. So, I want to have a way of promoting it."
Isabelle frowned. "I do not understand."
"Well, I was thinking I could display some clothes beside the fabric; that way people can see what the fabric could be used for." The older woman added.
The moment Isabelle heard that idea, a memory barreled into her mind. However, as fast as it came, it vanished. She still caught what she wanted from it. "Cities do that."
Mrs. Attile's gaze shone. "They do. My cousin is using this method with her own shop after she saw it in another shop in yet another city, in the capital to be more precise." She paused, yet the other did not react as expected. So, she continued. "This fabric," she patted the bolt she took out. "Women in cities use it to make simple nightgowns. For a border town, to use it in a wedding dress is quite a luxury."
"Did you know the Commissioner's daughter is going to get married soon?" Isabelle immediately followed the idea and added a detail. Mrs. Attile nodded, joyous that the younger woman caught her underlying message. They both shared a smile, knowing perfectly the market they could aim for. "You get me the thread, and I can make the dress to show off around town."
"It's not only about one dress." Mrs. Attile hinted.
"We can talk about that as soon as I get the thread." Isabelle countered.
"Deal." Mrs. Attile extended her hand. "Frances Attile."
Isabelle took the hand and shook it. "Isabelle Edris."
In the end, the trio exited the shop without buying anything.
Inside the shop, Mrs. Attile hummed as she folded the fabric again and put it behind the counter once again. So, not from the capital but still a city nearby. Siralle or Monfere. Both cities had a great presence of families that were famous for their ateliers. Was Isabelle a relative or…?
Outside, as the three walked away from the shop, Isabelle was very conflicted.
The fabric she was shown would be perfect for her wedding dress, but she would need more money than the one she had available. And to have the amount of money, she first would have to do Jean's order, and also wait for the handbags to be sold in the course of the week. Otherwise, she would have to go with cheaper options. Which was not bad, yet the fabric was so nice and perfect!
"What happened back there?" Jean suddenly asked, looking and feeling lost. Isabelle and the older woman were talking about thread, fabrics coming from cities that were extremely expensive, wedding dresses, the Commissioner's daughter and then… She did not understand what happened between the two.
"Business happened back there." Isabelle patted her shoulder. She was unable to explain that city women pushed and pulled and tricked and directly spoke whenever they did business. It was best if Jean never dipped into that world. "You can patronize that shop, too. They have good prices and the quality of the fabric is better than most of the shops in town." She told Jean instead. "The event in the restaurant is not going to be soon, right?"
"In a month." Jean confirmed.
"I will return to town in a week. I hope that the owner of the shop can have the thread by that time. You also need to buy the fabric, so I can work on the tablecloths as soon as possible." Isabelle told her the plan she had in mind.
"And if she can't get it?" Jean softly inquired.
"We go with blue." Isabelle shrugged, easily giving the other option she thought of. "But, let us hope the golden thread appears." Jean nodded. Just thinking of golden thread make her excited and dazed at the same time. "We will go to the market now. Do you want us to walk you to the restaurant?"
"No need. I have to return to the shop. I left my embroidering tools there." Jean said, and bid farewell to the couple.
Lucas and Isabelle headed to the market as they had to buy the weekly supplies. Isabelle also had to gear up for another business battle with Corey. Last time, they had talked about the glass containers and their uses, so Isabelle was sure that Corey would try to sell her one or two or three of those containers.
"You can do it. I believe in you." Lucas encouraged Isabelle when she told him what awaited them at the market. Isabelle melted and clung onto his arm the rest of the way to the market.
How can I not love this soft bear?