She smiled at him. “I said the same thing to her, but she could not be more specific in her analogy.”
Jackson looked at her shape and found nothing at all too heavy except the fabrics that seemed to weigh her down. She wasn’t waif thin, but he preferred women who didn’t look like they’d bowl over in a stiff wind. And he liked what he saw in her. “Your frame is perfect. Besides, spring has a great deal of work to do, what with birthing calves and causing shoots to break through hard packed soil.”
“You’ve gone poetic,” Lady Gwen countered as her eyes narrowed. “You are enjoying this.”
“Of course, I am. I always like it when an idea begins to take shape.”
“And I am that idea?”
He nodded. “Aren’t you enjoying it?”
“I…” Her eyes abruptly widened. “I suppose I am. You make it fun. Nevertheless, the fabric must not show water stains. The flowers will be wet.”
That was an excellent thought and required a full twenty more minutes of discussion. But in the end, they found a compromise. At least until Lady Gwen pointed to the bodice.
“You have cut the neckline high. May I ask why?”
“Do you wish it lower?”
“Goodness no! I just wonder why, is all.”
Did she think he disliked her cleavage? “You have a glorious bosom,” he said with a wink. Then he froze, waiting to see if she appreciated his gesture. She did, though it took a few seconds before her cheeks pinked and her lips curved in a shy smile. “Unfortunately,” he continued happily, “the vases and flowers will be heavy, so the gown needs structure. Besides, I recall how often you tugged at Isabelle’s gown.”
She shuddered. “It was beyond annoying.”
“Then we shall cover up your glorious asset in the name of not annoying you.”
She titled her head. “Are you teasing me?” she asked, and her tone was serious.
“No,” he responded truthfully. “I am in earnest.” He leaned forward. “I could wink again, if you like.”
Now her cheeks bloomed very bright, but she didn’t avert her eyes. A victory, he believed, especially when she made an awkward wink back at him.
The gesture was so delightful that he nearly crowed out loud. He didn’t, though. He simply echoed her gesture and waited to see her glorious smile grow even wider.
“So we are agreed on this design?” the modiste asked.
Lady Gwen recovered faster than he did. She blinked as she refocused on the sketch. “I agree.”
“As do I,” he said as Madame Juliette scooped up the design. But then he pulled out five more sheets of foolscap. “On to the next one.”
And so they began it all again, on and on with each design until Lady Gwen had a full wardrobe. At one break in the discussion, he sent a message that her maid join them. He claimed it was for propriety, as it was growing dark. The two of them could not be about without a guardian of some sort watching them. But also because he wanted her dresser to know how to put flowers onto her gown and into her hair. But at that, Gwen held out her hand in refusal.
“Stop! We must discuss the vases first. Madame cannot make all the dresses unless we have tested it.”
He nodded. “A sound argument, but do you have the vases available?”
“I have one,” the dressmaker said as she pulled out a small bud vase. It was a wearable one, meant to be pinned onto a gentleman’s lapel. She held it out to him, and he inspected it from every side.
“It looks serviceable enough.”
But Lady Gwen shook her head. She’d been using a sharp pair of scissors to cut a piece of paper. When she held it up to the light, he saw that it was roughly the shape of a daffodil. “The blossom will be a great deal heavier, but this is the approximate size. Put it in the vase.”
He tried. The stem didn’t fit at all. She took it from his hand and quickly trimmed the width of the stem, but even he could see that it wouldn’t serve. The weight of the blossom would have the whole thing tilting over. The blossom was too heavy for this gentleman’s lapel pin. A lady’s pin was supposed to be even more delicate.
This is why he needed her. He would not have thought of that himself. Until this moment, he thought all flower stems were the same size. “We shall require a larger vase pin.”
“Do you know of any?”