Tangled Betrayals (8 page)

Chapter
Fourteen

Susannah
was up and moving early the next morning. Not because she wanted to be up so early, but because Anna had purposely awakened her. Despite all of Susannah’s grumbling about needing more sleep, Anna continued to chatter non-stop while Susannah complained the entire time she was getting dressed about how inconsiderate her sister was being to her. She realized Anna had been ignoring her pleas without any bit of guilt.

Both women were
thankful James had left a tray of pastries and tea on the table, in the center of the room. Once they had eaten they took great care in putting on the dresses they had brought with them from one of the best shops in Baltimore. Despite their denials to James and Thomas that they didn’t wish to draw attention, Susannah and Anna did hope they would get some admiring comments on their attire as they shopped for the wedding dress.

They
’d been told from Thomas and James that the English were quite curious about the American people and their way of life, so who else could they find to better to inform them than she and Anna, was Susannah’s way of thinking.

“Anna, this is the third store we
’ve been to and you still haven’t come close to finding a wedding dress, let alone a ball gown. I really liked the wedding dress with the puffy sleeves and the full skirt in the last store we visited. You keep making excuses as to why you’re not ready to purchase a dress. Isn’t there anything in this store you would at least like to try on?” Susannah asked almost pleading now. She was getting quite tired. She had already found three dresses and possible a forth for herself in the stores that had proceeded this one. Yet, once again, Susannah realized Anna had not found one thing suitable to wear for her wedding.

“I haven’t found one that I think is perfect
. How can I possibly look for other dresses until I’ve found my wedding gown? I would like to go to at least one or two more shops. Please, Susanna, you know how important this is to me! The dress must be perfect.”

“
I understand, Anna. It’s just that I’m a little tired and need a rest.” Susannah lied. She was exhausted.

“
Why don’t we ask someone if there is another shop close by? In fact, I think I might ask the lady in the red dress that just entered the shop. I love her red shoes and I would like to know where she purchased them,” Susannah said excitedly as she approached the shopper apparently forgetting how tired she had been previously.

“Excuse me, Madam, could you possibly help us? We
’re looking for a wedding dress for my sister and so far we’ve been unable to find one that suits her. If you could give us a suggestion to a shop that makes bridal gowns we would be very grateful. I also wanted to add how much I admire your shoes, would you mind telling me where you purchased them?” Susannah could see the woman was quite flattered. She appeared to be about the age of their mother.

The English lady
glanced at Anna and then to Susanna. As she looked down at Susannah’s shoes, she smiled when she realized her condition.

“Thank you for the compliment
. I was wondering if you might be from America. Your speech is not exactly English and yet I cannot place where you’re from.”

“
Yes, we’re from America,” Susannah replied pleased.

“
I thought so. I must tell you my shoes came from France. I bought them on my last trip there some time ago. To my knowledge, there are no other shoes like them in London. However, I don’t think you’d find these shoes very comfortable considering you are expecting. But, regarding other dress shops, I think I can be of help. Have you been to the Curtis’s Dress Shop?”

“Yes, and we also tried Baxter’s down the street.”

“Hmmmm, let me think, I do know there is a quaint little shop I go to now and then that is a few blocks from here. The name is Miss Minnie’s Dress Emporium. She and her two seamstresses make lovely dresses. I like to use them on very special occasions. The dresses there are quite reasonable.

“
Some of my friends would never shop there due to their location and the fact they believe only very expensive dresses are worth their time. The dresses there, in my opinion, are exquisite. Believe me; I have had many compliments on my purchases from that particular shop.”

“Do you think they might
be able to have a wedding gown available by Friday?” Anna anxiously asked.

“Oh
, I’m sure it’s possible. They make mostly wedding gowns and fancier dresses. You need to travel about four blocks south of here. The store will be on the corner. You can’t miss it. There are no other stores that I can think of that are close besides the ones you’ve already named. I hope you have success in your shopping.”

“Thank you, you
’ve been very kind to help us. I hope my sister finds a dress today or we might have to take another day looking for shops further away, and we really don’t have the time!” Susannah said loud enough for Anna to hear, hoping she would take the hint that she needs to find something soon.

Due to the distance they
’d have to walk, Susannah knew she had to hire a carriage to take them the next few blocks south. With the street being crowded it took some time to jostle the carriage down the street. But just when they thought they might have missed the shop they noticed the sign, Miss Minnie’s Dress Emporium, at the next corner written in bold black letters.

They
anxiously entered the shop and right away both Susannah and Anna were pleased with the dresses they saw on the racks. Anna went over to check out two wedding dresses on display while Susannah found herself busy checking out the beautiful ball gowns. All of a sudden, Susannah realized she wasn’t tired at all. The short rest in the carriage did her a world of good.

The store was small in comparison to the other stores they had visited, yet there were more dresses on display
. Maybe, Anna would find her dress! Susannah thought as she looked at a lovely red ball gown.

Chapter Fifteen

The Encounter

Mary had
gotten to work at exactly nine the next morning. After her terrible ordeal at the dock and then her confrontation with Thomas, to no one’s surprise, she tossed and turned all night. She nodded to Minnie as she came into the shop and went directly to the back fitting room to work on alterations she needed to have completed for pick-up in the next day or so.

She felt safe there, where she could
be alone and try to face the day with some form of dignity. Mary didn’t understand why she felt so ashamed and humiliated by what had happened when she hadn’t done anything wrong. Mary heard the door open and knew Minnie had stopped to see how she was faring.

“Mary, I believe I
strongly suggested to you yesterday to take a few days off. You’ve been through a terrible shock. You need to rest and you look terrible. Why, dear, must you insist on being here today?”

Mary
half smiled at the comment regarding her looks. She didn’t care about her appearance for it no longer mattered. “Because I need to work to get through this, please let me work. If I were to stay home, my thoughts would be consumed by yesterday.  I can’t just be at home and re-live the pain over and over again in my mind. At least here, there will be moments I can possibly stay focused.

“
I decided when I awoke it would be best for me to work. Besides, if I’m going to fall apart, I would like to have you near, to help me through the rough patches. I’m sure I look the way I feel----- horrible. My eyes hurt and are swollen from the many tears I’ve shed.”

Mary knew Minnie
would not really argue with her decision. This was exactly what she had done when she had lost her mother. She’d work hard each day until she was so tired that when she went home she just fell into bed from exhaustion. She forced the pain away as much as she could.

Today
, Mary knew she must start to heal. She would work through today, then tomorrow, and continue until hopefully the day would come when things would appear brighter. Mary wasn’t sure how long that would be, but life goes on. She had to believe she would be a stronger person for going through this. Yet, Mary knew, even after talking to her mother last night, nothing had stopped the hurt and pain inside. And nothing stopped the flow of tears.

Mary realized
at some point Minnie had given up trying to reason with her and had left the room. Mary continued with her alterations and was amazed at how much she had accomplished in such a short time, but then realized she had worked through lunch.

Mary got out
the meager amount of food she had brought and was about to take a few bites when the shop door opened and Mary felt a sense of dread the minute she recognized voices that were definitely not English. 

W
hen Mary was sure things couldn’t have gotten any worse, she heard Minnie say, “You say you came from America and arrived yesterday?”

Mary’s heart sank.
Those two women couldn’t be in the store. Not here. God wouldn’t continue to put her through such agony, would he? Mary thought once again life was playing some cruel joke. She quietly crept to the door and cracked it open so she could hear what else was being said. She desperately tried to get a glimpse of the women Minnie was speaking with.

“Yes,
I’m Susannah Parker and this is my sister, Anna Webb.”

“Damn,” Mary swore under her breath
and felt the pain of yesterday returning. Minnie hadn’t responded to them and Mary thought the silence was awkward.
Please Minnie, say something to get them to leave. Please
, she prayed.

“My sister is engaged to a Mr. Thomas Ball,
formerly from London. We’re looking for her wedding dress.”

“
You’re welcome to look around. If you should find something that interests you, please send Alice to come and get me. I’ve some work to do in the back. You might want to try Baxter’s or the Curtis Dress Shop; they also have some lovely gowns.”

“Thank you for your suggestion, but we
’ve been there already with no success. I do hope we find something here.”

“I hope we can
accommodate you,” Minnie replied as she headed for Mary.

Mary stepped back so Minnie could enter
the room without running into her.

“Mary,”

But before Minnie could say another word Mary interrupted. “I heard. I’ve been listening ever since they entered the shop and I knew from their voices they weren’t from England. I heard them mention Thomas. So, Thomas is engaged, and to James’s sister-in-law. Somehow, we didn’t get to that fact. Are they as beautiful as I first thought?” Mary asked dreading to hear the answer she was sure she already knew. What did it matter? But, somehow, it did.

“Aye,
Mary, they are both quite lovely. They seem very nice. Not snobbish or anything like some wealthy people are. I’m hoping they’ll soon leave. You know, I’d have done anything to spare you from this twist of fate.”

T
he door opened and Alice stated the ladies wanted to speak with Minnie.

“Stay here, Mary. I shall be right back.
I hope to have them out shortly.”

M
ary nodded and stopped at the door to listen. She knew her heart was filled with envy. Those two ladies held the hearts of the two men she also loved. Why did they have to choose this shop? She glimpsed at the emerald rings sparkling from the hand of James’s wife. Mary bit her lip to keep from crying.

Those were
to have been her rings. Mary had to close her eyes to prevent the tears from slipping out. Why did they have to shop here when there were so many other shops to choose from?

“I really like th
e wedding dress you have in the window, yet, I just don’t know. I was wondering if you might have any others to show me before I make my final decision. I want to be sure I have looked at everything possible.” Anna stated.

“
Susannah, you know I want something that would dazzle Thomas, something perfect! I do like the gown in the display window, better than all the others so far.”

“I
’m very sorry, but I don’t believe there are any other dresses available other than the ones you’ve seen.”

Mary opened the door
a little wider and saw the girl’s disappointment. After looking closely, to the girl named Anna, she wondered if maybe they weren’t about the same size. As much as Mary wanted to hate both of these women, it wasn’t either of their faults what had happened between her and James. Or the confrontation she had with Thomas.

Besides,
Anna was to be her sister-in-law, whether she liked it or not. But what she really wanted more than anything was to see these women up close. She wanted to look over the woman who had won James’s heart. She knew jealousy was not something she was proud to say she had, but the truth was evident, Mary knew she was very, very jealous.

Mary took a long
and deep breath and stepped out of the back room. “Excuse me, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation regarding finding a special wedding dress. There is one dress that became available just recently from a client of mine. I think you would look lovely wearing it,” Mary said as she studied both women.

Being c
lose to them Mary found herself amazed at their striking beauty. They had flawless skin and the bluest eyes. Mary could see why any man would take notice of either of these gorgeous women. She tried to avoid looking at Susannah as much as possible. She feared her emotions might give her away. Her biggest fear was being caught staring at the rings that were supposed to have been on her hand-----the rings that had once been full of promises and eternal love.

“How sad
, are you sure the bride is willing to part with her dress?” Anna asked, surprised any bride would give up a wedding dress. “I hope the cancellation wasn’t due to some harm happening to either one of the parties.”

Mary
sucked in a quick breath. No physical harm, she thought, just a broken heart, a bruised ego and no future happiness to look forward to, while it was evident James was apparently very happy and very much in love. She hadn’t thought about having to explain the circumstances of why the dress was available.

Quick thinking saved her.
“It’s due to some unfortunate circumstances that must remain private. I’m not completely sure of the details. If you’d like, you could come with me to look at the dress. I think you’ll find it to your liking.” In fact, Mary knew the sisters would love the dress. This gown was the loveliest dress in all of London, as far as Mary was concerned.

The women
followed Mary and waited while she pulled the dress from the closet. With her hands trembling, Mary held the dress for them to judge whether they had any further interest in her gown. She bit her lip and tried to stay focused.

But she
wanted to see their faces. Mary glanced briefly at Anna and then landed her stare on Susannah. She then looked down at the beautiful and stunning emerald rings. Mary almost fell apart, for they were far prettier than she had ever pictured.

She knew
by their expressions they were both taken back by the sheer beauty of her dress, as she was sure James would have been if she had been given the chance to have worn it.

“
This is the loveliest wedding gown I’ve ever seen! In fact, it’s exquisite! May I try it on, please?” Anna asked excitedly.

“Of course, let me help you.” Mary
responded with her hands still trembling as she helped Thomas’s betrothed out of her clothing.

“My name
’s Anna Webb and this is my sister, Susanna Parker, and you are?”

Again,
Mary thought quickly for a reply, “My name is Hope. Here, let me help you with the gown.” Mary prayed her brother had never mentioned her middle name or where she worked.    

“Did you make this
gown, Hope?”

“
Yes,” Mary replied. She didn’t realize Americans were so inquisitive about everything. Most English women would not linger in such conversation, especially with a seamstress.

Susannah stepped
up beside Mary to help pull the gown over Anna’s head and to straighten out the skirt. Mary could smell their lovely and expensive perfume. She could never afford such a luxury.

Susannah
was much shorter than Mary but showed a confidence that made Mary think she was a strong and knowledgeable person. Mary tried not to feel jealous, but she did. For the emerald rings glittered and Mary noticed they were absolutely flawless. She bit her lip hard and was relieved Susannah was now addressing her sister.

“Anna,
the gown is perfect. Look at the back of the dress in the mirror as you turn. I think you have found exactly what you’ve been looking for. This is the perfect gown for you. In fact, it’s by far the loveliest wedding dress I’ve ever seen, anywhere,” Susannah said in awe.

“
Hope, I think the dress might need to be taken in at the bust. What do you think?” Anna suggested as she tried to tighten the top of the dress closer to her bosom.

Mary had fought
hard not to allow any of her tears to escape, yet a couple had. She could feel her face becoming flushed. She noticed both women were now staring at her with concern and waiting for her to respond.

“Forgive me, I
’m so sorry. I always get a little weepy looking at the beautiful brides.” Mary said and hoped she’d covered herself. Mary was pleased how the dress looked on Anna. In fact, it was amazing. Mary knew any other time she would have been bursting with pleasure to be given such wonderful compliments.

For a brief moment
, Mary pictured herself wearing the dress. That had been her downfall and she became very weepy. Yet, after a moment, she again found herself composed. She knew she had to get these women out of the shop.

“
Yes, I think a little tuck here would fix the problem. The dress is perfect for you.”

“Thank you, you
’re very kind. I’m thrilled with this dress. If you could send the bill to the Fairchild Hotel, addressed to Mr. Thomas Ball, he’ll make the payment arrangements. Is it possible for the dress to be sent to the hotel once the account is paid in full and the alterations completed? I believe there might be other purchases made. Isn’t that right, Susannah?”

“Oh my, yes. I
’ve found some lovely ball gowns I’d like to try. I fear I didn’t get the long legs my sister was blessed with, but my mother will be able to make the alterations once I have our baby. I’m so glad we came to this shop and thank you for showing us this dress. I think Thomas will be speechless when he sees you wearing it, Anna.”

“I hope not, I want
him to be able to say his vows!” Anna said laughing and relieved she had found the perfect gown. “You see, Hope, we’re being wed on my brother-in-laws ship,
The Emerald,
before we set sail to America, on Friday.”

Mary knew she had to make a reply.
What could she possibly say? Her heart was breaking. Why did they have to talk so much? Why did the wedding have to be on
The Emerald
, where she would have been married on Friday?