Avaline returned to her family in shame. How could she have fallen asleep on Lord Nightingale's arm?! What would her family say? What would Blackburry say?
As soon as she approached, Vivian grabbed her hand and pulled her along.
"What happened?" she asked. "Who was that man?"
"Lord Nightingale," Avaline said. "He needed assistance, and I accompanied him."
"Assistance?" Vivian shook her head. "What could he need assistance for? Are you sure it wasn't a ploy?"
The two walked with their arms linked as they followed their family to the carriage.
"Have you forgotten that he's only arrived?" Avaline asked. "He doesn't know his way around here."
"Aren't you being too friendly with a stranger? Did you have to accept this escort?"
Avaline shook her sister's arm. "Have you forgotten your manners? His rank is higher than our family's." Avaline glanced around before whispering, "He's offered to take me to his manor later."
Vivian stopped. Her large eyes glared at Avaline. "What?"
Avaline looked away. "It's nothing serious. That way, I don't have to take the family's carriage."
Vivian's nails dug into her arm. "What's going to happen when people see you? If Charles finds out..."
"He won't," Avaline insisted. "We'll meet at the bookstore later. You'll help me, won't you?"
Vivian patted her sister's arm. "If that is what you desire. I will help you."
Charles and the rest of the family waited for them inside the carriage. Charles gave them a stern look as his sisters climbed inside.
"Who was the gentleman?" he asked.
"Lord Nightingale." Vivian stepped into the carriage. "Didn't you memorize his portrait?"
Avaline stepped over the twins and took her seat. Vivian had some nerve. She hadn't recognized the portrait either.
"He came to a Sol sermon?" Elaine asked. "That's so rare."
"Lord Whitaker and his wife have always attended," Charles said. "It's not that rare."
"But dear," Elaine insisted. "They do a lot of fundraising for the troops. So they're an exception."
Avaline groaned. Due to her embarrassment, she forgot to talk to Sister Tucker about sending supplies to the front.
"At least he wasn't alone," Anna spoke up. "Sometimes it's scary when you're alone."
They looked at her.
"That was kind of Ava to do that," Elaine agreed. "It's nice to have people to support you."
"Don't let it become a habit," Charles reminded his sister.
"If you must know, I was simply following social etiquette," Avaline told him. "He outranks our family. No one can refuse him."
"People tend to talk," Vivian agreed.
"Then let them!" Avaline snapped.
The carriage grew quiet. Sighing, she rubbed her forehead.
"Forgive my outburst," she said, "I didn't sleep well."
Brian patted her hand sympathetically. "Did you have a nightmare?" he asked.
Avaline smiled at him. "No. I had a lot on my mind."
"Mother sent me some tea," Elaine said, "I can brew some for you when we get home."
"Thank you, but I need to go into town today." She nudged Vivian with her foot.
"The new catalogs came in," Vivian added. "We'll pick up some books for Annie and Brian, too."
"About horses?" Brian asked.
Anna nudged her twin with a frown. Brian's smile faltered.
"You don't have to get anything for me," he muttered.
Vivian smiled. "Horses it is." She turned to Anna. "Is there something you want?"
Anna shook her head.
"We need more painting supplies," Elaine said.
The way Anna perked up was obvious to Vivian.
"Of course!" Vivian said.
"Don't be long," Charles said.
Avaline bit her lip. "Brother, about Mr. Williams..."
Charles cleared his throat. "We'll talk at home."
Once Charles and the family had been dropped off, the coachman, Peter, took Vivian and Avaline into town. As soon as the carriage started moving, Vivian nudged Avaline's foot.
"How could you ask him that?"
Avaline crossed her arms. "Why does he keep it a secret then? We have a right to know."
Vivian smoothed her skirt. "Shouldn't you be more tactful?"
Avaline shifted in her seat. "I believe we've let Charles hide too much from us. It's time we changed that."
Vivian crossed her arms. "We're hiding something from him, too."
They stayed silent the rest of the way into town. Peter dropped Avaline first at Needle Point while Vivian went off to the bookstore. Avaline held the travel bag with both hands to make sure it didn't touch the ground. With the dark sky, there weren't many shoppers around.
Needle Point was a two-story shop with the main display room on the first level. The second level was used as storage for supplies and the employees' work space and break room.
Margaret, the manager, was the first to notice her. The plump woman smiled. Much to Avaline's relief, the shop was empty. Avaline walked up to her and lifted the travel bag.
"Good morning," Avaline said. "I've brought a few things."
"Just the person I wanted to see," Margie said. She gestured toward the hidden stairs. "This way."
They walked up the stairs behind a curtain and down the wooden hallway towards the closet room. Inside, racks of clothes lined the room. In the back of the room were rolls of fabric lining the wall. In the center were large wooden tables where the fabric was measured and cut. Margie helped Avaline pull all the mended work she took home onto the table.
"Thank you for finishing these before the deadline. " Margie inspected the fabric with a scrutinizing eye. "I'll inform the clients they can pick up their orders."
After the inspections, the two hung all five gowns on a rack near the door. Between the two, Avaline and Margie tagged each gown with the client's name.
"As for payment," Avaline began. "Can we leave that as store credit?"
"I thought you were eager for a bag of coins," she said.
Sheepishly, Avaline tied off the last tag. "It's for my siblings."
"Say no more. I'll do as you say."
While Margaret hadn't come from a noble family, she was a hard-working woman who started her own business. However, she hid behind her brother's name to prevent unwanted attention. From what Margie had told Avaline, he was just an investor.
"Are there any more orders?" Avaline asked.
Margie gave her a look. "By the size of those eye bags, I suggest you give yourself some rest first. Quality is what I provide my customers, and I don't want to risk that when one of my employees makes mistakes."
Embarrassed, Avaline looked away. "I couldn't sleep," she said, "so I worked."
"If you say so."
"But ma'am," Avaline continued, "even if it's low propriety, I'll work on it."
Margie crossed her arms. "We'll, we did get a few orders for gentlemen's pocket squares. The designs were sent over by the client. It should be done by the end of the month."
"A custom order?" Avaline's eyes twinkled.
Margie gave her another look. "Yes," she said, "three are needed. Each one has a different design and color."
"I can do it."
"Out of the girls here, you are better at embroidery," she admitted. Margie sighed. "Very well. Let me pack it up for you. Wait downstairs."
Smiling to herself, Avaline left the travel bag with the owner and walked out of the room. As she arrived downstairs, Lady Kain and Lady Poppy walked into the shop. Avaline's eyes widen. Had they seen her? Could she rush upstairs?
"Lady Stark," Lady Poppy said. "What a surprise."
It was too late. Smiling stiffly, Avaline walked over to them. Had they seen her walk out of the curtain?
"Hello." Avaline bowed. Pretending this was her first time, Avaline looked around. "After our talk, I knew I had to look around."
"If you had told us," Lady Kain said, "we would have invited you out today."
"We happen to be in town.
One of the attendants, Beth, walked up to the ladies. "Good morning," she said, "please let me know if I can assist you in any way."
"I'm here to schedule an appointment," Lady Kain began.
"Right this way." Beth gestured to the desk. "I can look at the schedule for you."
As the two walked away, Avaline glanced at the curtain. She hoped Margie wouldn't come down just yet.
"Is everything alright?" Lady Poppy asked.
Avaline's lip trembled. "Oh yes."
If Margaret walked out, would Avaline have enough time to signal a cover story? Margie must know about Avaline's situation, or perhaps she didn't. Either way, she couldn't let Lady Poppy or Lady Kain know she took work from here. House Stark's reputation would plummet even more. Even if the truth weren't spread by Lady Poppy, Avaline knew Lady Kain wouldn't keep it a secret. While their houses weren't enemies, they weren't friendly either.
Margaret walked out of the back with Avaline's travel bag in hand. Avaline didn't wait. She excused herself and rushed to the owner's side. Trying not to look suspicious, Avaline took the travel bag from Margie.
"Until next time," she said.
Thanking Margie, Avaline returned to Lady Poppy's side.
"I didn't know you had business here," she said. "Did I disturb you?"
"Oh no," Avaline assured her, "I came here to pick up an order."
Lady Poppy looked down at the bag.
"It's a surprise, you see," Avaline lied. "If I come home with boxes, Elaine and Charles will be suspicious." She leaned closer. "It's for them."
Lady Poppy turned pink. "I see. Yes."
"Let's talk later."
Saying her farewells to Lady Poppy and Lady Kain, Avaline walked out of Needle Point. Her stomach grumbled. If only she had taken more than a few bites of porridge. Avaline looked around at the shops and turned away. She didn't have enough pocket money to pay for the menu prices.
Avaline turned the corner and strolled toward the bookstore at the end. Vivian walked out of the building with a stack of books and supplies. Avaline rushed to her side.
"How did it go?" Vivian asked.
Avaline shook her head. "Lady Poppy and Lady Kain almost found. Now Lady Poppy thinks I'm bringing Elaine lingerie."
Vivian laughed.
"I had to think of something." Avaline's face grew hot.
Vivian put a hand on her mouth. "S-so," she said. "How much did you get?"
"I left it as store credit."
Vivian nodded. "That's smart." She gestured to the travel bag. "Did you get any more?"
"Yes. I'll make sure to finish them soon. Maybe the client will give a bonus. Did you get the books?"
"The catalogues weren't cheap," she said. "But they'll be useful when we make clothes."
"And the horses?"
Vivian picked up the first book. "I wouldn't disappoint Brian like that."
Avaline grabbed a few books from Vivian's arms. Together, the sisters headed toward the carriage. The carriages were stationed along the street. The two watched from a distance before hurrying toward theirs. Peter hopped down from the carriage and helped them load the books and the travel bags.
Wheels rolled in the distance, and the girls moved out of the way. The carriage stopped in front of them. Avaline stared at the dark, unmarked carriage.
"Lady Stark," said the coachmen.
Vivian gave Avaline a look. Avaline smiled tightly at her sister.
"I'll head out first," Avaline said.
Peter helped Avaline embark on the Nightingale carriage. Avaline sat against the soft cushions. In the cold space of the living room, Avaline shivered. She gripped her skirt tightly. If this job went well, her family would have more money to spend.