Chapter 3

On the third day, I went to the tailoring workshop on the west side of the city to deal with the remaining orders.

The Hall family had plenty of business partners who needed to look the part at formal banquets, and my first commissions had been custom gowns for them. Later, I'd built my own label and a team of a dozen or so people, and the workshop no longer needed their orders to survive.

But the shop's lease and the warehouse security were still tied to the family. Since I'd decided to leave Fog Harbor, I had to untangle those ties one by one so no one could use the Hall name to push my staff around in the future.

I was going over the accounts with the cutter when the wind chime over the door suddenly rang.

Vera walked in on Ethan's arm, with two guards behind them. She wore a fitted charcoal-gray dress and twirled in front of me. "Nora, your work really is good. No wonder Ethan says you're talented."

I recognized the subtle pattern at the waist at once.

I'd made that dress with my own hands.

And not just that one. A few months ago, Ethan had given me a set of measurements. He said an important overseas client admired my designs and wanted me to rush a few dresses. I'd just opened my first solo exhibition and was already pulling all-nighters, but I didn't want him to break his word to a business partner.

He'd said, "Your designs have more spirit than anything the old tailoring houses in Fog Harbor turn out. More people should see them."

So for more than ten nights in a row, I revised sketches, cut fabric, and sewed. Every time I finished a dress, he'd collect it himself, then come home and rub my aching shoulders. "Thank you for working so hard, sweetheart. She's going to love it."

So Vera is the mysterious client.

She smoothed her skirt and smiled. "I meant to pay you, but Ethan said the dresses were his gift to me, so there was no need. Don't blame him. He's just too good at taking care of people."

I looked up at Ethan.

He avoided my eyes. "They're just a few dresses, Nora. If she likes your work, it means your label's doing well. That's a good thing."

I thought of all those late nights, the needle pricks on my fingers, Ethan bandaging them and urging me to get some sleep. He knew who the dresses were for. He knew how much I trusted him. Yet he had never once told me to keep my feelings separate from my work.

"I'm glad you like it." I closed the workshop's order book. "If there's nothing else, I need to finish checking the stock in the warehouse."

"Of course there is." Vera's eyes lit up. "The Hall family is holding a wedding for us next week. I've looked at so many designers, but I still like your work best. Could you make my wedding dress?"

The room went quiet.

Our divorce wasn't final yet, but they were already planning a wedding ceremony in front of family and friends. It wouldn't make them legally married right away. But in the Hall family's world, the woman at Ethan's side would be recognized as the lady of the house.

Vera seemed to enjoy the staff's stares. "There are only six days left, so it's a rush. If that feels awkward for you, we could push the date back a little. After all, you know my measurements best."

"I don't," I said evenly. "All I know is that someone once had me make clothes for a client who never gave a name. Now that you're placing the order yourself, the price and the number of revisions will be set by the workshop's standard contract."

Vera's smile faded a little. "You really are all business."

Ethan frowned too. "Nora, I know you're hurting. But having Vera wear your design at the Hall family wedding would be great publicity for your workshop."

I smiled. "Fine. Three hundred thousand pounds up front. Any revisions beyond the agreed number cost extra. If you agree, we can sign the contract now."

That was enough money for my team to reopen in another city. My feelings weren't a joke, and I wasn't going to work on their wedding for free.

Ethan hesitated for a moment, then had someone pay in full. "As long as you'll do it, price isn't a problem."

Vera was so happy she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "Ethan, I'm finally going to marry you. This wedding is 12 whole years late."

He didn't pull away from the kiss.

"If we hadn't split up back then," she said, looking up at him with a smile, "we might have had our own children by now."

I kept my eyes on the contract and didn't answer.

But Vera turned to me anyway. "Oh, Nora, did you know? Ethan and I agreed back then that whether we had a boy or a girl, we'd name the baby Robin. What a coincidence that your daughter's named Robin too."

My fingers went rigid.

The only sound in the workshop was the faint rustle of the cutter pulling out a measuring tape.