Gypsy sat at the sewing machine, finishing steaming the panels she was about to finish the last seam on. Closing her eyes, she dropped her head, rolling her shoulders she tried to relive the tension and pressure she felt between her shoulder blades. She'd spent the past three days sewing every waking hour. The orders had been increasing on a daily basis with the holiday season about to officially kick off in three days, Friday.
Glancing to the gown Sophie had made for her, she frowned. Wishing she'd had the nerve to tell Sophie when she'd been in the shop earlier, she wouldn't be going so the gown had been a waste of time.
Gathering the fabric lying on the machine, she lifted the pressure foot, getting ready to make the final alterations her client had requested a few hours ago. Hearing voices, she looked out the window toward the estate house, wondering who was outside. She knew it wasn't Sophie; she'd gone to the house earlier to lie down, not feeling well after having caught a cold, which seemed to be making the rounds.
Pressing her foot down on the machines pedal, she sewed a quick accurate seam along the edges of the shining satin. Glancing up as she cut the loose threads. She saw a tall brunette woman walking with Megan. She wondered if she'd missed a scheduled fitting, or if this might be one Megan had made she wasn't aware of or remembered.
Walking to the steamer one last time, she waved over her shoulder, as the two women stepped through the door.
"You're right the notice is a little late, but Gypsy might have something lying around we can finish, or maybe an idea of something we can put together quickly," Megan was saying, closing the door behind her guest.
Gypsy glanced at the tall willowy woman, who was talking to Megan quietly. Taking a quick inventory having heard Megan's comments, she knew of a few pieces that she might be able to make work with the woman's figure.
"Megan if you're looking for something one piece, I think I have something you might want to show your client," she said adjusting the steamer, before hanging the skirt on a hanger.
Megan looked at Lucinda, seeing her smile; she realized Gypsy didn't have a clue who the woman was.
"I wasn't sure how busy you were, but I wanted to ask if you thought we might have something that would work for her," Megan said quietly, waiting for Gypsy to recognize the tall woman.
"How tall are you, if you don't mind my asking?" she said loudly, sorting through some unfinished gowns were hanging in one of the closets in the spare fitting room.
Lucinda chuckled quietly, motioning for Megan to not say anything. "I'm five, eleven bare foot, but the shoes I'd like to wear have a four inch heel, so that would make me six three," she said loudly, so Gypsy could hear her in the other room.
"I was asking because I have a few different ones to choose from, I wanted to make sure there was enough fabric for any alterations needed," she said, walking back in the room carrying a gown made of burnished silver fabric.
"You can take this into the dressing room and try it on if you'd like, we can see what we can do with it from there," she said with a smile, her voice fading when she met the unusual silver eyes of the tall brunette.
"I wasn't sure if you were going to be willing to help me or not," Lucinda said with a smile seeing realization hitting Gypsy like a truck. "This is me, as myself," she laughed as Gypsy stared at her.
Megan laughed seeing the shock on Gypsy's face, "I felt the same way when she walked into the kitchen, but when Victor asked her if she'd found a dress yet, and called her by name I knew," she smiled.
"Victor's going?" Gypsy said looking at the two women. "I wasn't aware he was going. Hell I don't really know who is, and isn't going," she said handing the dress to Lucinda. "Go ahead and try this on, we can talk when you come out."
Sitting at her machine she looked at Megan questioningly. "Caydn asked Victor if he'd like to join everyone. He agreed after Vince told him he had a tuxedo he could wear," she laughed, "Victor was trying it on as we walked out."
"Victor asked if I'd go as his partner, since he thought dancing with Lucien would be rather awkward for both of them," Lucinda explained, walking out of the dressing room, her arm across her chest holding the strapless gown in place. "I hate to ask but could one of you zip me up," she smiled.
Lucinda tossed her hair over her shoulder as Gypsy stepped behind her to zip the form fitting gown. Smiling she turned looking in the full length mirror. The bodice of the gown was stiff, allowing the full curves of her breasts to swell gently without being squeezed, trying to keep the dress in place.
"This is gorgeous," Lucinda laughed, spinning to look at Gypsy and Megan who were watching her as if they didn't know who she was. "I know, I haven't seemed much like the girly girl, but I love beautiful clothes as well as the next girl," she flashed them both a sparkling smile.
"Is the funny feeling band under my breasts, what's keeping the gown up?" she asked turning to see the back of the flowing gown.
Gypsy couldn't help but laugh seeing how happy the previously brooding, trouble making woman seemed. "The band seals the gown against your body so the bodice doesn't have to be strangling to keep it in place," Gypsy nodded, stepping over to gather a small amount of fabric along Lucinda's waist. "I think the only alterations we're going to need to make are right here in the waist, along with finishing the side slit and hem," she beamed proudly seeing one of her creations come to life.
Megan stepped to the table, for the measuring tape. "Is it my imagination or does this material match her eyes, or am I losing my mind?" she laughed, handing the tape to Gypsy who motioned Lucinda to the raised platform to mark the hem.
"Megan, would you mind grabbing those four inch heels we have in the fitting room? This way I can make an exact marking? We aren't going to have much time to get this finished," she said kneeling beside the platform.
"Sophie was talking about the gown she made for you," Lucinda said, taking the shoes Megan brought in. "She's so excited about it," she chuckled, stepping to the middle of the platform, standing still as Gypsy began measuring and pinning the hem.
