worn it three days straight already.
Her face burned. "I haven't another," she said to her lap.
"Wait here a moment." Kendra started to leave, then reappeared in the doorway. "Oh, Colin is back." She disappeared again, yelling "Jane!" as she went.
Wondering what Kendra was up to, Amy ran her hand down the gilt bedpost beside her for what seemed like the millionth time since she'd awakened in this beautiful room a few days ago. It wasn't the costliness of the gold that stole her breath, for gold was so soft and pliable that she could hammer a single ounce into a hundred square feet of gold leaf. But she thought the intricately carved bed looked like nothing so much as a gigantic, exquisite piece of jewelry, and—with a fresh stab of grief—she wished she could show it to her father.
All of the room's furnishings were gilt, marble, or golden brocade. Amy felt like she was living in Queen Catharine's bedchamber.
A floral fragrance suffused the air. She shuffled her smoke-damaged shoes where they rested on a plush patterned carpet of brown, cream and gold. At home, the floors had been polished wood. Her family had owned two precious Oriental carpets, but the larger one had adorned a wall, the smaller, a table. Before arriving at Cainewood, she'd never considered actually walking on anything so expensive as a carpet.
Kendra came back leading Jane, a plain-faced young maid with a kind smile and an armful of dresses. Kendra grabbed a yellow one from the pile and held it up to Amy's cheek. "No, too sallow," she muttered, tossing it aside. The next was peach. "Too pale." Jane handed her another, a burgundy satin. "Perfect," Kendra declared.
Before Amy could protest, her gown was removed and Kendra's dropped over her head. A rose scent wafted from the fabric. Wiggling into the dress, she inhaled deeply of the luxurious fragrance, thinking the Chases lived a different life indeed.
It wasn't her life, though. Her life would never feel complete without the joy of working with gold and jewels to create lasting bits of beauty.
Jane laced up the bodice, attached the stomacher, tucked up the skirt to reveal a shell-pink underskirt. She plucked Amy's chemise through the slashed sleeves, which were caught together at intervals with pink ribbons. Then she seated Amy before the oval gilt-framed mirror and started fussing with her hair.
"I cannot figure out how to plait it properly." Amy tugged up her lace-edged chemise to fill in the gown's low neckline. "Our maid used to entwine ribbons somehow."
"Oh, curls are the fashion now." Kendra waved a hand. "Have you decided what you're going to do?"
What was she going to do? She stared at her reflection. Without her father to force the issue, the one thing she wouldn't do was marry Robert Stanley. She would have to write soon to tell him so.
"I'm not sure." She sat very still as Jane wielded a hot curling iron. "Go to Paris, I suppose, where my aunt and uncle have a jewelry shop." She toyed with a bottle on the marble-topped dressing table. "I promised my father I'd never give up my craft…and jewelry is my life. I know no other."
"Well, you needn't leave until you feel ready. I promised you that."
"Thank you." Her eyes met Kendra's in the looking glass. "You're a good friend."
Jane tied a pink ribbon in Amy's hair and stepped back to view her handiwork. "What do you think?" She reached out and tweaked a curl.
"Beautiful," Kendra said.
Amy gazed at her reflection, touching a finger to her lips. The lips Colin had kissed. Maybe, just maybe, she would find a man—another jeweler—in France. A jeweler who could make her heart beat like Colin Chase did.
"No time for cosmetics," Kendra said with a sigh. "We're late already."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"WHERE ARE THEY all?" Ford poured himself a second goblet of wine. "Kendra and Amy I can credit—women always take forever to ready themselves. But Colin—"
"Speaking of Colin…" Jason drummed his fingers on the mahogany tabletop. "I think
Her face burned. "I haven't another," she said to her lap.
"Wait here a moment." Kendra started to leave, then reappeared in the doorway. "Oh, Colin is back." She disappeared again, yelling "Jane!" as she went.
Wondering what Kendra was up to, Amy ran her hand down the gilt bedpost beside her for what seemed like the millionth time since she'd awakened in this beautiful room a few days ago. It wasn't the costliness of the gold that stole her breath, for gold was so soft and pliable that she could hammer a single ounce into a hundred square feet of gold leaf. But she thought the intricately carved bed looked like nothing so much as a gigantic, exquisite piece of jewelry, and—with a fresh stab of grief—she wished she could show it to her father.
All of the room's furnishings were gilt, marble, or golden brocade. Amy felt like she was living in Queen Catharine's bedchamber.
A floral fragrance suffused the air. She shuffled her smoke-damaged shoes where they rested on a plush patterned carpet of brown, cream and gold. At home, the floors had been polished wood. Her family had owned two precious Oriental carpets, but the larger one had adorned a wall, the smaller, a table. Before arriving at Cainewood, she'd never considered actually walking on anything so expensive as a carpet.
Kendra came back leading Jane, a plain-faced young maid with a kind smile and an armful of dresses. Kendra grabbed a yellow one from the pile and held it up to Amy's cheek. "No, too sallow," she muttered, tossing it aside. The next was peach. "Too pale." Jane handed her another, a burgundy satin. "Perfect," Kendra declared.
Before Amy could protest, her gown was removed and Kendra's dropped over her head. A rose scent wafted from the fabric. Wiggling into the dress, she inhaled deeply of the luxurious fragrance, thinking the Chases lived a different life indeed.
It wasn't her life, though. Her life would never feel complete without the joy of working with gold and jewels to create lasting bits of beauty.
Jane laced up the bodice, attached the stomacher, tucked up the skirt to reveal a shell-pink underskirt. She plucked Amy's chemise through the slashed sleeves, which were caught together at intervals with pink ribbons. Then she seated Amy before the oval gilt-framed mirror and started fussing with her hair.
"I cannot figure out how to plait it properly." Amy tugged up her lace-edged chemise to fill in the gown's low neckline. "Our maid used to entwine ribbons somehow."
"Oh, curls are the fashion now." Kendra waved a hand. "Have you decided what you're going to do?"
What was she going to do? She stared at her reflection. Without her father to force the issue, the one thing she wouldn't do was marry Robert Stanley. She would have to write soon to tell him so.
"I'm not sure." She sat very still as Jane wielded a hot curling iron. "Go to Paris, I suppose, where my aunt and uncle have a jewelry shop." She toyed with a bottle on the marble-topped dressing table. "I promised my father I'd never give up my craft…and jewelry is my life. I know no other."
"Well, you needn't leave until you feel ready. I promised you that."
"Thank you." Her eyes met Kendra's in the looking glass. "You're a good friend."
Jane tied a pink ribbon in Amy's hair and stepped back to view her handiwork. "What do you think?" She reached out and tweaked a curl.
"Beautiful," Kendra said.
Amy gazed at her reflection, touching a finger to her lips. The lips Colin had kissed. Maybe, just maybe, she would find a man—another jeweler—in France. A jeweler who could make her heart beat like Colin Chase did.
"No time for cosmetics," Kendra said with a sigh. "We're late already."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"WHERE ARE THEY all?" Ford poured himself a second goblet of wine. "Kendra and Amy I can credit—women always take forever to ready themselves. But Colin—"
"Speaking of Colin…" Jason drummed his fingers on the mahogany tabletop. "I think
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