Allure Of The Night

Chapter 68  Eye of the Seamstress

Music Recommendation: A new Era- John Lunn
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The seamstress didn't utter another word to Eve and turned away to step inside the back room of the shop. After a good three minutes, a male assistant stepped into the room where Eve was and said to her, 
"Miss, you are being called."
Startled, Eve asked him, "Me?" pointing her finger at her and the assistant nodded. She turned to look at Miss Rosetta, who was busy discussing with another assistant the kinds of fabric she wanted and how she wanted her dress to be designed. 
Seeing the young miss occupied, Eve followed the assistant, who led her into the backroom. Many lanterns had been lit hanging on the wall even though there was enough light in the passage coming from the outside. 
"Mrs. Russo, you wanted to see me?" Eve tried to ensure that the assistant had the right woman, and the seamstress turned to look at her with the same shrewd eyes. 
"Yes, I did. You were looking for a cheap gown?" the seamstress confirmed. 
"I was," Eve nodded. 
"Young lady, you should know that there is nothing 'cheap'. Not just in this shop but in the entire Hollow Valley. To speak, no one with less than five gold coins can afford a decent glass of juice to even drink in this town. I must praise your courage to step into a shop and ask for it," said the seamstress, and Eve offered an apologetic smile. 
"Forgive me if I have offended you," Eve realised she would have to see if she could fit into Lady Marceline's dress, but maybe- "What if I exchange a gown with yours? The fabric might be of some use for you?"
The seamstress, who had been staring at Eve let out a hearty laugh, and the other assistants turned to look at their owner. The woman said, "It has been a while since I have come across someone like you."
Eve bowed her head and said, "I wouldn't have brought up a word about the exchange, it is just that there's an urgency and I am in need to attend something."
"How unfortunate," murmured the seamstress and she then said, "Let me see the dress that you want to exchange and believe that it is of value. Bring it to me later and we shall speak then."
Though the seamstress didn't promise to reduce the price of the gowns here for her, Eve was grateful that the woman was willing to take a look at it. After Lady Rosetta was done speaking to the assistant about her gown, she asked Eve, 
"Did you find a gown you like in here Eve?"
"I think I will continue to look later, Miss Rosetta. Are you done here?" Eve asked and Miss Rosetta nodded. 
"I believe I am," replied the young miss and she placed a red velvet bag on the table for the seamstress to take. She said to the woman, "It is fifteen gold coins."
The seamstress was more than happy to make business with the daughter of a Marquess and she offered a polite bow, "I will have the dress prepared in the next forty-eight hours."
"Excellent," replied Miss Rosetta, and she stepped outside the shop. 
When Eve's eyes met the seamstress, the woman offered a slight bow and she did the same before following Miss Rosetta out of the shop. 
Later, when Eve returned home, she quickly went to her room and picked up the blue gown that belonged to Lady Marceline. She would have taken the other torn gown, but Eugene had cut the fabric into pieces and had used it to clean the various parts of the house or the carriage. 
Eve took a second trip to Hollow Valley; this time, the sky had turned dark and the people on the streets had increased. Reaching the shop, she noticed the guard who had earlier been standing at the door was not there. When she pushed the door open, the bell above the door tinkled. The assistants of the shop had left, leaving only the owner there. 
The seamstress, Mrs. Russo took a look at the gown that Eve brought to her before dropping it on the table. She removed the glasses from her face and clicked her tongue. She said, 
"The gown you brought is falling apart. Take a closer look, you will see the threads are being pulled harshly. It will only tear when a person wears it for a longer time."
Eve's eyebrows knit together and her lips turned into a frown. She said, "How old do you think the gown is?"
"Probably not more than a few months ago. Who gave it to you?" Asked the seamstress, walking to one of the cupboards. She opened the cupboard, picking up a bottle and poured a fine reddish-orange liquid into a glass. "Do you want to have one?" The woman offered. 
Eve shook her head, "No, thank you. It was given to me by my employer's sister."
"Mm," hummed the vampiress, taking a sip from the glass. Just looking at the gown was enough for the woman to know that the gown was of poor quality and not something the employer's sister would have worn because the material used was an imitation of the original and poorly made. "If you want my advice, avoid wearing this one."
Eve hadn't planned to wear it, especially after the first gown had torn. Maybe she could work with the dresses that she already had… And what Lady Marceline said was true. People would not notice what she was wearing because she wasn't an important guest there and she was only a governess. 
"I didn't know that the high society had started to invite men and women from different towns," the seamstress' words were polite and refined, but the underlying meaning didn't change. 
It was because the members of the high society didn't invite people of lower status. Eve replied, "I am the governess of the mother's child, for whom the ball is being held."
The seamstress, who had brought the glass to her lips, lowered it and asked, "The Moriarty family."
"You know them?" Asked Eve, and the vampiress laughed, downing the entire liquid into her mouth. 
"Who doesn't know the Moriarty's, it would be nothing less of an offence if we didn't know them. It has been told that the Lord offered the position of Duke to the viscount, but it was refused. Not to mention, they are pureblooded vampires and there aren't many who come from strong blood-line families. They are nothing less than royalty in the night creatures society."
It seemed like the Moriarty family held more importance than she thought. 
"But I must say, I am surprised that they recruited a governess after what happened last time," said the seamstress, and the woman's words brought memories of what Lady Marceline had told her earlier this evening. 
"Sometimes I wonder if I should quit," murmured Eve, and this got a chuckle out of the seamstress. 
"It is hard to resist the independence once you have tasted it. And you are working for a reputed family, and as much as it is difficult, it has its own perks," replied the older woman, and she raised her empty glass in the air before placing it on the table. "I have been working as a seamstress for the last forty-eight years and still counting. Though I am surprised to see you working there, you must have missed what happened there a few months ago."
Eve shook her head, "I have heard about what happened to the last governess. How did you hear about it?" She asked the woman. 
"I am a seamstress, young lady. With women who come in here, they often speak things, and one tends to pick more than a thing or two," replied the seamstress. She continued, "Word has it that the governess did something unforgivable to the little girl and Master Vincent pushed her into her grave."
"Unforgivable?" Asked Eve. 
"Mhm. Getting information and details about the high families is often hard, and is nothing less to honey to the gossipers," stated the older woman and she said, "Follow me. You can leave that gown at the table."
The seamstress led Eve through a passage before they came to stand in front of another door. As the seamstress unlocked the door with a big key, she said, 
"I don't think you can afford the gowns and dresses that have been made for the customers or the one's I make. But I think there might be something that might be of use for you."