Page 205 of Save You

I take a deep breath.Over the last few weeks and months, Ruby has proved what a good friend she is.She might be the best friend I’ve ever had.I can’t imagine her going behind my back.And if she trusts her sister, then I can too.

“If you think Ember can solve my dress problem, then I’m very happy to ask her.”

Ruby beams.Then stands up.“When is Percy bringing James to pick you up?Do we have time?”

“Training won’t be over for another half hour,” I say after a quick glance at the clock.“So there’s no way he’ll be here before quarter past seven.”

“Perfect.”Ruby opens the door and beckons to me.I follow her onto the landing.Ember’s door is directly opposite Ruby’s and slightly ajar.Ruby knocks twice.

“Ember, do you have a minute?We’ve got a dress emergency.”

“Sure, come in,” she calls.

The two of us walk into Ember’s room.It’s the same size as Ruby’s and pretty cluttered.A bed, a desk, another narrower table with a sewing machine on it, a tailor’s dummy with a dress hanging from it…My eyes widen.

“Is that your dress?”I ask Ruby in disbelief.

I’m longing to take a closer look at it, but I remember my manners in time.“Hi, Ember,” I say with a wave.

Ruby’s sister is sitting on the floor beside her bed with rolls of fabric and assorted swatches laid out in front of her.Her hair isup in a huge messy bun and a few strands have come loose.There’s a pen between her teeth.

“Hi,” she mumbles, putting more swatches down so that she can take the pen from her mouth.“What kind of emergency?”

“Lydia needs a dress for the Spring Ball.Ideally one by Elie Saab, but that’s not an option at the moment.Do you have any ideas where we could get something to fit the theme?We’ve already tried all the websites you suggested.”

“Elie Saab would be perfect.His clothes are so gorgeous.”Ember sighs.“I’ve got loads of them on my dresses board on Pinterest.”

“Aren’t they?”I say, stepping closer to the dummy.I glance over my shoulder at Ember.“May I?”

She nods.“Sure.”

I study the dress in detail.It’s in pale rose with a tulle skirt and an embroidered floral bodice.On closer inspection, I notice that it’s in two pieces.I presume that Ember is planning to use the wide silk ribbon to join them where it’s currently pinned together.

“Did you sew this yourself?”

Ember nods.

“It’s stunning,” I say straight up.

Ember’s cheeks color a little.“We were in luck—I only really bought the tulle for fun.It’s not great quality, but nobody will be able to tell once it’s finished, unless they really know their stuff.”

Suddenly, I hear Mum’s voice in my ear.

Talent.Pure talent.

I keep thinking about her lately.In the strangest situations and the weirdest places, I suddenly see her face or hear her voice, and although it still really hurts to think about her, thosemoments are beautiful and reassuring too.It’s like part of Mum will always be with me.

“You’re really talented, Ember.I wish I could sew this well.”

“Don’t you learn that, growing up in a family like yours?”she asks carefully.

I shrug.

I still remember begging my parents at the age of thirteen for lessons from one of the dressmakers.I wanted to be able to make the dresses I was designing for real, but I didn’t know how.Dad wanted to see my sketches and designs so that he could decide whether it was worth paying someone to teach me.But the minute he realized that I was drawing dresses for young women, he put them down with a snort.

After that, I more or less taught myself to sew.But not even the skirts and blouses I made were enough to convince my parents that it would be worthwhile for Beaufort’s to branch out into a women’s collection.And after a while, I found it too depressing to sit for hours at the machine, pouring blood, sweat, and tears into pieces of clothing that nobody would ever wear.

“I used to be able to sew.Now I’m…out of practice,” I answer after a while.