Page 96 of Save You

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.

“How come?”

It’s kind of nice that Ember just asks straight-out.Most people are too shy, like they don’t know what’s OK to ask me.Which means we just talk about superficial stuff.Ember is a rare exception.She gives me the impression of being genuinely interested in the answers.

“I always wanted to have my own line at Beaufort’s, but my parents flat refused to consider women’s fashion.So eventually, I gave up sewing.”

Ember looks thoughtfully at me.“So you aren’t designing anymore?”

“No, I am, but…” My shoulders twitch.“Only for me, not for Beaufort’s.”

“That’s sad,” Ruby says beside me, and Ember nods.“I could say something stupid like ‘Never give up!’but I get how down it must get you to be constantly rejected.I’d lose the will after a while of that too.”

“Yeah.”I feel the dark clouds looming inside me, ready to whirl me into a cyclone of negative thoughts that it takes me hours to escape.Hastily, I try to take my mind off it, to think about other things.“Never mind.Back to business!Where do you think I could get a lovely dress for the Spring Ball?Ruby says that as a blogger, you’ve got all kinds of insider tips,” I twitter.I can hear how fake my cheerfulness sounds.

Ember studies the dummy, then turns to me.“I’ve still got loads of fabric.If you want, I could sew you a dress too.”

For a moment, I can’t speak.

Then I realize that I can’t possibly ask that much of her.I shake my head slowly.“That’s way too much work.Besides, the party’s next Saturday.”

Ember waves dismissively.“Rubbish.I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t have time.You must have a slip from one of your old dresses, right?”she asks.“We’ll come up with something lovely.It’ll be great.”

“Take her up on it, Lydia,” Ruby insists, putting an arm around my shoulder.

I’m so overwhelmed by their generosity, friendliness, and helpfulness that my throat constricts and my eyes start to sting.I blink frantically and take deep breaths in and out.It might justbe hormones, but right now, I’m finding it really hard not to let go.

“Thanks,” I mumble in the end.

“Oh, don’t thank me yet.My work comes at a price.Although it’s only a little thing…” Ember says, looking from me to Ruby with an almost fiendish smile.

I look in confusion at Ruby, who seems anything but happy.

“Ember…” she says, her voice serious.

“Oh, Ruby.”She turns to me and says, “All I want is to come to the party with you.”

“That’s a great idea!Isn’t it?”I ask Ruby, but she is just staring hard at her sister.

“Lydia would love me to come.”

“You still haven’t told me about the mysterious boy you met last time,” says Ruby.