“Then let’s do that.”
“You’re sure?” Arthur knew his brother had problems when it came to crowds or unfamiliar situations.
“Positive.”
“Why don’t you see about getting a couple of suits made?”
Charles nodded but didn’t make an attempt at replying. He knew he had to learn to tolerate things that otherwise would have made him uneasy. “That sounds like an excellent idea since I’m speaking at Oxford soon.”
“Of course. Any other stops you’d like to make?”
“Do you know a good jeweler? I need a ring for Cathryn.”
“I can do you one better. I have most of Mother’s jewelry. You’re welcome to go through it.”
“That’s a thought.”
Arthur grinned at his brother. “You’d still like to go to a jeweler to look?”
“Yes,” Charles replied. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“Not at all. The gentlemen I use are near where my tailor is.”
“Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me. I’m more than happy to introduce you to the merchants I use.”
Charles nodded and finished his last chip before tidying up the newspaper. “I am ready any time you are.”
They both rose from the table and threw the newspapers away and placed the empty mugs on a nearby table. The crowd waiting to get inside to the counter had grown considerably since they arrived.
Arthur’s carriage was parked at the end of the side street. Charles took his brother’s cue and ascended into the vehicleafter Arthur had told the coachman where his next destination was. Slowly, the coach started to pull away.
“It’ll just be a few minutes,” Arthur said.
Nodding his head in acknowledgement, Charles said nothing.
“I know somewhere you could take Cathryn some nice afternoon,” Arthur said.
“Where is that?”
Nodding, Arthur continued. “Take her to Hyde Park and afterwards to Gunter’s for ices or sorbet. She’ll love it.”
“She’s mentioned it in passing before. I’ll surprise her and take her there before we leave London.”
The carriage pulled to the side once again. Looking outside, Charles saw several tailor shops and wondered which one his brother preferred.
“Mr. Sims has a shirtmaker on staff. It makes it easier to have them all together rather than go from shop to shop.”
“That makes sense to me. I would think one would like to be able to see what a shirt might look like next to a particular fabric or suit.”
The pair entered the shop and were quickly greeted by Mr. Sims himself. Arthur made a point of mentioning what Charles needed. For the next three hours he spent being measured, going through bolts of fabric for not just one suit but three. Shirt fabric was shown, and Charles was in luck that Mr. Sims had a couple of shirts already made that fit him perfectly. Given an appointment for both of them, they said their farewells and returned to the inside of the carriage.
“That was an invigorating experience,” Charles announced.
“Yes, it was, and now you’re set up with him, so any time you need something, he’ll have your measurements and likes and dislikes.”
“True.”
