“And? Was it worth it?”
“Every single time.”
Chapter Nineteen
Daffy
The week flew by…and Daffy whisperedThank youat the end of each day. Staging the dresses consumed her time and distracted her thoughts from Thomas, the dilemma of the ring, and a possible October wedding.
She’d called and texted him a lot this week, trying to get her heart fully on board, sending him pictures of her work to show him another side of herself. But last night’s conversation was less than pleasant. He seemed rather rushed and on edge.
“Daffy, is something wrong? You’ve texted me ten times today. You’ve called every night.”
“Just missing you. Can’t I miss you—”
His soft sigh was sweet. “Of course. I miss you too.”
But he was at dinner with his boss and a big client, so he rang off as soon as he could. If she’d known he’d had a big dinner, she wouldn’t have called.
Then there was the prince. The conversation and laughter from their Sunday outing lingered with her. She thought of him far too often. And yes, she felt guilty. But their time together was, well, magical. Wednesday when she thought she heard him on the Grand Gallery, her breathing shallowed and her hands trembled.
By Thursday morning, she and Lucy staged another eight dresses. The Gallery was a splendid retrospective on Lauchtenland’s royal brides. Daffy took her time yesterday to set up thePrincess Louisa, then stationed it to stand out among the others.
“I wish I knew Taffron Björk.” Lucy stood back and surveyed the gown.
“Me too. Or owned one of his gowns. But I don’t think any of his gowns remain. What few he made.”
Daffy snapped a few photos to send to Mum, who was quite pleased and texted later the same day.
I showed the queen. She said to tell you that you’d done well.
Daffy sighed and tucked the praise in to her heart.
However, with only seven gowns to go, plus theUnknown Bride, her time at Hadsby neared an end. Thus, her time with the prince, which truly was as it should be. Each of them getting on with their lives.
“I want to find something special for theUnknown Bride,” Daffy said as she staged the wedding veil forPrincess Clemency, who’d become Lauchtenland’s Queen Victoria. She didn’t reign as long, but she’d steered the small nation through nineteenth-century modernization and left her mark in Port Fressa’s Clemency District.
“Why don’t we take a break and shop this afternoon?” Lucy said.
“Good idea. If we can’t find what we want up here, we’ll have to find an alternative. We don’t have time to waste.”
So they agreed to go after lunch. Speaking of… Cranston met Daffy in the servants’ hall as she entered.
“Didn’t you say theKing Tituswas in the prince’s apartment?”
“I believe he said so, yes.” She picked up a plate, avoiding the butler’s piercing gaze.
“The maid tells me she’s not seen the chair.”
“What is the maid doing snooping about the prince’s apartment? She’s to tidy his room, bathroom, and kitchen, not open closet doors.”
“Why would theTitusbe in a closet?”
“I don’t know. Safekeeping?” She glanced toward the door, hoping Gus would appear. But Hemstead was also missing, which meant the prince was at one of his many engagements this week.
He’d texted her this morning.
Chair repair going well. How are the wedding dresses?
