‘I’m so sorry about that,’ she said. ‘Totally my fault.’
‘That’s okay,’ replied Fern. ‘The bizarre thing is we were actually going to give the boutique a call tomorrow as we werehoping you might be able to help us with something,’ she said, choosing her words carefully. ‘We’re looking for Eliza Valentine.’
The woman blinked in surprise, then let out a small laugh. ‘Well, you’ve come to the right place. I’m Eliza Valentine.’
Fern hesitated. That didn’t make sense. The woman before them couldn’t be her, or at least, not the Eliza Valentine they were looking for.
‘I think there must be a mistake,’ Fern said, shaking her head slightly. ‘The woman we’re looking for would possibly be in her eighties. She used to make wedding dresses in the town of Sea’s End, on the Northumberland coast.’
Understanding flickered across the woman’s face, and she smiled warmly. ‘Ah. Then I think you must be looking for my grandmother. Eliza Valentine is a name that’s been passed down in my family, and I’ve followed in her footsteps professionally. She taught me everything I know.’
‘Wow,’ Fern murmured. ‘Would you mind if we asked you a few questions about her?’
The younger Eliza tilted her head, curious now. ‘Of course, but… may I ask why you’re looking for her?’
Fern reached down, unzipped the case and carefully unfolded the wedding dress. The fabric spilled over her arms, and Eliza and the shop assistant gasped in unison as they gazed at it.
‘Oh,’ Eliza breathed, stepping closer. Her hands hovered just above the delicate lace. ‘It’s exquisite.’
‘We were wondering if this was one of your grandmother’s. There’s a label that pointed us in her direction, and I know it’s a long shot, but we wanted to try and find out who it belonged to… if that’s at all possible?’
Eliza’s fingers finally brushed against the fabric, trailing over the fine stitching. ‘This craftsmanship… it’s stunning. It looks like something she would have made, but I’d have to take a closer look to be sure.’
‘We’d really appreciate any insight you can offer,’ Fern said, before adding, ‘Especially because of the way it came into our possession.’
Eliza looked up. ‘What do you mean?’
‘It was left outside the antique shop that I own,’ she explained. ‘Inside a bin bag.’
Eliza gasped. ‘You’re joking.’
‘Wish I was.’
‘Someone just… abandoned this?’
‘Pretty much,’ Daniel chimed in.
‘This dress is a masterpiece. Why would anyone do that?’
‘That’s what we’re trying to figure out. There was a note with it,’ shared Fern.
‘A note?’
Fern reached into her coat pocket and retrieved the small slip of paper. She unfolded it carefully and held it out.
‘“Find the groom”,’ Eliza read aloud. She looked at them both. ‘And you think my grandmother might know something about it?’
‘Like I said, it’s a long shot, but hopefully,’ Fern admitted. ‘Or maybe she could at least help us trace who the bride was. If she can remember anything about the dress it would be so helpful, but we do appreciate she must have made so many dresses in her time.’
‘Thousands,’ replied Eliza. ‘But I do know one thing about my grandmother, and that’s that she never made the same dress twice. Every single one was an original, as she worked with each bride to design the dress of their dreams.’ Eliza’s expression grew thoughtful. ‘Actually, there’s a simple way to find answers. Each dress was numbered.’
‘Numbered?’ queried Fern.
‘Numbered and logged. Every one of them.’
Fern’s eyes grew wide in anticipation. Could it be that simple?
Eliza carefully turned up the hem on the dress to reveal a tiny square label bearing the numbers 64. 24.12. She read the numbers out loud, then smiled. ‘This was one of my grandmother’s earliest pieces… a Christmas Eve wedding.’
