“This is Grace, Grace Tell. I’m Alfie’s sister.”
I froze, my hair dripping onto the floor.
“Hello? Are you still there?”
“Y-yes, I’m still here. Um…it’s nice to meet you?”
She laughed, a sound that would challenge the most talented songbird. “Yes, I know this is unusual. I heard through the grapevine about your engagement to my brother and I wondered if you’d like to meet? I’d love to get to know you. I mentioned it to Alfie already but he said he’s too busy. I’m sure you know how he is by now.”
“Yes, I do.” I didn’t want to tell her that Alfie hadn’t mentioned anything to me about her getting in touch. “Uh, not that I mind but how did you get my number?”
“Do you know, I have no idea! I could ask my assistant if you’d like?”
“Um no, that’s okay.” The Tells had their ways of making things happen. I’d learned to stop digging too deep. “I’d love to meet you. When?”
“Well, this is unusual but I actually heard about your sister getting married too. It’s soon, I believe?”
“Yes, in a month.”
“Very soon! And so exciting! Now, does she have a dress?”
“I don't think so?” Natalie had a Pinterest board full of dresses but we hadn’t gone shopping for one yet. Keira was outraged that Natalie would be buying off the rack but there really wasn’t time for anything else.
“Well, that’s perfect! I’m a bridal designer, did Alfie tell you? I’m sure he did.” He hadn’t but I knew it already from my Googling. “How fortuitous. Why don’t you and she come to my store today? We can have lunch, champagne and look at some gowns. I’d love to fit her for her big day.”
“Today?” I wasn’t sure about this. I wanted to meet her but I felt like I was stepping on both Natalie’s and Alfie’s toes.
“If you’re both free! We’ll need time to make the garment to her measurements and so on. What do you think?”
“Um…” I said for the hundredth time. I didn’t want to turn down a free dress on Natalie's behalf but I wasn’t sure how she would feel about it. As for Alfie, I knew exactly how he would feel about it. “I’ll ask my sister, and thank you. That's really kind of you.”
“Of course! Consult with your sister. I apologise if I’m coming on too strong, I’m a million miles an hour kind of person.” She laughed again and I didn’t know how to react. The voice on the other end of the phone couldn’t be more different from the Tells I’d met and the ones I’d had nightmares about. “You must look at gowns for your own day too, I can’t have anyone else dressing my sister-in-law but me.”
“That’s very sweet but actually, a friend of mine is making my dress. She’s a costume designer.”
“Oh, of course! Well, you have my number now, please let me know. If your sister has other plans, I’d still like to meet you. Go for lunch, get a manicure. Something. Girls day?” If I wasn’t mistaken, I might say that she sounded nervous. I wasn’t sure that a nervous Tell could even exist.
“Sure, you could have joined us for lunch with your mother this past week. I presume that’s how you know about my sister's wedding?”
“Yes, she called.”
“And what she told you made enough of an impression that you want to meet me too?”
“Yes, that’s about the sum of it. As I said, I’ve been pestering Alfie about it but he’s being stubborn. You know how he is,” she said again.
We talked a little more then said our goodbyes and hung up. I stared at my phone for a moment, my hair still dripping. I jumped back in the shower to wash off quickly, my mind buzzing with this new development. Out of all the Tells, she was the one I’d thought about the least. I supposed in comparison to theweight of the others, she didn’t seem to matter so much. Alfie barely mentioned his parents and Charles but Grace he didn’t mention at all.
A hurried ten minutes later, I was folded up in an arm chair, my hair up in a towel, ready to do some sleuthing on Grace. I googled her and found what I already knew, she was thirty one and married to some guy named Ethan who worked in tech. I found her business page on instagram. Her work was exquisite, unsurprising as she’d studied at some fancy school in Paris. I texted Keira to ask her if she’d heard of it and she said she’d trample her own mother to study there.
I also sent a text to Natalie to pass on the proposition. I expected her to say no, Natalie never liked to do anything that might be taking advantage, so I was shocked when she practically bit my hand off. Okay, I guess I was spending the day with Alfie's sister watching my sister try on wedding dresses.
I dried my hair, did my best to style it and threw on some make up. I stood in the closet, unsure what to wear. I was going to a fashionable place to meet a fashionable woman, I should at least attempt to look the part. I decided to dip into the nicer end of my closet provided by Alfie’s personal shopper at Harrods.
“Where are you off to?”
I yelped. “Alfie! Stop doing that!”
He smiled, he enjoyed catching me off guard.
