“Henriette, I feel bad to monopolize you like this.If you need to attend other customers...”
“There are no other customers.”It was said with a bite to the words.
Bella stepped out from behind the curtain in a blue frock.“Oh?I am new here; is competition so fierce as that?”
Henriette focused on the fit of the dress, tugging the material around Bella’s shoulders and wrists, then adjusting the skirts around her hips.“No.My dyes do not fade, so there are some that call me witch.”
Bella gasped.“That is a horrible thing to accuse!”
Henriette met her eyes.“Thank you for that.My colors come from nature like everyone else’s: walnut hulls, onion skins, marigold, turmeric, and the like.But I add salt to my dye water, and my competitors do not.It is the single difference that fixes the color.”
“Sounds clever.How did you discover that?”
“By accident, actually.The well had run low last summer, and I needed to fill an entire vat, so I hauled water from the pond.It smelled terrible, and I had to let the sediment settle and scoop the water from the top, which took forever, and that was when I noticed the salt ring around the barrel.I used it anyway, since ladling out the water had taken forever, and I did not want to repeat the process.But what I noticed was that the colors attained in that batch were much brighter than ones I had dyed the day prior.And the true boon is that I do not have to dump the wastewater and start anew.”She indicated a stack holding bolts of periwinkle fabric.“These are dyed months apart, yet the color remains steadfast.”
“Thepond?The foul one outside the castle?”
She nodded.“I had to wash them in lemon juice afterward to remove the stench.”
Bella smiled.“Such a happy accident.I for one will be happy to direct people here.”
A bit of fear lit Henriette’s eyes.“Please do not share my secret.I do not know why I told you; that is unlike me.”
“Perhaps because you needed a friend?”
They locked eyes and smiled.“I do indeed.Would...you care to stop by for tea sometime?”
“I would love nothing more,” Bella gushed, feeling a happy connection.“I am unsure how long I will be here, though, as I journey for home.”
“Oh.Well, please stop by before you leave.You have been the brightest part of my week.”
“And you mine,” Bella replied with warmth.“I feel I am quite the outcast at home.”The boys only wanted to claim her for her face, and the women her age resented the attention she received from them.‘Twas a lose/lose situation.
“I find that hard to believe.”
Bella raised a brow.“How do you feel about women who read for pleasant diversion?”
“Is there any other reason?I myself have two novels behind my desk, which is my pleasant diversion after running sums.”
Happiness bloomed inside Bella at finding a kindred soul.“You might be my first real friend.”
“Then why return?I am sure you could find employment here, and I would even rent you the extra room in my home.It is quite safe here, I assure you.”
The extension of hospitality was so touching that Bella felt the burn of tears behind her eyes.Preferring books over ballrooms and tools over utensils and puzzles over people did not make Bella the most sought-after friendship in town.“Thank you.If things do not go as planned, I will definitely take you up on that offer.”Bella could not plan her life around a bullfrog, though she would certainly do her best to help him.
They got back to the task at hand, chatting merrily all the while.Suddenly, Henriette’s eyes lit with excitement.“Have you read the scandal sheets about the prince?”
Bella shook her head.“I know nothing of this town.”
Henriette nodded, nigh bursting to share.“The queen claims her son has abandoned his station in favor of revelry.She offers a full crown to anyone who can produce him to the royal guardsman.”She fanned her face.“Oh, to be part of his revelry!I have heard he is quite deft on a mandolin, and I trow, the most pleasing of men on the eyes.”Hers twinkled, making Bella smile.
A crown!Based on Henriette’s reaction, a crown was a sizeable sum, which meant Bella would be able to purchase a fast coach home.“Pray tell: what is the prince’s name?”
“Prince Riven.Firstborn male and eventual heir...behind his half-brother, that is.”
Riven?“How long has this devilishly handsome prince been absent?”
“All the day.He had an important guest, and none have seen him since.”
