‘Of course it is. Why would you think otherwise?’
Darcie fiddled with the heart pendant around her neck. ‘I love the dress. Really love it, so, in a way, I don’t want to part with it. But I’ve started worrying, what if they make a claim against the dress and demand I give it back to them? What if there’s some kind of loophole I don’t know about? I can’t fight the mighty power of the House of Chanel.’
Lena looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking. ‘What do you want to do with the dress? Notwithstanding all this Chanel business. Just think of the dress itself. What do you want to do with it?’
‘I wouldn’t mind keeping it but, to be honest, it’s tiny. I don’t think I’d fit into it.’
‘So, what’s the plan with it?’
‘To sell it really,’ confessed Darcie, even though she didn’t like the idea. ‘It would be a waste to keep it just because I like the look of it.’
‘And if this dress is a Chanel number, then it’s going to be worth soooo much money,’ said Lena. ‘They’re going to have to pay you for it if they want it.’
‘Or charge me for the authentication certificate, which could be significantly more than I could ever afford.’
‘Don’t be so pessimistic. Go to the meeting. Show them the dress and see what happens from there. If you can’t afford the certificate, you can get them to put it in writing that it’s a genuine Chanel and that should be worth something when you come to sell it. I’m sure a private collector would love to get their hands on this.’
Everything Lena said was right. Darcie knew that, but she didn’t want to trouble her mum with the problem of logistics. Getting to Paris, paying for flights, taxis, hotels, not to mention someone opening up the shop and manning it while she was away, all came at a cost– one she couldn’t afford.
Before she had time to think of an excuse other than money, someone came into the shop.
‘It’s only me!’ came Hannah’s voice.
‘We’re in the back here,’ called out Lena. ‘Come on through.’
Darcie liked the fact that Lena was always so welcoming with Hannah. ‘Hi-ya,’ she greeted the eighteen-year-old.
‘Hey, I was just wondering if you’d heard anything from Chanel yet?’ she asked. So far, Hannah had been in nearly every day for an update. ‘Please tell me they’ve replied. The suspense is killing me.’
‘Actually, they have,’ said Darcie, waving her phone at her friend. ‘Just this minute.’ She opened the email and passed it over to Hannah.
‘Oh. My. God! This is amazing,’ gushed Hannah. ‘When are you going? They want to see it. They must think there’s something in it, even though they’re playing it down.’
‘Darcie is dithering,’ said Lena.
Hannah gave Darcie an old-fashioned look of disapproval. ‘Dithering. Come on, Darcie, you can’t be Dithering Darcie; you’ve got to be Decisive Darcie and go.’
Darcie laughed at the nickname. ‘Hey, less of your cheek. You’re supposed to respect your elders.’
Hannah gave her a hug. ‘You know I love you really. Now, come on, you are going, aren’t you?’
‘It’s not as easy as that,’ said Darcie. ‘I can’t just nip off to Paris for a couple of days and leave the shop.’
‘Of course you can,’ said Hannah. ‘Look, if you go at the beginning of July, I’ll have finished sixth form by then and I can look after the shop.’ She looked at Lena and then back at Darcie. ‘That’s if it’s OK with you both.’
‘Perfectly OK with me,’ replied Lena quickly.
‘That’s really sweet, but I can’t afford to pay you,’ said Darcie, knowing she would have to be honest about it.
‘I don’t want paying,’ said Hannah. ‘I love your shop and it would be a brilliant experience to work here for a couple of days. You’ve helped me plenty with my coursework. Call it payback.’
‘I didn’t do it for payback,’ protested Darcie.
‘I know, but it’s my way of saying thank you.’ Hannah gave a satisfied grin. ‘There, problem solved.’
‘But there’s also the cost of travelling,’ said Darcie. ‘Sorry, I don’t want to sound like a party pooper but it’s not cheap.’
‘Ah, that’s where I can help too,’ said Hannah. ‘My aunty works for Eurostar and can get a staff discount on travel. I can get you a really good deal, might even be able to get it for free.’
