Tache waited until I had finished crying. ‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘I didn’t mean to cry. And in answer to your question, I am all right. I wasn’t hurt in any physical way.’
‘Sometimes the physical hurt is preferable to the mental torture,’ he said.
I nodded. I wanted to confide in Tache the deal I’d struck with Kranz, but I daren’t. Not yet. I needed time to think it all through. To understand the implications and to work out if I needed to tell Tache or whether I needed to keep quiet. I wished, not for the first time, that Marcel was there. He would know what I should do.
‘Thank you for your concern,’ I said to Tache, placing the now-empty glass on the table. ‘I’m sorry if I’ve caused any problems today. I’ll work late to finish my duties.’
‘No need,’ said Tache. ‘I had one of the other girls attend to Madame Chanel. She was very concerned about you. She’s asked that you go to see her as soon as you return. Once you’ve been to see her, you’re to go home and report back here in the morning for duty as normal.’
‘Oui, monsieur.’ I rose to leave.
‘Nathalie, if you need to speak to anyone about what happened this afternoon, you can speak to me.’ His gaze fixed on mine. ‘I am your confidant here. You know that, don’t you?’
I studied his face for a moment. ‘Yes. I do. Thank you, Monsieur Tache.’
After stopping at the restroom to make sure I was presentable, I went up to room 304. Coco Chanel opened the door and surveyed me from head to toe before speaking.
‘Are you all right?’
‘Oui, madame.’
‘Good. You’d better come in and tell me what happened.’
There was nothing I wanted to do less right at that moment, but I had no choice, and standing in front of her in the living room, while she sat on the sofa, I relayed the day’s events.
‘And so, I was released and am back here,’ I concluded. I omitted to tell her about the deal I had struck with Kranz, only that I had been questioned because he believed I was working for the Resistance.
‘When I see Kranz I shall make it clear to him that I wasn’t very happy to finish my bath and to find my room empty and that he had whisked you away without so much as telling me,’ she complained. ‘I am sorry that happened to you but … is there another reason why you have ended up here at the Ritz?’
‘I needed a job,’ I replied.
‘I like you, Nathalie,’ said Chanel. ‘And while you were gone, I looked at both the drawings and the dress you brought with you.’ She nodded towards her writing desk where my sketchbook was open. ‘You have a good eye for detail and a flair for bringing your creations to life on the page. And your sewing skills really are very good. Even though the dress isn’t finished, I can see the high level of skill you possess. In fact, had I not known these were yours, I might have thought they were from a professional designer and far more experienced seamstress. I like them very much indeed.’
For a moment, I was speechless at the praise Chanel heaped on my work. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined she would have been so enthused by them. ‘Thank you, madame,’ I said, not knowing what else to say.
‘Don’t look so surprised,’ she replied, getting up from the sofa and walking over to her desk. She flicked through several pages, coming to a stop at an evening dress I was in the process of making. ‘This is particularly appealing. Your choice of fabric is perfect. It’s the exact choice I would have made and in this glorious colour, a deep inky blue, it really will be magnificent.’ She turned to me. ‘So, you have my congratulations.’
‘Thank you,’ I repeated.
‘Now, I’ve been thinking,’ said Chanel, her tone warmer. She picked up my sketchbook. ‘I would like you to make a replica for me.’
I blinked hard. Had I heard her right? ‘You want me to make you that dress?’
Chanel gave a chuckle. ‘Yes. That is exactly what I want. Now, I’ve already spoken to Tache and he has agreed to my request that you set up a workshop in the room next door.’
‘A workshop here?’
‘It’s easier than you having to take the dress home with you every day and bring it back for fittings and adjustments. Besides, I’d like to be able to see you at work. That way I can guide you, if I think something needs to be done differently.’
‘I don’t know what to say, madame.’
‘There’s nothing to say.’ Chanel smiled. ‘I assume you’re happy to do this.’
‘Of course,’ I stammered. ‘Absolutely.’
‘Very good. Tomorrow you shall start. I’m prepared to allow you to use the last hour of your working day, working on the dress instead.’
I could barely believe that Chanel wanted me to recreate my design for her. Not only that, but she was organising a workshop for me and she would mentor me. I couldn’t help feeling a little guilty too. Here I was, living a dream of mine and yet, around me, a war was raging; people were dying of starvation, being tortured and executed. It was a sobering thought.
