Second-Hand Dresses

Chapter 10: The Other Woman

The snake-faced woman can greet a lover's wife with an easy smile and open arms.

—Mineris Tormdot, Fear and Roses

When the midday bell rang out across the city, Lily jumped at the sudden sound. The district bell tower was only a few blocks away, and the deep tones shook the floor and rattled the windows. A second peal of the bells ran out before the first tremors had faded.

Lily glanced at a wine glass on the corner of her sewing table. The pink wine rippled with the bell's vibrations. A third peal caused it to slosh up against the side of the glass and a few specs of dust floating on top bobbed with the movement.

The bell rang out again for the fourth, late morning. She nodded to herself and picked up the glass. That would give her two more hours until the fifth or midday bell.

The city bells rang out again.

Lily's eyes widened as she watched the ripples across the pink liquid. "It can't be that late," she muttered before slamming down the glass and hurrying over to the door between her workshop and the front of the store. She peered past the frame into the brightly-lit street outside.

The shadows were narrow arrows pointing down from the unlit sconces and alcoves across the street. There were very few people walking outside. The two people she saw had umbrellas to protect themselves from the heat. Their feet were obscured by the wavers of heat rising from the cobblestones.

She was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when a carriage pulled up in front of her store. She recognized it as Hasan's with a sinking sensation.

Glancing back, she looked at the dark purple fabric on her cutting table. She had almost figured out how to make everything work. Just a few more hours, that's all she needed to make it beautiful but she would lose her momentum if she left it for lunch.

She sighed and turned back the carriage. She couldn't dismiss the ride, not since it was her idea to meet with his wife. The impulsive idea she had to stay near Hasan but keep him at arm's distance felt foolish now. Already, she found herself remembering how his hand felt up against her womanhood or the way his lips tingled against her own.

Lily moaned and ducked her head. "What was I thinking?"

Part of her said she did the right thing by pushing him away, but the vulnerable side still warmed at the simple fact that Hasan still wanted her. In his eyes, she was attractive and desirable, not a kudame being shuffled out of High Society. To return to being nothing more than a cast off woman on the edges of Society was terrifying.

She sighed, the flush of being desired stirring in her thoughts and eroding her duty to finish Nirih's dress. She should work but she needed Hasan just as much.

Turning back, she gathered up her things and headed to the front.

The driver held open her door and bowed his head. He was a younger man, in his mid-twenties, with a black suit, matching gloves, and polished shoes. His suit was well-tailored but she wasn't familiar enough with the tailors in the city to guess who made it. He said, "Good afternoon, Kudame Lily de... dea Kasin. I am to here to escort you to Tasor Hasan and Mindil da Kasin."

Lily felt a brief surge of jealousy at the use of the tasor title, a married couple. The driver seemed to have emphasized the word and she wondered if he knew what Hasan was doing inside.

Blushing already, she nodded to the driver and let him guide her to the carriage.

The drive to the restaurant was short. When they stopped, she looked out the window to The Golden Waves, a mid-scale restaurant known for lightly fried fish and excellent grilled vegetables. It was a good choice, but not unexpected knowing Hasan's attention to details. He had an interest in food that she didn't remember from before, in their dinners together, he had commented on the texture and flavors.