Until You

Chapter Two

The wind blew against her face, lifting her red hat off of her head and carrying it into the sea of people that crowded the dock.

Gretchen released a frustrated breath but didn't bother to go after the fleeing hat. She had just spent two weeks aboard a ship to London and while it was only a few weeks, it felt like centuries. Her journey was simply dreadful and to make her predicament even worse, she was several days late to seeing about the job she had journeyed all the way to London for – a fleeing hat was the least of her problem.

Maneuvering through the dreadful, sweaty crowd, she winced as several bodies crashed against hers, making it nearly impossible to get away from the dock without losing her single travel bag in the process. Barely seeing the path before her, she tightened her grip on her bag and shoved her way through until she was emerging from the crowd breathless and sweaty as she settled into a hired coach and gave the aging coachman the address Sue, the dressmaker, had indicated in her employment letter.

Sighing, Gretchen leaned back against her seat and stretched her aching feet as she glanced out of the window at the busy streets of London. It was nothing like her home in San Francisco, she thought. Not only were there infrastructures she was unfamiliar with, her frilly white shirt and dull gray skirt paled in comparison with the colorful, vibrant display of modern fashion London had to offer.

Sinking further back against her seat, her eyelids drifted shut as she expelled yet another breath in a failed attempt to calm her nerves.

The coach began to slow down after several minutes of journeying. She sat upright and glanced out of the window just as the coach came to a halt before a dark gray building. She stared at it, the wide glass window with the inscription 'Sue's dress shop', showcasing a mannequin dressed in a fashionable lace gown within the shop.

"This is it," the coachman announced as he pulled open the door.

Nodding nervously, Gretchen stared at the shop once more through the window. It was indeed lovely, and she thought that if the dress displayed in the window was anything to go by, then Sue was indeed an expert dressmaker.

"Of course." She nodded her appreciation before taking the man's withered hand and climbing down the coach. She settled on her shaky feet and waited until he had handed her bag to her before turning to make her way into the unfamiliar building. She pushed the screen door open, a tiny bell on top of it announcing her presence as she stepped inside. Her gaze immediately swept the cozy room; a few women went about their business shopping while two women stood in the center of the room – one stood on what appeared to be a small podium and the other stood holding a measuring tape over her. The woman with the measuring tape glanced at Gretchen who stood glued to the doorway. Reaching up, she pulled out what appeared to be pins from her mouth.

"Welcome," the lady called with a lovely English accent, a smile creasing her beautiful face.

"Thank you." She returned her smile. "I'm here to meet with Sue."

"Of course," she bobbed her head, causing strands of her blonde hair to come loose of its bond on top of her head, "that's me."

She ran her gaze over Sue for a brief second, surprised by her youth and the success of her business. What was even more surprising was Sue's unmarried status, she thought, her gaze slipping to her ring finger – it certainly came as a shock to find that Sue had done so well for herself without the help of a man.

"Is there a particular dress you'd like?" Sue called, dragging her back to the present.

"No, not exactly, I'm Gretchen," she said, standing still for several seconds as she waited for Sue to recognize her name from the letters the two had exchanged.