Chapter 81

A dress in the window of the bridal shop caught her eye. For the first time, she screwed up her courage and walked in, glad she was wearing a newer frock instead of an old hand-made outfit. The dress in the window was perfect for an afternoon wedding. Calf-length and white with a bit of lace at neck and hem, not too simple but not at all elaborate. It had three-quarter sleeves, which would be nice now that fall had settled in. It was expensive, but less than the sewing machine. Nettie had never fallen in love with a dress before but this one was perfect. She even loved the simple veil they'd paired it with.
All she'd need to add were white stockings, shoes and gloves. She could buy those with her next paycheck or two. Then, perhaps, she'd give in to her future mother-in-law's pleas to stop working.
Nettie knew Jane Tooley, the clerk at the bridal shop, of course. Main Street wasn't that large, but Jane was perhaps a decade older and they'd never been close. When Nettie asked to try on the gown, Jane lifted an eyebrow. "Didn't know you were engaged. To who?"
Nettie flushed. Had the gossip not made it all around town? "Eli Lawson."
"Nice catch!" Jane admired Nettie's ring and then along with the shop owner, helped Nettie into the magnificent dress.
"Oh, my goodness, it fits like it was made for you," Jane cried.
The shop owner agreed. "Perfection."
Nettie circled slowly, watching herself in the triple mirror. "It does. For the first time in my life, I feel...beautiful. I have to have it."
She changed back into her simple blue dress and paid for the gown. Jane and her boss agreed to store it at the shop, since she didn't want Eli to see it.
"Pink roses," Jane said. "The very palest pink - and some in your hair as well. What are your bridesmaids wearing?"
Bridesmaids? Nettie hadn't thought of that. Diana would probably stand up for her. Mr. Webster would give her away. "I have no idea."
Jane waved a hand. "There's plenty of time, I'm sure, if you're just now starting to look for a dress. There's a simple style that coordinates with your gown. We can order it in any color you like."
"Perfect." Delighted, Nettie ran almost all the way back to Eli's house to tell him the good news.
She popped in the office door and asked his secretary if he was with a client. She'd become friends with Eli's staff in the last few weeks, so Edna Goodstone waved her in. "None today. He's going over some paperwork."
"Thanks." She knocked on Eli's door.
"In." He sounded in a dark mood and she wondered if his leg was hurting.
"Eli, the most wonderful thing. I was on my way to buy a sewing machine - "
"What? Why do that?" He waved her into the chair opposite his desk.
"Because my other one burned, remember?" Something was very odd in his mood. He seemed almost angry. "Anyway, I didn't. I saw this dress, at the bridal store, so I went in - and I did it, Eli. I bought my wedding dress."
He scowled. "We haven't even set a date."
She shrugged. "Well as long as it's before next July when it hits ninety degrees, the gown will be fine." Why did he seem to get cold feet now whenever she mentioned the wedding?
"It's no good, Nettie." He set down the sheaf of papers he'd been holding. "I've been trying to convince myself these last few weeks that I could still make a good husband, but I can't. I'm a damn cripple. You're so young and beautiful - It wouldn't be fair to tie you to me. I'm sorry, dear, but the engagement is off."
"You're not a cripple. And you're not that much older than me either." He was thirty-one to her twenty-three. It wasn't even a decade.
"Well, I've decided. You can keep the ring if you like, and all the clothes were gifts from Diana, not me. I'll have Tim help you move back to the Websters, if that's all right." He didn't even look her in the eyes.
"I see." She slid the ring from her finger. "This belongs to your family. I couldn't bear to look at it again anyway. I'll go up and pack my things." She was grateful that she'd kept Diana's dress-buying to a minimum. Even with the new clothes and coat, she'd still be able to fit it all in her parents' old suitcases.
An hour later she was up above the bookstore, crying her eyes out to Mrs. Webster. Later, she tucked up in their guest bed, she heard the fire bell. Eli would be going. And this time, no one would come to tell her if he was hurt.
It felt right to be back at the shop full-time, although her feet were tired by the end of her first day. Nettie had missed the customers and the routine. She still hadn't known what to do with her time at Eli's, having servants to do all the work. She'd donate the quilts to a local charity, she decided, though she'd gifted one to the Websters and she might send Diana one of the small ones for her baby. She'd have to go try to get her money back for the wedding dress. Wouldn't that be humiliating?