Dawning (Dysmorphia Series #3)

Hardened Hearts

Florence was stuck, she was actually stuck in her wedding dress, she gripped the hooks in the changing rooms trying to somehow ease herself out of it, she had been watching her weight not eating too many of the delicious samples proffered to her and now, a mere week before the biggest day of her life she was stuck in the most expensive dress she had ever worn.

"You okay in there madame?" Pearl, the attendant sounded concerned, this was a simple dress fitting and Florence had been struggling for ten minutes with her unrelenting dress, it didn't exactly feel tighter just a whole lot more stiff and unyielding.

She could have tugged harder but the gossamer layers were so delicate she was too scared that she would rip them one by one and end up paying thousands in damages.

"Actually I'm a bit stuck..."

Pearl's head came around the blue curtain put up for the privacy of customer's, she was a very prim and proper woman with her graying hair pulled back into a harsh bun and her makeup applied with a flawless hand and Florence's cheeks pinked at the fact that someone so put together was seeing her stuck in her made to measure wedding dress.

But to her surprise, and then relief Pearl merely laughed.

"I'm sorry Madame I was adjusting your dress before you came in, look here" she gestured to the line of pins across the back of the bodice.

"Lydia didn't tell me you were here for a fitting so I didn't take them out, don't worry you haven't suddenly inflated"

Florence joined in her laughter feeling incredibly relived, for a second there she'd been back in her bedroom with the zip on her skirt not going up.

Pearl carefully helped her out of the dress, took out the pins and left her to try it on again, Florence looked in the mirror, staring back at her was a girl who looked quite like her but suddenly more elegant, her kitten heels lifted her just that much higher from the floor and the dress fit her perfectly, exactly as it should have tight at the bodice and then sweeping the floor at the bottom.

The Florence in the mirror smiled nervously back at her and she felt her insides warm, it was strange but somehow comforting to know that she had her own approval, that she would never be alone as long as she loved the person who looked back at her in the mirror.

She walked out of the dressing room and saw Pearl's eyes light up, Pearl was a master needlewoman and Florence had her to thank for the delicate white flowers stitched at her waist.

"Well you just look lovely Miss Clarke"

But she wasn't listening to Pearl anymore, because she'd seen somebody behind her.

Not caring that she was in a wedding dress she walked past a smiling Pearl to where Cole was standing holding a black tie in his hand and looking like he'd been struck by lightning and couldn't quite move.

Ouch.

Why did this feel so much like that recurring dream of hers?

"Hey there stranger" she greeted him.

"Hi Florence, well wow don't you look what's the word they always use for brides, radiant?"

She nodded trying not to show her amusement at his attempts for small talk.

"What are you doing here then?"