Medieval England - Year 1450: Eleanor was a poor shopkeeper's daughter whose only hope for a better life for herself and her family was to marry well. When she caught the eye of Thomas Fletcher, a royal courtier of noble blood, her family thought he...
A while later there was a knock at the door and Eleanor expected it to be one of the guards telling her it was time for dinner. Instead it was a woman with fire-red hair that looked to be in her 20's, carrying an arm-load of dresses.
"Hi," she smiled, showing her mouth full of very large teeth against her freckled skin. "I'm Astrid, the Royal Seamstress. King Henry told me you were going to be in need of some dresses for this week, so here I am at your service madam. May I come in?"
"Ummm. Yes," Eleanor said, stepping back and opening the door wider so she could fit through, closing it behind her.
Astrid carried the heavy load inside and plopped them onto the bed before turning to Eleanor and looking her up and down.
"I brought several sizes, but I think this light pink one will fit you best. Put it on and I'll pin it in where it needs adjusted."
Eleanor hesitantly took the dress from her and it was made of the softest fabric she had ever felt. It was like silk, but different somehow. It was probably a rare exotic fabric. As she slipped that dress on, she couldn't believe how smooth it felt against her skin.
¡Ay! Esta imagen no sigue nuestras pautas de contenido. Para continuar la publicación, intente quitarla o subir otra.
Astrid smiled and said, "Well we got quite lucky. It already fits pretty well, so I won't have to take it in much."
Eleanor looked at her reflection and then down at the beautiful dress.
"Did you make this?"
"I did," Astrid said proudly as she got to work pinching sections of extra fabric and pinning them.
Eleanor stared at the beautiful dress for a few more seconds before hanging her head. "You're lucky to have a talent like that. I wish I did. Maybe then I wouldn't have to get married to someone I don't love to support my family."
Astrid's smile slowly faded and she said, "I'm really sorry. That must be hard."
"It is," Eleanor said quietly, looking down at her hands. She wasn't sure why she was telling a complete stranger all this but Astrid seemed friendly and she needed someone to talk to.
"You're marrying Thomas Fletcher aren't you? That's what I had heard," she asked.
Eleanor nodded as she raised her head and looked at her. "Yes. Do you know him?"
Astrid took a deep breath in and let it out before shrugging her shoulders. "Yes, but ......... I really shouldn't say anything. If he found out I had spoken ill of him to you, he'd make sure that they hire a new Royal seamstress and have me sent away."
"I promise. Anything you tell me stays between us. I won't tell a soul," Eleanor assured her.
Astrid hesitated before reluctantly saying quietly, "Well, I've tailored suits for him before for some of the royal events. I accidentally poked him with a pin one time and he got so angry he called me names that would make a pirate blush and made me cry. From then on, every time I have tailored for him I've been so nervous that my hands shake and I can hardly keep hold of my pins."
