“I promise you, it’s nothing to do with being brave. In fact, I’m terrified that everything you just said is true. That I’m not ready. That I’m doing it for the wrong reason. But this gallery is the first thing I’ve cared about in months. Yes, it happened fast. And yes, it’s a huge risk, but it’s a reason to get out of bed in the morning. And getting out of bed was starting to feel much harder than it should.” She paused, realizing for the first time just how true those words were. “It isn’t just a matter of wanting this. I need it.”
“Then I suppose you’d better tell me about this row house of yours. I’m afraid the strata’s ice-cold. Should I pop it in to reheat?”
“No, it’s fine. Let’s just eat.”
Camilla scooped out a portion for herself, then held out her hand for Rory’s plate. “I think it’s still a little warm. The cheese is still stretchy. Now, tell me about this place you found. Where is it? What’s it like?”
“It’s right off Newbury, next to DeLuca’s. Red brick with a lovely turret and a big bay window in front. It needs some work, though. There was a fire a few years ago, and the repairs were never finished.”
“So it’s been empty all this time?”
“It has. The owner decided not to reopen after the fire but held on to the building. The contractor says an autumn opening is doable. We’ll tackle the ground floor first, then start on the upper floors once we’re open. Oh, and there’s this amazing staircase, black marble and wrought iron. Very dramatic. I’m thinking pale gray and mother-of-pearl, low lighting, glossy black floors.”
Camilla looked up from her plate. “Sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into this.”
“I always knew the kind of feel I wanted. Clean. Monochromatic. The minute I saw the row house, I knew it would be a perfect fit. I just got that feeling, you know?”
Camilla arched a brow as she spooned a few more strawberries onto her plate. “What feeling would that be?”
“I don’t know. Like it was meant to be, I guess. I probably walked past the place a hundred times and never noticed it. Then a few weeks ago, on my way home from meeting Lisette, it just jumped out at me. I swear it was like magic.”
“What was it before?”
“A bridal shop. The woman who owns it is named Soline Roussel. I was hoping to meet her when I signed the lease, but she didn’t show. Her lawyer says she doesn’t go out much anymore.”
Camilla frowned, as if searching her memory. “I think I know her.”
“You know Soline Roussel?”
“I’m sorry. I meant I know who she is. Everyone did in my day. From Paris, or so she claimed. I don’t remember the name of her shop, something French, but she had quite a clientele, as I recall. She was famous for her bows.”
“Her bows?”
“Her trademark, you might say. The Roussel Bow. All her dresses had them in some shape or form. At the waist, the shoulders, the bustle. She was quite à la mode back then, with her accent and her elegant little shop, promising that her dresses would bring good luck.”
Rory glanced up, intrigued. “Good luck?”
“That was the talk—some nonsense about her dresses guaranteeing a happy marriage. She made them all by hand, a custom-made good-luck charm for each and every bride. A great gimmick, I suppose, if you can make people believe it. But then, most brides will believe anything. Throw in the French thing and you’ll have them eating out of your hand. And she did. My friends were all wild for her dresses.”
“But not you?”
Camilla shrugged. “What I wanted was immaterial. A local salon would never have done.”
“Why?”
“I was a Lowell, darling. Nothing but a proper gown from Paris would do for a Lowell. And so off to Paris we went, to visit Maison Dior. We left Boston with two trunks and came back with seven.”
“Dior,” Rory breathed. She’d never cared about fashion, but even she knew a wedding dress from The House of Dior was worthy of awe. “I wish the photos hadn’t all been ruined. You must have looked gorgeous.”
Camilla sniffed dismissively. “It was white, and French, and so tight I thought I would pass out before I got down the aisle, but it did the job.”
The job.
Those two words conveyed all anyone needed to know about Camilla’s feelings regarding the holy state of matrimony. They also signaled that it was time to steer the conversation back to safer waters.