YAY! She's finally updated! Sorry, there are no cool excuses so here you go:
Feeling slightly foolish, Callista stood on the doorstep waiting for someone to answer the door. After a couple of minutes, she recognised the soft glow of a candle in the window and let out a sigh of relief. Someone was home.
The door opened with a little jingle and revealed a woman holding a candlestick. The woman looked only several years older than Callista herself, maybe seven or eight summers older. Her dark hair was pulled back in a plait which hung over her shoulder and she was smiling slightly.
"Callista, I presume?" The woman said
Callista was surprised. How did this woman know her name? "Oh, yes. How did you know?"
The woman just smiled mysteriously and ushered Callista into the shop. It was a large shop and bundles of coloured cloth and various trimmings were displayed around the room as well as the wax manequins Callista had seen from the larges windows of the store.
While Callista was looking curiously around the room, the woman was turning the key in the lock of the front door. Then she turned and said, "this way please" gesturing to a door in the opposite corner of the room. She led the way up a narrow staircase and into another room. A small fire was lit in the grate and two armchairs and a sofa were strategically placed in front of it.
On a low table between them, Callista saw a tea tray set for two. It was as though the woman had been expecting her. The woman, who Callista presumed was Maia's sister, sat down on one of the armchairs and began pouring the tea.
Callista deposited her carpet bag on the floor carefully and accepted the cup from Maia's sister. There was a moment of silence then Callista spoke.
"You must be Jess-"
"Mimia" Maia's sister interupted.
"Uh, Mimia. You're Maia's sister?" Callista asked, handing her the letter from Maia. "Maia asked me to give this to you."
Mimia skimmed the letter and said, "You are my new apprentice then, Callista?"
She nodded. "You must be very tired from your journey, we'll speak tomorrow morning. I'll show to your room and "
Callista placed her cup back down and picked up her bag. The woman stood and manouvered her way around the dining table in the centre of the room and past the stove into a short hallway. There were three doors. Mimia led Callista to the last door and opened it with a small flourish. They stepped into a rather large bedroom which had a very airy but welcome feel to it.
After Callista thanked her, Mimia left with a small smile and shut the door behind her. Sitting on the small bed, Callista surveyed the room. One wall was taken up with a window seat, the window covered by emerald green shutters. The walls were a nice cream colour and the small amount of furniture in the room was a dark brown-red wood. A trunk rested at the foot of the bed and Callista placed her belongings inside it carefully.
Ignoring the mirror resting upon a chest of drawers and the intricately carved wardrobe on the other side of the room, Callista went straight to the window and opened the shutters. The window opened to the main street and Callista realised she would be able to watch all the comings and goings of customers from her position.
Callista sat on the window seat, mulling over her thoughts. So much had changed. This time a week ago, Callista would have sooner expected to be a duchess than to be in Durriya as an apprentice dressmaker, hiding after an arguement with a noble.
Breathing deeply, she savoured the moment. Because in that moment, Callista felt that she could finally be free.
The next morning, Callista woke, confused for a moment as to where she was. The pale green sheets were unfamiliar and the sunlight streaming through her window was coming from the wrong direction. Wasn't her little window on her left, not her right? And since when did the window let so much sunlight in?
Then she remembered. All the events of the previous day, and her new station. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she went to the window to find that the rest of the city was already up and bustling busily. Oh no! Callista thought I've overslept! Frantically pulling her dress on, she hurried down the hallway and into the main room.
"I'm sorry I overslept," Callista began, but Mimia was just sitting at the table, sipping from a cup.
"Overslept? No, not really. Most people who buy clothes from this store don't wake for another hour or two."
"Oh." Callista said, taking the seat opposite her and accepting a muffin.
"Now then," Mimia said as Callista began on the muffin "I understand you've had instruction on needlework and dressmaking?"
Callista, whose mouth was still full of muffin, just nodded.
"Good, then I don't see any problems with this arrangement. You will assist me by completing certain orders and in your spare time, you are free to fashion your own garments or garments which you wish to sell"
"Thank you ma'am" Callista said after Mimia had finished.
"I've yet to see your style, but if Maia's taught you, then I'm sure it will be fine. Anyway, I'll get to see your technique when we begin Lady Adeline's new wardrobe."
Callista choked on her muffin
"Adeline? As in Princess Adeline?"
"Yes, my mistake, Princess Adeline. She's placed a large order, after all, she's entertainging all those royals from Chaney this winter. Why she chose winter to invite them , I have no idea. Why? Do you have a history with her?" Mimia asked, though the look in her eyes said she already knew the answer.
But how would she know? Callista asked herself. Maia said she didn't put anything in the letter about the arguement or anything.
Mimia was smiling her mysterious smile again. Callista began to suspect that there was more to this woman than she was letting on.
"No ma'am, no history" Callista said
"Alright then, we'll go open the store then"
"Thank you for letting me apprentice here ma'am" Callista said as they descended and prepared for a day of work.
"One more thing Callista" Mimia said "Yes ma'am?"
"Don't call me ma'am"
"Of course ma- I mean, Mimia"
Callista spent the rest of the morning finishing the most important orders. She worried a little about Adeline's visit, but that wouldn't be for another three months, at least.
So, she pinned and snipped and beaded and trimmed. It was more like an automatic response so she didn't have to concentrate much. Instead, she watched the patrons of the shop walking in and out of the shop while Mimia spoke to the customers.
Around midday, all the stores closed for an hour for midmeal. This surprised Callista as it had never happened in Channey. Nevertheless, it was a welcome break when the sat down for a meal of bread and chicken.
When all the stores had reopened after midmeal, Mimia sent Callista out into the town on some errands, and also to explore her new city. "If you get lost, " Mimia instructed her, "just look for the clocktower in the middle of the town and you'll be able to find your way back"
So basket in hand, Callista set off. Past the town square, into the bakery and back out. She stopped several times to take a look into other store windows which sold interesting things like books and little animals.
Sunset had almost fallen and Callista had decided to make her way back to the store when a tinkling of breaking glass startled her. Entering a dusty store on her left, she found a wizened old woman struggling with a broom and dustpan. Laying her basket on the counter, she immediately rushed over to him and tried to help.
"Here," Callista said, bending down and taking the broom "I'll do it ma'am"
"Oh, thank you m'dear" the old woman said. Shaking her head sadly she continued, "Such a shame, it was a nice one"
Callista had mistaken the sound. It had been the sound of smashing porcelain, not glass. Straightening, she looked around to see the a wall lined with little porcelain and glass figures and boxes and trinkets. There were miniature glass castles and wooden houses and porcelain jewellery boxes that sang when opened. The rest of the store displayed nice-looking plates and dinnerware and candlesticks but Callista was drawn to the glass and wood and porcelain.
"They're lovely" Callista said, fingering a little porcelain elephant, careful not to break it.
"Oh yes. But I ain't got many left. When me husband was alive, oh he could make anything. He sould do your face in wood or li'l birdies so realis'ic you'd swear they were gonna burst ou' in song. Even made pairs of shoes."
"Shoes?" Callista's eyes widened. Glass shoes? That sounded very similar.
"Oh yes, was all the fashion a while ago. Most of 'em were just miniatures cos you can't make 'em too big 'else they'll break.
"What about the real ones, the ones people wore" The old woman eyed Callista. Then her features softened as though she recognised her.
"Once in a while, he'd make real ones that you could wear. Mainly porcelain or wood though, there was no glass 'uns. 'Cept once, maybe twenty or so years ago. Jus' the one pair. Was a lovely girl that bought them. And her feet were so small. Maybe you'll come bak tomorrow dear and I'll show you some o' my special ones. Only, I gotta close the store 'round now."
"Oh, yes, I must be getting home too. Thank you for letting me look around ma'am" Callista said, reluctantly leaving the store.
"It's my pleasure, 'specially after you helped me clear that broken one up"
Callista retrieved her basket from the counter and smiled at the old lady as she exited the shop, more thoughts weighing on her mind than ever before.