Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original ideas and characters. Thank for reading and please review so I know what you think!
Dressed For Success
Miss. Morton was waiting for them outside the shop, which was rather whimsically painted in Harry's opinion. It was white brick with baby blue and lavender accents, including the door in the latter color. The sign's lettering was in fancy black script, and the clothes in the windows…rather adorable looking. The look on Miss. Morton's face before she saw them certainly suggested that she thought the dresses and little outfits were quite sweet, and Daisy…well she ran over and started jumping up and down like a curly haired bunny rabbit. And there was a lot of pointing and squealing, which Miss. Morton only encouraged by pointing out a dress that Daisy beamed over. And then whirled around to motion them to come see too.
Sharing a smile with Eggsy they walked over to study the dress in question, which was much too small for Daisy and very, very frilly.
"So I spoke to a number of friends and family members, and there are other shops not that far away that we can visit if there's nothing here that meets our criteria, Sir." Miss Morton was all business as she met his gaze, shoulders back and perfect posture. "As this shop is relatively new, with the majority of the stock made in house, so there won't be name brand recognition. Unfortunately that tends to matter in our circles even when the wearers are children, it seems. But I have been assured that all the clothes made here are of the highest quality, Sir. English made and they provide tailoring services if needed. But arguably most important is the fact that it seems children actually enjoy coming here and wearing the clothes they make. My cousin's children apparently consider coming here to shop a treat. Even her son."
"Me mum woulda had ta drag me kickin and screamin inta a suit."
Harry had seen a couples of pictures of Eggsy as a boy. "I would imagine you'd have looked quite adorable in one."
"I prefer ruggedly handsome."
There was a hint of a smirk on her lips for just a moment, and then Miss. Morton suggested that they head on in as she moved to hold the door open for them.
Slipping one of her hands into Eggsy's Daisy held out Mr. Fox to Harry. And when he took it with a questioning look Daisy kept her hand out towards him, her face expectant. It took a moment but then he understood why she'd given it to him in the first place. Smiling at her Harry switched the stuffed animal to his other hand and then took Daisy's offered hand so that she was bookended between them.
Judging from the beaming smiles she sent up to both of them, there was nowhere else she'd rather be.
Thanking Miss. Morton for holding the door Harry motioned for them to head in, Eggsy slipping in a little ahead since the doorway wasn't big enough to permit them all entering at the same time. They wouldn't want to squish Daisy after all.
One they were inside Daisy's thrilled squeals rent the air, Harry wincing at the decibel but happy that she was happy.
Breaking out of their grips Daisy went running over to one of the racks. Then on to another rack when something even better apparently caught her eye. Making happy girlie noises over the little white peasant blouse with blue embroidery she'd spotted the little girl motioned them over and snatching Mr. Fox from Harry's grasp as soon as he was close enough so that she could show her stuffed animal the top in question. And then of course she spotted something else and off she went as there was certainly lots to see.
All Kingsman agents were expected to spend time in the tailor shop, so Harry did know something about being in the clothing business. And walking over to pick up one of the shirts Harry made note of the excellent stitching, quality of material, and the tag that stated it had been made by the shop. Impressive.
The clothes themselves were more colorful and imaginative than was typical, for lack of a better word. At least from his own experience seeing children at various social events over the years. In his social circles the clothes tended to be more restrained in color and adult looking. A quick scan of the wares showed some clothing that fit that criteria, but the majority of the shop's stock was very obviously meant to appeal to a child taste.
"Good morning. Can I help you all?"
The man who spoke looked to be in his sixties by Harry's estimate, impeccably dressed in a suit that Harry wouldn't mind finding out the maker of. The older man was the picture of elegance, but with a twinkle in his eyes and a warm smile on his face that made Harry inclined to like him.
"He's got magic." Eggsy murmured under his breath.
"Good to know." Harry whispered back before returning his voice to its normal levels as the man in question came to a stop in front of him. "Hello, yes. I'm Harry Hart. The young lady running around your shop like a bee sipping flowers is my ward, Daisy. This is her brother Eggsy and Miss. Morton works with me. She was kind enough to come along to provide a woman's eye during this shopping trip. My ward will be attending a polo match charity event and requires a fancier dress than such an event would normally warrant apparently." His mother and aunt had both stressed that.
"I see. The one being hosted by Mrs. Celeste Ogden?"
"Precisely."
"Well then I shall be thrilled to assist you. John Crabtree, at your service."
After Daisy had been persuaded to come over and meet the shop's proprietor the little girl warmed to the other man surprisingly quickly as he complimented her on her dress and Mr. Fox when she introduced him to the older gentleman. A brief couple of minutes was spent ascertaining her preferred colors and confirming her clothing sizes with Eggsy before they went in search of the perfect outfit for the occasion.
Four dresses were approved for her in short order, and Miss. Morton offered to take Daisy into the dressing room while the men waited outside.
"I'm surprised you're not busier." The shop was empty save for them.
A quirking of his lips. "There's a spell on the shop. A lot of people pass by without noticing us."
"Why wouldn't ya want people comin in?"
"Actually the majority of our sales are online. We would more than stay afloat even without this shop front and did so for a number of years. The spell…well only those who will truly love our clothes tend to linger outside our door, much less come in. One does get tired of people who come in just to turn their noses up at everything on principle."
"May I ask what kind of a magic user ya are?" Eggsy wanted to know. "I recently learned I'm part house elf. Coulda blown me over like a feather when Harry and his friend told me. I just thought I had a bit of an Air Gift from me mum's side of the family."
Mr. Crabtree blinked in surprise. "Really? How interesting. One would think, given the strength of your magic-but then you are near Mr. Hart, who you seem to share quite the magical affinity with. I have elvish blood as well, as it happens. Not house elf though, sadly. I only wish I could cook without threatening to burn my house down around me."
"Really? Cheers. Not about the crappy cooking, but I ain't never met another elf before. Sides my sister."
"Well there aren't many of us in England."
"Unca Harry! Unca Harry! I pwetty!"
Running up to them Daisy wore a pale green dress with decorative white and blue lace.
"You look beautiful, Petal."
Daisy beamed at her brother. "Mr. Fox likes it too."
Coming up behind Daisy Miss. Morton agreed that Daisy looked beautiful in the dress, but didn't think it was quite appropriate for the occasion.
"Well then, off to try the next one, all right?"
Nodding in agreement Daisy spun around and charged back into the dressing room, an amused looking Miss. Morton following after her.
)
They didn't end up seeing the second dress, Daisy didn't like it once she was wearing it, but the third dress proved to be the one. Daisy looked perfect in a pale pink dress that featured a skirt shaped like overlapping cherry blossom petals. The tulle underneath poofed the skirt up a little, for lack of a better word, and she looked adorable in it. Plus Mr. Crabtree proved to have a tiny pink hat decorated with cherry blossoms that went perfectly with the dress and Daisy was thrilled with it. Mr. Crabtree even had a ribbon that matched the hat perfectly for Mr. Fox to wear. Of course it would clash somewhat with his fur, but Harry saw no reason to bring that up given how much Daisy liked the idea of her stuffie matching her for their coming adventure. And he appreciated the fact that Mr. Crabtree informed Daisy that Mr. Fox could NOT wear the ribbon in the microwave, the little girl promising very seriously that she would take it off first.
Daisy tried on the final dress just in case it outshone the third, and while it was quite lovely they passed on it for the time being. They knew where to come when future outfits were needed, which Mr. Crabtree was delighted to hear.
And in fact Daisy ended up with two new shirts, a skirt, and a regular day dress before they headed to the cash register to pay. She might have ended up with more than that, Harry was a little embarrassed to admit, but Miss. Morton started to make thinly veiled comments about the perils of spoiling a child. He got the point.
While he paid for their purchases Eggsy and Miss. Morton discussed a character named Charlotte from a Disney movie they'd seen when they were younger as apparently she loved collecting dresses as a child too. Daisy meanwhile occupied herself looking at the displays with Mr. Fox, possibly planning what to ask for on future trips.
It would be hard to tell her no, Harry mused as he thanked Mr. Crabtree and promised that they'd be back. Daisy would no doubt make sure of it.
Laughing, Mr. Crabtree grabbed a card from the desk and held it out to him. "If you want to order online instead of braving the shop. I know some men find shopping, particularly for females, rather distressing."
"Actually I work at a tailor shop so that's not an issue. Both Miss. Morton and I work for Kingsman."
Mr. Crabtree frowned. "For Chester King?"
"Thankfully not any longer." Miss. Morton muttered, flushing a little when Harry glanced in her direction. "My apologies, Sir."
"None needed. He was a pompous ar-." Harry caught himself just in time. "A-R-S-E the entire time I knew him, and we're all very glad not to be working with him any longer. I'm in charge of Kingsman now."
"Oh. Oh really? And you…Miss. Morton? You actually work in the shop?"
"I have been trained as a tailor, yes." All members could measure and cut for a suit, though actual skill level in that area varied. Miss. Morton had proven to be more than adequate in that area.
Currently she seemed to be mentally preparing a sharp resort if Mr. Crabtree were to insinuate that a woman had no place working in a men's tailor shop. Harry had never seen her in action, but he'd heard stories from Thomas about her skills in shutting men with those opinions down.
But it seemed there was no need.
"Then you would be open to hiring females. I ask only because a decade or so ago my niece, she made the suit I'm wearing, tried to apply for a job there. She spoke with Mr. King, brought samples of suits she's made for others, and despite her obvious skill and talent he turned her down. 'Subtly' making it clear that it was her gender that he had a problem with, not the quality of her work."'
"Ah. That is, unfortunately, quite possible. May I see your suit jacket?"
"Of course." Quickly Mr. Crabtree removed the jacket and handed it over just as two women and their three combined children entered the establishment. "Ah, if you'll excuse me a moment."
"No problem."
Handing the bag of clothes over to Eggsy Harry turned his full attention to studying the suit jacket's quality, which appeared as fine as the rest of the clothes in the shop to his discerning eye. If the man's niece had indeed made it, she would be an excellent fit at the shop.
Miss. Morton took one of the sleeves in hand and brought it up to study the stitching, her opinion running along the same lines as Harry's.
"Does Thomas need more help in the shop?"
"Technically, no. But that won't be the case in the future. Two of his best full time tailors are getting on in years and are starting to slowly cut back their hours and productivity. In about two years, perhaps even less they'll need replacing. Hiring her now, on a part time basis, could be beneficial if she's interested. She'd learn how we do things and have all the experience needed when her services would be required on a full time basis. If Mr. Crabtree is willing I'll get her contact information from him and pass it along to Thomas tomorrow. See what he thinks."
"Is he coming to Bors's birthday party too?"
"He is." A late addition to the guestlist, at Merlin's suggestion.
"I'm looking forward to it."
"From what I've observed everyone is looking forward to it. Except Bors."
Miss. Morton laughed in amusement and perfect agreement.
)
The rest of the day went well right up until it was nearly time for their last meal of the day. He and Eggsy had discussed the matter and had decided that this was the appropriate time to inform Daisy that Harry would be going away for a couple of days. They hadn't wanted to ruin her weekend of course, but they also didn't want to spring it on her at the last minute. Personally Harry thought Eggsy was exaggerating how much the little girl was going to hate the idea of him leaving, flattering as it was, but if Eggsy was right hopefully Merlin's visits, as well as Eggsy's friend finally starting the painting of Daisy's room, would be distraction enough during his absence.
They had decided to wait until shortly before supper, not wanting to upset her just before bed. As planned Harry took a seat with Eggsy on the couch with Daisy perched on his knee, the little girl proving again that she had excellent observation skills as she looked apprehensive and wary even before Harry explained what the family meeting was about.
"The reason we're having this family meeting, Daisy, is to tell you that very shortly I will have to go away for a couple of days to America. Kentucky, to be exact. But then I will be coming right back home to you and Eggsy as soon as possible. You have my word."
Daisy's bottom lip started to quiver. "Yous is going away?"
Oh no. "Just for a couple of days. Hardly any time at all. And Mr. Merlin and Eggsy's friend Ryan are going to come and visit you. And Eggsy will of course stay here with you."
"I don't wants ya ta go." More lip quivering, eyes getting bigger and shinier.
Fuck.
"He'll be back before we know it, Flower. And while Ryan's paintin your room ya get ta sleep with me in my bed. Just like old times. Won't that be fun?"
"Nooooooo." A big, fat tear rolled down Daisy's cheek before she shifted un to her knees and then threw her arms around Harry's neck, smacking him in the face with Mr. Fox in the process before all but strangling him. Wetting his neck with her tears.
Dear God. Waterboarding would be worse than this. How on God's green earth had Eggsy stood it that first day at the daycare?
Rubbing Daisy's back in what was probably a pitiful attempt at comfort, Harry looked over at Eggsy and hoped that his eyes adequately conveyed his need for help.
Reaching over Eggsy stroked Daisy's curls while Harry kept up the backrub. "Now come on, Luv. None of that. We have a party to go to tomorrow, remember? For Mr. Addison? And when Harry comes back from vistin the Yanks we'll have a welcome home dinner with Gran Gran's chips AND your princess marshmallow Jell-O."
Daisy's grip loosened a little, which Harry appreciated, but she continued to sniffle and refused to turn him loose.
"And ya know, Daisy chain, this is Harry's house. All his stuff is ere. So of course he'll come back. This is his home."
"Plus I would come back for Eggsy's cooking alone." Harry tacked on with a smile in Eggsy's direction. "And because you're here of course. I'll miss you very much."
She seemed to think it over for a minute or two, then she pulled away to look at him, her cheeks flushed and eyes watery. "Promise ya'll be back. Pinkie swear?"
Looking at the finger being offered him, Harry kept his face sober and serious as he linked fingers with her and promised to be back.
More sniffling, then Daisy snuggled up against his chest, Harry automatically wrapping his arms around her.
"I weally wike you, Unca Harry."
"I really like you as well."
"Me too. On both counts." Eggsy announced with a grin, leaning against Harry's side.
