Leximandra Reports, and other tales by Charlotte E. English Page B

tomorrow.'
    Ynara kissed her
cheek and gave her a brief hug. 'I'll be with you early in the
morning, love. I'll bring breakfast.'
    Llandry made
herself smile again and waved, trying to suppress the forlorn
feeling she always suffered whenever she flew away from her
mother's house.
     
     
     
    Chapter Two
     
    Her carriage may
be the best that money could buy, but Lady Evastany Glostrum was
still lamentably cold. The chill seeped through the plush
upholstery inside the vehicle, nimbly evaded the best attempts of
the fitted glass windows to keep it out, and assaulted Eva's pale
and shrinking flesh in spite of her heavy fur wrap. It was really
too detestably cold to step beyond the door of her handsome and
thoroughly comfortable house, but today's errand was too important
to be missed. She was on her way to see her tailor.
    Naturally she
had wardrobes full of delightfully sumptuous gowns, but this was
different. Something of an emergency, in fact. In a week she was to
give a ball at her own house, at which she would be announcing her
engagement. Such a momentous event in Glour society called for very
careful treatment indeed. Eva knew she would be subjected to the
closest scrutiny. The gossips and the reporters would be there in
approximately equal measures, ready to tear apart every aspect of
her appearance, her house, her entertaining. Most of all, they
would be examining her behaviour towards her fiance. The
speculation had been running high for weeks - would the elusive
Lady Glostrum finally fall to matrimony? - and she had allowed for
a rumour to leak out about the purpose of the ball. It was
imperative that she was looking at her best.
    That being the
case, it was of course inevitable that the gown she had had made
for the day had been ruined. One of her maids had managed to stain
it with furniture polish while cleaning Eva's dressing room. She
hadn't scolded the girl - the maid had been devastated enough - but
nonetheless this created an unwelcome problem. As High Summoner,
Eva was in the middle of interviewing candidates for two
high-ranked positions within the Summoner organisation. She didn't
really have the time for any more complications.
    Her carriage
came to a stop and Eva drew back the curtain that covered the
freezing glass window. Her coachman opened the door for her and she
stepped out with a smile, pulling her wrap as close around her
shoulders as possible. She stepped quickly into the tailor's shop,
shuddering with cold. Baynson was in the back, but he came running
quickly enough when she rang the bell.
    'Good morning,
Mr Baynson. I'm afraid there's been a small incident regarding the
gown I purchased last week, and I'll be needing another. Before the
ball.' She didn't smile. Baynson wasn't the type to appreciate it.
He regarded her with an air of grave disapproval as she delivered
this piece of bad news, his thin eyebrows careening up his face
towards his nearly bald head.
    'You'll forgive
my saying so, your ladyship, but summoner or not, you ought to keep
them animals away from your wardrobe. Ten to one something'd happen
to your finery sooner or later.'
    'Sage advice, Mr
Baynson, but in this case the culprit was one of my maids. Not her
fault; these things do happen. Naturally I will pay you a
considerable bonus if you are able to make me a replacement in
time.'
    Baynson tutted
and tossed his head, muttering unflattering observations under his
breath. Eva waited. The man was rude, uncouth and unpleasant but he
was the best tailor in Glour City.
    'I'll get it
done,' he conceded at last. 'It'll take a lot extra, though. I'll
have to pull my girls off a couple of other orders.'
    'Fine.' Eva
untied her purse from her waist and opened it. She had to count
quite a large number of coins into Bayson's hands before he was
satisfied, but this was to be expected with him.
    'Same as before,
I take it?'
    She thought for
a moment. 'Yes, but perhaps you could drop the neckline just a
little. On the last one it was