Chapter 19
Chapter
Nineteen
The last time Mallory had seen Gia Vanderlan, the fashion designer had been dressed in a bright-pink suit with cheeks to match; on this occasion her flush of excitement was the same but her clothes were lime green. You would certainly pick her out of a crowd.
Mallory hoped that the dress Gia had brought would be less showy. Alexander was due to pick her up for the Wolf Ball and there wouldn’t be time to find an alternative.
‘Thankfully Boris sent through your measurements.’ Gia bustled around Mallory’s small flat extracting various bits of kit. ‘But I would have preferred at least one fitting beforehand.’
‘I’ve been busy,’ Mallory said. ‘I meant to come by but…’ Her voice trailed off and she felt the heat rise in her cheeks.
‘She forgot that she had to wear a real dress,’ Boris interjected unhelpfully.
Gia gasped in horror. ‘But this is the Wolf Ball! It’s one of the most important events of the season, Mallory. The fact that you have an invitation – and with Alexander MacTire of all people—’
‘It’s not a date,’ Mallory said briskly. ‘It’s business.’
Curiosity lit up Gia’s face. ‘He’s a client? What are you helping him with?’
She knew better than to ask that question and when it became clear that Mallory wasn’t going to answer, she smiled.
‘Well, whatever it is I know he’s lucky to have you.
I still haven’t forgotten how you came through for me.
I’ve worked really hard on this dress – it’s the least I can do, favour or no. You deserve the very best.’
Over the years Mallory had learned to accept compliments, but for some reason accepting this one was difficult and she had to quash the rising sense of imposter syndrome.
If tonight went as planned then she deserved those kind words, she told herself.
And it would go as planned. Alexander would find success tonight.
She couldn’t entertain any other outcome. She muttered her thanks and Gia beamed.
‘So,’ the flamboyant witch said, ‘although there wasn’t a lot of time, I wanted to be sure you had something spectacular to wear.’
Uh-oh. Mallory tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach.
‘It’s important that you feel sexy…’
Mallory gritted her teeth.
‘…but I also wanted to make sure you were comfortable.’
She felt a sudden spasm of hope.
Gia recognised what her expression meant. ‘Oh, Mallory! I saw enough of you last year to get a sense of your style. I’m good at what I do and I wouldn’t put you in something you didn’t like.’
‘I’m holding out for lime green,’ Boris said.
‘With plenty of cleavage.’ Both women frowned at him.
‘Actually,’ he added hastily, ‘I’m clocking off for the night.
’ He bowed to Gia. ‘Lovely to see you again, Miss Vanderlan. Mallory, good luck tonight. I’m quite sure that Mr MacTire will walk away very satisfied with the outcome. ’
Mallory swallowed as he waved and left. Gia had already turned away and was unzipping a garment bag. ‘Ta-da!’ She held up the dress in front of her.
Mallory stared. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting but it certainly wasn’t this.
If she were honest, it was something of a disappointment.
A modest empire design, the material appeared to be expensive black velvet.
There wasn’t a flash of lime green, hot pink or even a saucy thigh-baring slit in sight.
‘Oh.’ She smiled politely. To be fair, the dress, was ideal because it would help her stay in the background and that was her role. Gia had done exactly what was required of her. ‘It’s very pretty.’
Gia laughed aloud. ‘Now tell me what you really think.’
‘I’m not lying! It’s very pretty! Thank you very much, Gia. It’s exactly what I hoped for.’
‘Just wait. Put it on and then we’ll see.’ There was something in her voice – merriment, perhaps. Or delighted anticipation.
Mallory looked at her warily as she took the dress and moved towards her bedroom. ‘I’ll only be a minute.’
‘Take your time.’
Peeling off her dungarees and oversized shirt, Mallory clambered into the dress and fastened it. It fit perfectly, clinging to her every curve in all the right places and draping over the spots that she preferred not to highlight.
As she smoothed it down, she realised the fabric wasn’t velvet; in fact, she couldn’t tell what it was.
It was soft but it had an unusual shimmer.
She nibbled on her bottom lip. There was magic bound into this dress, she’d put money on it.
Still, Gia had been right about one thing – it was definitely comfortable.
She could wear this outfit all night and there would be no wriggling or twitching.
Padding into the living room, Mallory smiled. ‘I take it back,’ she said. ‘It’s not pretty, it’s beautiful.’
Gia sprang up. ‘It’s not finished yet.’ She looked her up and down with a critical eye. ‘More boob,’ she said, brandishing a pair of scissors.
Mallory’s eyes widened in alarm. ‘Uh…’
‘Don’t worry, this will only take a jiffy.’ The witch stayed where she was, her fingers sparking with light, and the scissors started to glow. Mallory felt an odd tugging around her chest and glanced down. An inch of fabric peeled away, re-forming almost immediately into a perfectly stitched edge.
She gaped. ‘That’s some spell.’
Gia winked. ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet.’ She reached for one of the many tools she’d unpacked earlier, a strange metallic curled stick. ‘Close your eyes.’
‘Um, Gia, I don’t…’
‘Trust me.’
Mallory drew in a breath and did as she was told. There was a hiss of air, followed by a strange crackle as the material of the dress stretched and altered.
‘Oh yes,’ Gia breathed. ‘It’s exactly as I imagined.’
Mallory opened first one eye and then the other. When she saw how the simple dress had been transformed, her mouth dropped open.
‘I would never dress you in black, Mal. That’s not your colour. You’re sunshine sparkles, not a night-time diamond.’
Still unable to summon up words, Mallory continued to gape.
The dress was definitely no longer black and it definitely wasn’t shimmering velvet; in fact, the fabric seemed to have vanished and in its place were hundreds upon hundreds of glittering, golden butterflies.
When she reached out tentatively and brushed one of them, its wings fluttered gently. ‘Gia…’
‘They’re not real,’ the designer reassured her. ‘No butterflies were harmed in the making of this dress. Think of them of as a glamoured illusion.’
‘I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.’
Gia smacked her lips in satisfaction. ‘That’s exactly what I wanted to achieve.
’ She turned away and picked up a small mirror.
Muttering a few words under her breath and holding it carefully to one side so it was away from her body, she used a blast of controlled magic to enlarge the reflective surface.
Suddenly Mallory could see her full-length reflection. The golden hue did something to her skin, making it glow as if she were shimmering in the same way as the magicked butterflies. Her face was lit up and the overall effect was beautifully dramatic. ‘It’s amazing,’ she whispered.
‘I know.’ Gia jerked her hand and the mirror returned to its original size. ‘It’s not perfect – there wasn’t enough time for that, I’m afraid. If you make a lot of swift movements, the butterflies will struggle to keep up and there’ll be, uh, flashes of skin.’
Mallory blinked. ‘Pardon?’
‘Try a few kicks,’ Gia advised.
She did as she was told. Each time she moved her leg, the butterflies parted across her thigh to reveal her legs. ‘Oh,’ she said faintly. ‘I see.’
‘As long as you wear underwear, you’ll be fine.’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘It lasts for a split second. Nothing more.’
Mallory made a mental note to make as few sudden movements as possible. ‘Okay, I’ll be careful.’
Gia smiled happily then her face fell abruptly. ‘Oh no.’ She shook her head. ‘Oh no.’
‘What?’ Mallory asked. ‘What is it?’
‘Your arms! Those bruises!’
Mallory frowned and glanced at her upper arms: there were blue and purple marks encircling them where Old Man Stone-arm had grabbed her. ‘They look worse than they are,’ she said weakly.
‘They look like somebody has held you down. Those are clearly handprints.’ Gia put her hands on her hips and a surprisingly protective glint came into her eyes. ‘Who did this to you? Are you alright?’
‘I’m fine, I promise. It was a one-off thing with an old guy who I doubt I’ll ever see again. I dealt with it. He didn’t hurt me.’
‘That’s not what those bruises are saying.’ Gia reached for another box. ‘It’s lucky I came prepared with some concealment spells so I can cover them up temporarily.’ She wagged a finger. ‘But you need to take care of yourself, Mallory.’
‘I will.’ She cleared her throat. ‘I do.’
‘Hmmm.’ Gia looked only half-convinced but at least she changed the subject. ‘I assume you’ve not given much thought to hair and make-up?’ Mallory looked at her blankly. ‘Any thought at all?’
Mallory pulled a face.
Gia gave a mock sigh. ‘Sit yourself down. When I’m done with you, you’ll be fit to party the entire night away with any werewolf who crosses your path. Bring on the glamour!’
It took more time than Mallory had anticipated for Gia to tame her hair into submission and endow her with a full face of dramatic make-up; in fact, it wasn’t long after the witch had finished and left when there was a sharp knock on the door.
All of a sudden it wasn’t only her dress that was an expanse of fluttering butterflies; now her stomach was full of them as well.
She admonished herself. This was business and Alexander was a client.
After tonight she’d never have to see him again because, if she did her job properly, he’d be far too busy wooing his future life partner to bother her again.
She heaved in a breath and opened the door.