Beyond the Broken Angel

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

— an afternoon affair —

March 25th, 1939

IF MARGUERITE'S PLAN of marrying rich ever fell through, Giselle was entirely convinced that the girl could make a very successful career in the fashion industry.

Spending an hour with Marguerite primping and styling her allowed Giselle to get a glimpse inside of her brain. Marguerite spoke all about the latest fashion in London, even knowing some of the trends in other countries like France, Spain, and Italy.

She also droned on and on about Giselle's coloring, holding up different dresses to assess which color suited her best until she narrowed it down to a beautiful sky blue chiffon dress that she said matched Giselle's eyes and complimented her skin and hair.

Marguerite then curled Giselle's hair with swift, skilled hands and carefully sculpted it into a masterpiece that rivaled the 1930s bombshells that appeared on the big screen. She also made sure to secure a white hat on Giselle's head in a particular way, perfectly titling it to the side to keep the sun off of her without blocking her face.

Giselle felt like a soldier being prepped for battle, except instead of a gun she had a tube of red lipstick and a smile.

Marguerite finished the look off by adding light makeup and making her put on pearl earrings and dainty, lace gloves.

Once she was done, she positioned Giselle in front of the mirror and stepped back to admire her work. "Oh, Marguerite, you've really out-done yourself," Giselle gushed.

Marguerite slid into the mirror next to her, smiling at her reflection. "I just love dressing people up."

"Well, you're going to have to keep doing this for me from now on," Giselle half-joked. "You have some serious skill."

Marguerite hugged her. "You're too sweet. Now," she drew back, looking serious, "you are going to go out there with your head held high, and flirt your derrière off!"

"Aye-aye cap'n!" Giselle said back.

Marguerite gave her one last look over her appearance before nodding to herself and pulling her from the room with their arms linked.

Ajay was waiting out in the hallway for them, chatting with Frank. They both turned and smiled when they saw Giselle.

"You look beautiful, Giselle," Ajay said, placing a hand on her shoulder and leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. "Really, Will won't know what hit 'em."

Frank nodded. "You look radiant, Ellie. Show my brother he's a fool. Gertie talks too much about pointless things," he scrunched his nose in displeasure. "I'd much rather have you as my sister-in-law."

Giselle laughed, her spirits lifting.

Marguerite handed her off to Ajay, who linked arms with her and pulled her to his side. "Are you ready?"

Giselle smiled hesitantly. "I-I think so." Her heart jackhammered in her chest as they exited the house, her nerves taking over.

"Hey, you're alright," Ajay whispered to her as they entered the hoard of partygoers. Marguerite broke off to greet a flock of women, but Ajay and Giselle kept on in search of Will. "Keep your chin up, okay? And make Will regret not being with you."

Giselle nodded, trying to bring her confidence back up.

Ajay's smile brightened suddenly. "Oh, I found out some information while you were getting your makeover." Giselle raised an eyebrow in inquiry. "Frank told me that Will got into a fight with Marguerite over someone she wanted to invite to her party."