Beastly Desires

Chapter Six

Colette fingered the soft wool knit leggings folded atop a shelf inside the small Haberdasher shop she shuffled into a few moments ago.

It was full of various fabrics, all sorts of sewing, crapes, laces, silks, perfumes, skirts and other fashion finery and normal everyday wear. She meandered through its four tall shelves and along the wooden counters that lined three of its walls until she found what she was looking for.

"Fancy a new pair of stocking for this brittle autumn cold we done got?" A plump, blond haired, seamstress sat behind a counter, finicking with the sleeve of a cotton shift. Her ruddy face was pinched in concentration as she sewed the sleeve into the shifts open shoulder. She did not look over her shoulder as she addressed Colette, who stood a counter widths away.

Colette clutched the pair of stockings in her hands and walked up to the counter, placing it on the smooth surface.

"Yes. I'm afraid mine might fall off if my knees continue to clack against the cold." Colette opted for humor by way of greeting. A safe, comfortable approach to bargaining.

The seamstress huffed a chuckle out, smiling to herself. "The north wind has blown a hole through them, aye?"

Colette matched her laugh and placed two copper coins onto the counter. "And what of the garter ribbons you have behind the counter. Will those brace the cold well enough to keep my socks up?"
A display of beautiful silk ribbons in various shades of purple were draped along a thin wooden pole braced to the wall beside the seamstress. Colette found herself lusting after the lavender one, its frilled edges teasing her eyes. She hadn't a pair as pretty or feminine as those and for the life of her she desired to own a pair suddenly.

The seamstress pressed her lips together, eyeing the two copper coins that faced her on the counter. She went back to sewing the sleeve of the shift and barked out, "A pretty girl like you may get by with your looks around other shops but beauty doesn't buy exotic threads."

Colette was startled by the offense and accusation. Then again, it wasn't new to her- the snide remarks from the women she received . She didn't think her beauty was as intimidating as it has always been interpreted. She knew the threads were not exotic, they didn't have that foreign luster like the silks she'd seen on a noble lady a year ago as she had passed her in the market place. The gown she wore was rich in color and the softness of the silk melted the light that danced across its shiny surface.

Though the ribbons that hung were beautiful and better quality than normal she doubted they were exotic and knew the seamstress was bargaining for more than they were worth.

Colette plucked another copper coin out and placed it near the other two. "I did not know they were exotic. They are lovely." She tried to sound pleasant even though the insult weighed heavily in her throat.

The seamstress stood from her stool she sat upon, burried beneath the layers of her skirts and pocketed the three copper coins. "Which shall you want?" She pointed to the ribbons and Colette motioned to the lavender one.

"Fancy anything else?" The seamstress said curtly, pulling the ribbon from its place and sitting it atop the stocking.

Colette gathered the stockings, wrapping the ribbon around them and shook her head. "Thank you." She turned on her heels and made her way out into the bustling streets of the market.

Vendors lined the wide dirt paths that snaked their way through and around their carts and makeshift tables. Shops and cottages gathered around the central area of the market, shielding the hustle and bustle of people and merchants from the autumn wind that wiped at the brick and mortar.