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George stood outside the shop window the next morning, trying to build up his courage to go inside and speak to Gwen. He tried to guess if she was still angry with him by her movements, but it was difficult to tell. She always moved with a brisk efficiency that he admired. She wasn’t like other women, who tried to attract attention with their movements. She only wanted to complete her tasks as quickly as possible.
He took a ragged breath and stepped into the shop. The sound of a man’s voice stopped him at the door. He hadn’t noticed she had any customers from outside.
“One night wouldn’t do any harm. I would have you back before midnight.”
Jules had been standing on the other side of the counter, just out of view from the window. George looked back over his shoulder at the door. He wouldn’t be fast enough to duck out before he was noticed.
“Georgie boy! Please tell her that she should accept my invitation,” Jules called out.
He would not be doing that.
“He wants me to attend the theater with him tonight.” Gwen’s tone was icy as she set George’s tea on the table. There was no breakfast to go with it, and he thought it best not to ask for any.
“I managed to get a couple of tickets from a friend of mine. Gwen would have the best time.”
Jules was freshly scrubbed, with his short hair still glistening in the early morning light. He was wearing a new suit with a deep violet waistcoat. Jules never shied away from bright colors, while George preferred to wear shades of black and gray. Making the comparison made George more acutely aware of how worn his suit was.
“I already told you that I have far too much work to get done in the evenings,” Gwen said, her voice strained.
“You could afford to take one night off. Nothing will fall apart if you do.”
“Your clothes might not need to be changed every day, but my tarts and pies do. They aren’t as fresh the second day.”
“Nonsense, the customers who come in here will hardly notice. Most of your clientele are workers and street vendors.”
He said that with a sneer. George saw Gwen’s spine straighten an extra inch, making her almost taller than George. He wished he could afford shoes with lifts in them. Jules was also short for a man, which was why he was always wearing shoes with heels. No doubt he hid a corset under his waistcoat to feed his vanity as well.
“My clients are the same as yours,” Gwen retorted.
“Hardly. I have some very elite customers that pay extra for me to visit them in their homes. They would never be caught buying bread in an ordinary corner shop.”
George attempted to avert his eyes from the disaster happening in front of him. If Jules was hoping to court Gwen, this was not the best way to do so.
Jules realized his error and his words tripped over themselves in an apology of sorts. “Not that your shop is—is ordinary.” He stuttered. “It’s much, much better than any others in the neighborhood.”
George winced.
“I just—just meant that it’s—”
“I know what you meant.” Gwen cut him off, and George was grateful he didn’t have to listen to any more. “I think you might be needed by your own customers soon. Perhaps you should go.”
George had never seen Gwen dismiss a person from her shop before. Jules tipped his head down, put his hat on, and started shuffling in the direction of the door. George looked away, wanting to save him the embarrassment of an audience. Jules slowed, then stopped in front of him.
“Still wearing that same tired suit? Do you only own the one?” Jules asked him.
“No.” George reminded himself that he had one and half, which was very different.
Looking up, George caught Jules glancing in Gwen’s direction. She was arranging flowers in a vase on the counter but could easily hear what they were saying. It wasn’t a very big shop.
“I think it’s time for you to get a few new pieces for your wardrobe,” Jules said. “Why don’t you come with me to my store and I can find you just the thing.”
“I don’t really have time...”
“Nonsense. I can even find a few readymade pieces that won’t cost you a dime. We can consider it charity between friends.”
“Charity?”
“Between friends! Don’t get hung up on the wording.”
George looked again and saw Gwen turning away quickly. She was listening to the conversation very closely. That would explain why Jules was being so generous.
“That’s very kind, but I couldn’t possibly accept.”
“Why not? Too proud to accept help from a friend?” Jules made it sound despicable.
George hesitated to answer. Jules leaned in closer, making George gag on the smell of cheroot.
“I will even sweeten the deal. If you accept my offer, I will give you a bundle of discarded clothing I have to take back to that orphanage of yours.”
George shot him a sharp look. “How do you know about that?”
“I like to know about the people around me.”
That changed things. Even if the pieces were too big for the younger boys, Annie could always take them in. George nodded.
“Good to hear it, Georgie!” Jules clapped him on the back hard enough to spill tea from the cup in his hand.
“You’re giving George a new suit?” Gwen asked, not even pretending she wasn’t listening anymore. She had one delicate blonde eyebrow raised.
“Yes. I think he deserves one, considering how hard he works. He never seems to spend any money on himself, so I thought it might be a treat for him.”
Not a single word of that rang true, and judging by Gwen’s pursed lips, she knew it. Still, she didn’t call him out on the falsehood and George was grateful. Not for himself, but for what he might be able to obtain for the boys.
Once the two men were alone in the tailor’s sales room, George wasn’t surprised to find Jules’s behavior changed. The familiar sneer had returned to his lips.
“I know this is going to cost me, so it better be worth it,” Jules said.
“I don’t know what you mean.” George kept his expression soft, without a hint of his humor. “You offered this charity, remember?”
“Yes, to gain Gwen’s favor. She wasn’t giving me the slightest chance to take her out.”
“She might not find you suitable.”
Jules tilted his head back to laugh. “That’s preposterous. There’s no reason she wouldn’t find me desirable.” Jules ran his fingers along his mustache while looking in a mirror. “I’ve been told by a number of women how handsome I am. I have an impeccable sense of fashion and a thriving business. I’m everything a woman dreams of.”
George didn’t mention that most of the women he was referring to were most likely being paid for their company. That made their compliments less reliable.
“I don’t think Gwen is concerned with a man’s fashion sense or money,” George said, absently running his hands along the fabrics Jules had on the table.
“Then what does she care about?”
“People.”
“You mean popularity? Popular opinion?”
George laughed. Jules had no idea how far off he was in his guess.
“I mean she cares about people around her. Helping them, caring for them, and making friends.”
Jules blanched. “That sounds terrible.”
“She’s a woman with a kind heart. She’s most likely looking for a man who has the same.”
“That sounds like a dire combination. Someone has to be ruthless to get ahead.”
George sighed. As much as he tried, he found being ruthless difficult. Perhaps that was why he struggled so much with getting ahead himself.
“Here, go in the back and try this on.” Jules held out an armful of clothes. “I had a client recently return some items he didn’t care for, and I think he was about your size.”
George was surprised to find at least three shirts, two waistcoats, and four pairs of trousers in the pile. There was only one jacket, but that wouldn’t be a problem since his jackets got the least wear on them usually. Excluding incidents where he tussled with another man. Those had been frequent of late, but he hoped that was over now.
As he tried them on, he was pleased to find that all the garments fit decently and were not in any garish colors. The man must have had less fashionable taste than Jules did.
“I have a sack of clothes for the boys ready,” Jules called out. “Think that will win me any goodwill from the lady?”
George stepped out of the back room wearing his own suit again. “She can’t know about them. No one knows about them.”
Jules shrugged. “I don’t know why you keep it a secret. Most would consider it a good thing what you are doing, helping support the orphanage.”
“It doesn’t reflect that I’m doing well in business.”
“You’re not a rich man, but she already knows that.”
“It’s not only Gwen’s opinion I worry about. I don’t want to remind my clients of where I came from.”
He wanted to make sure Gwen never thought about his humble beginnings. He wanted her to think he was at least doing well enough to live on his own, even if she knew he didn’t have his own office.
“It will be our little secret.” Jules moved around the counter to get closer.
George forced himself to stand still and not retreat. He didn’t like it when people got too close. If he moved back, Jules would see it as a sign of weakness.
“I heard the two of you had lunch with Hugo yesterday.”
“You hear a lot of things.”
Jules shrugged. “It’s a good idea to stay well informed. Hugo’s mother wouldn’t stop talking about it. She made it sound like the two of them were on a romantic interlude, but I knew you were with them because I saw you all leave together.”
“Did you tell her that?”
“No, that wouldn’t have done me any good.” Jules never did anything if it didn’t benefit him. “How did things go on that little trip?”
“Are you worried?” George almost laughed at the look of concern on Jules’s face.
“I have to admit, Hugo has proven to be more competition than I originally thought. He got a head start, but that doesn’t mean he will keep the advantage.” Jules pulled a pound note from his pocket. “I need to know how much of an advantage he has. Is she smitten with him?”
George looked at the money Jules was waving at him and felt sick to his stomach. He didn’t want to be known as the kind of man who could be bought for a pound.
“Ask her yourself if you are worried about it.”
“I can’t. That would give away my hand.”
“Keep your money. I don’t think she will be accepting any proposals from Hugo soon. She seems to be inclined to remain unwed for the time being.”
Jules just laughed, putting the pound back into his pocket. “No woman wants to be a spinster.”
Let Jules tell her that and end up in the same situation Hugo had been in. George wasn’t going to warn him not to.
“She just needs to be romanced. Women love that kind of thing.” Jules nudged George in the ribs with his elbow. “They like to be swept off their feet. I have a plan to do just that.”
“I don’t think Gwen is going to fall for something like that. She’s not like other women.”
“Gwen? You two are on a first name basis? Do I need to reconsider you as competition?”
George shook his head. “No. We are just good friends.”
“Good. I would hate to see you heartbroken when she accepts my proposal.”
Jules flashed one of those shiny smiles. George clenched his fist. It would be best if he left, and quickly.