On Savile Street, Charlotte was in her shop, counting the bolts of fabric she had just received, but seemed lost in thought, somewhat distracted from her surroundings.
"Madam?" the apprentice gently reminded her, "This has already been counted."
"Ah?" Charlotte snapped back to attention, smiling apologetically, "Oh, I was daydreaming."
The apprentice looked a little puzzled. "You seem different today."
Charlotte only smiled and said nothing more.
In the tailor community on Savile Street, there were no real secrets. After all, the shops were so close that with just a glance, one could see into several stores through the bright glass windows across the street.
Yesterday afternoon, Charlotte had been sitting at the oak table by the window. After cutting a piece of fabric, she habitually looked outside to take a break. Suddenly, her gaze was caught by the owner of the tailor shop opposite, who was leading two elegant ladies toward the middle of the street.
Their shop was small and usually operated quietly in the corners of Savile Street. But the middle of the street was the territory of the largest and most prestigious tailor shops—prime locations with higher rents and more customer traffic.
As mentioned before, Charlotte often accepted outsourced orders from the big tailor shops. In short, when these large shops were too busy to handle all orders themselves, they would outsource simpler tasks to shops like hers, paying accordingly. Though it was extra income, the pay was never as good as direct orders. So Charlotte immediately noticed that the shop owner and her clients were clearly heading toward the larger shops in the street center.
Typically, the busiest time was before the social season, when customers flocked to tailor shops to order fashionable clothes for upcoming balls, dinners, and other social events. Fashion trends changed yearly, so every year people needed new or altered gowns.
By the late social season, especially around spring and summer, orders decreased significantly. After all, making a complex evening gown took two or three months, and without rush orders, by the time it was done, the social season was nearly over — hardly worth it.
Now, entering spring, tailor shops were generally less busy, focusing on lighter morning dresses and walking gowns, which could be completed within a week or two. Yet, during this relatively quiet time, that shop owner was taking two customers to a large tailor shop—something Charlotte found puzzling.
With her keen tailor's instinct, she soon realized this was unusual. She wondered under what circumstances she herself would bring her customers to a large tailor shop.
If it were about craftsmanship or materials, materials could be sourced independently, and if the craft was lacking, why not just tell the clients to find a more skilled tailor directly?
The owner surely didn't want to lose this business, which made the situation even stranger. The tailors on this street had seen every kind of business—this simply didn't make sense.
Since yesterday, Charlotte had been thinking hard about it. She was stumped. For a moment, she even impulsively wanted to storm into the shop opposite and ask outright.
But reason prevailed and stopped her from acting rashly. That left her spending the whole day frequently looking out the window, trying to find clues to solve the mystery in her mind.
When she looked out again, she was delighted to see the same two ladies from yesterday back on Savile Street. This time, they had brought along a younger girl. When Charlotte saw this young lady, she was momentarily dazzled.
Her skin was very fair, glowing softly in the midday sunlight, her features exquisitely striking. Charlotte couldn't help but think of the stained glass windows of a pointed cathedral — dazzling and dreamlike, refracting colorful light.
When the young lady seemed to notice Charlotte's gaze and turned toward her, her expression was elegant and distant, like a refined oil painting hanging in a remote castle, bright yet with a cold ancient grace.
As the three walked out of Charlotte's sight, she suddenly snapped out of her trance, grabbed a piece of fabric at random, and hurried to follow them.
The three ladies eventually arrived at Mr. Worts's tailor shop and walked straight inside, as if they were very familiar with the place. This made Charlotte realize they had also been here yesterday.
That's why there are no secrets on Savile Street.
Curious, Charlotte sneaked near the large tailor shop and was trying to find an excuse to enter when she unexpectedly ran into a familiar shop owner. Their eyes met, and they shared a knowing smile before entering together.
Fortunately, Charlotte also took some outsourced orders from this shop and was acquainted with one of the tailors, so she greeted them and used the excuse of asking about some tailoring techniques to blend into the shop.
However, her attention wasn't entirely on the craft; she was eavesdropping carefully. The tailor she spoke with was also distracted, seemingly listening in as well.
The visitors were Elena, along with her teacher and sister Janet. Janet quickly found the shop owner and introduced her sister.
"Are you the artist who draws the Helen paper dolls?" the owner greeted enthusiastically, referencing the doll's clothing style. "It's an honor to meet you."
"Hello," Elena replied, unused to formal greetings for a long time. For a moment, she wanted to touch her hat but suddenly realized she wasn't wearing one. So she lifted her skirt and curtsied. "You're too kind. I'm deeply honored."
After a few pleasantries, Elena got straight to the point, talking about the SR paper doll.
"I came here hoping to reach a collaboration with you."
Her idea was simple: tailor shops—especially Mr. Worts's—held the pulse of upper-class fashion trends. When nobles had new fashions, tailors were the first to catch on.
"Yes," the owner proudly replied, "Though Savile Street has many renowned tailors, our shop is definitely their first choice."
Elena smiled faintly and complimented, "Of course! Who doesn't know Mr. Worts's reputation?" (A lie — she only learned of it yesterday.) But her words revealed sincere admiration. "Moreover, seeing that you use live models convinced me further. Using live models is such a bold innovation, letting customers clearly see how the clothes look when worn."
This was Elena's true feeling, as she had never seen similar models on Savile Street. Perhaps other tailors thought the best model was themselves, but this was definitely worth praise.
"Indeed," the owner immediately said, "That was Mr. Worts's idea. Other shops don't dare do it; they worry live models would scare customers away."
"I think it's just that they lack confidence in their own skills," Elena finally spoke her mind. "So I have an even bolder idea."
She paused, eyes shining. "If live models can be used, why not paper dolls?"
The owner was caught off guard by this combination and asked in confusion, "Huh? Paper dolls? Models?"
Elena confidently painted a big picture.
"Think about it — Helen paper dolls are so popular. If even a small portion of collectors come to your shop to order the same clothes, that would be a considerable number."
"Indeed," the owner nodded. "Many customers on Savile Street bring paper dolls to order clothes. It's no secret."
"Imagine," Elena tempted further, "if all customers knew that every outfit on Helen paper dolls could be found in your shop…"
The owner's eyes glazed over, lost in a beautiful daydream.
"Of course," Elena shifted tone, bringing the topic back, "I also noticed your shop seems short-handed, which might raise concerns for our cooperation. After all, if customers come but have to wait six months to get the paper doll's clothes, that would be a huge loss."
Janet and Susan looked dumbfounded at Elena's performance.
"We have the capability," the owner snapped out of her reverie. "That's not a problem."
Even if their shop was short-staffed, they could outsource simpler parts. It's not like the entire Savile Street couldn't handle it.
"Of course, I completely trust you," Elena smiled gently. "Now, let's discuss the details."
Under Elena's grand vision, the owner quickly gave ground. They reached a preliminary cooperation agreement: Elena would include a small trade card for the tailor shop in the paper doll booklet's front page so all readers would see it. She would also receive a share of profits from orders coming through the paper doll.
Furthermore, they would collaborate on the paper doll's designs, so Elena no longer needed to struggle to create fashionable looks herself — a true liberation of her creativity.
By the end, Janet and Susan were still somewhat stunned, gradually realizing that Elena wielded such power to decide the paper doll's future direction.