Chapter 5

I straightened the velvet under the centerpiece while the first buyers gathered at the case. Across the aisle, Thomas, my husband, raised a glass and called them closer. I stayed behind the display in my work apron, with polishing dust caught in the seams and a graver tucked into its front pocket.

“Tonight, you’re seeing the beginning of a new chapter for the house.” Thomas waited until every face had turned toward Rebecca, my husband’s childhood friend. “This collection is hers.”

Rebecca stood beside him in cream silk. The dress carried no sign of the rouge and metal dust that…