Mariana worked hard till her lunch time and when Mr. Roberts was finished with his lunch, she took her place in the back room to have hers.
The back room was stuffed with the piles of neatly wrapped fabrics that they take out whenever needed. All the incomplete and in-progress clothes are kept here. This is the room in which they sew and the front shop is where they attended the customers. This room provided them the privacy and solace to work in peace.
A tea table was placed to the wall next to the door where now Mariana sat to have her lunch, A delicious piece of pie, that she had made yesterday for dinner. She was enjoying her food peacefully, when she heard someone call her name from the front room. She peeked out and found Veronica smiling at her.
Happy to see each other after three years, both of them screamed with joy and embraced each other tightly.
Her friend was beautiful with brown hair, same as Mariana and green eyes. She took Veronica to the back room and they both sat and talked.
Veronica kept blabbering about how big the mansion was where she worked, how generous her employer was, how she was their favourite maid and how everybody adored her. Mariana listened to her and thought how everything Caelen and aunt Penny had said about her was true.
She chuckled. Her friend still was a self-centered person.
Veronica finally finished talking about herself and sat straighter. "So, how is everything with you, Marie?"
"As you can see, I'm all good", Mariana replied.
Veronica scanned her back room with wide eyes. Mariana had made few changes last year in her shop to make it look sumptuous .
"Your shop really looks good now. But the shop where Mrs. Potts buy her clothes is more extravagent", she boosted about her employer.
"You are wrong there, Veronica". They both turned there head to see Martha entering. "Mariana is now a very well-known seamstress. She has customers from even outside the village and few months ago, she also had orders from the town".
Veronica and Martha gave each other hostile smiles and Martha sat beside Mariana.
"Oh, good for you, Marie". Veronica tried to smile with great difficulty.
Mariana thanked her and smiled at Martha who winked at her.
Veronica and Martha were always those kind of friends who wanted to show each other their places but still beared with each other.
"Oh, let me tell you both that the town has the most handsome men". Veronica said clapping her hands. Martha joined her, eagerly hearing her favourite topic. And just like that, all hostility was gone when three childhood friends sat together to talk about men.
Martha leaned forward eagerly. "Are they all tall and rougish and good kissers?"
Mariana chuckled. "Didn't you marry last year, Martha?"
"Oh, that doesn't mean we can't talk about other men". Martha shared a devilish smile with Veronica.
"Did someone approach you?" Martha asked the same question Mariana was thinking about.
"The stable boy at Mrs. Potts is crazy about me. But I am trying for the butler". They all giggled.
"Is the butler interested in you?" Mariana asked curiously.
"Well, he was but once he saw me kissing the stable boy, I think he changed his mind" Mariana gasped and Martha laughed.
"I too, kissed the barber with blond hair during my engagement with my husband", Martha smiled cheekily.
Mariana gasped again.
Veronica waved her hand. "Oh please, Marie. You too must try to kiss someone else other than Caelen".
Mariana went blank for a second and frowned at Veronica. "I have never kissed Caelen".
"Oh yes". Veronica rolled her eyes. "You two are always together like a pair of love birds".
"We are just best friends".
"Well, you can kiss your best friend too". Martha said and clapped her hands with Veronica, laughing heartily.
She never wanted to kiss Caelen. What were these two talking about? If she said this to Caelen, Mariana thought he would probably laugh out loudly.
"Who was the most hamdsome man you saw?" Martha asked curiously leaning forward.
"Ah! The king of course".
Martha gasped loudly. "You saw the king?"
Since the palace was nearer to town, people there had glimpses of the royalties. But here in village, they can mostly only hear about them. And Mariana was curious to hear about the king too.
"Oh, he looks delicious, Martha", Veronica breathed a dreamy sigh.
"Isn't king Arnold your father's age?" They all heard Mr. Roberts say peeking from the front room.
"Watch over the shop, Mr. Roberts", Mariana shooed him away and said to Veronica, "King Arnold is dead".
Veronica gave a nod. "Yes, I am talking about king Aaron. He is so handsome, I almost swooned after seeing him".
"Where did you see him?" Martha's eyes were all huge as eggs.
"He was in the neighbourhood one day in the town. I saw him from the mansion's window. I am telling you, being that good-looking must be a crime".
Mariana wondered if king Aaron was really that handsome or Vernonica was just exaggerating that as well.
"Will you give up the butler to be his mistress?" Martha asked which Mariana thought was a weired question. Why would someone give away a person they like just to be a handsome king's undignified mistress?
"I will give up my everything just to spend one night in his arms".
"That's absurd", Mariana drew her brows together. "Why would you want that?"
Veronica again breathed a dreamy sigh. "Oh Marie, you must see him once. You yourself will sew the sexiest negligee, wear that and lie on his bed".
"Eww!" Mariana winced and Martha and Veronica shared a hearty laugh.
"Well, I too, can agree on one night with the king if he's that handsome. I'm sure my husband won't mind", Martha giggled. "I'm sure, he is a good kisser".
"I'm sure he is good in everything". Veronica shaked her shoulders excitedly probably thinking about doing 'everything' with the king.
Mariana rolled her eyes. "He is a king. He probably won't even spare us a glance".
"Well, no harm in wishing", Veronica said being positive.
After her lunch, Martha and Veronica left the shop and Mariana got back to her work. She was showing a dress to a customer who was a very pretty lady, but she rejected everything Mariana showed her.
"Miss Mariana, show me a dress that will make even king Aaron look at me twice".
Mariana smiled to herself. Did king Aaron know how crazy women were about him?