Chapter 3.16

The thing about being amnesiac was that one might have some knowledge stored in their minds, yet they would have no idea where it came from. Isabelle was no stranger to that phenomenon. She knew about flowers, she had the ability to write and count, she even knew the name of several fabrics and how they were weaved.

Every cloud has a silver lining.

That was something she might have read, might have been told, or might have heard somewhere. She truly had no idea of the source, yet she knew its meaning. It meant that their time of enduring some hardships had paid off, and that there were positive things amidst unfortunate situations.

Isabelle truly believed so after hearing Ethan was hired in Mr. Dodds' restaurant. Then, out of nowhere, she remembered she had gotten a bag of coins from the Commissioner as reward for the dress she had embroidered for his spoiled daughter. After fishing for the bag and taking out the money in it, she sat dumbfounded for a long moment.

50 coins!

50 coins as reward for a dress that a spoiled girl was going to wear. It was a huge win! Granted, maybe for the Commissioner that was just pocket money as he had easily parted with it; but to Isabelle who was gratified to win more than 10 coins, those 50 coins were a huge blessing. Together with the money she had saved, maybe they could buy the patch of land beside the house sooner than expected!

Her sudden good mood plummeted when she remembered what Ethan said about the land. "It's a wedding gift."

She had been so happy, and distracted, by the proposal and Ethan's situation that she had not stopped to think how long it would take to actually get married. With them being orphans and her being an amnesiac, a great celebration was unneeded. Perhaps something only between closest friends, if they had them.

Either way, no matter how long it took to get married, she still had to make preparations for the actual ceremony!

Because even if they had no party, she wanted the ceremony at town, in that Civil Affairs Office to be a wonderful and unfogettable memory for all of them.

That was why, Isabelle asked Lucas to accompany her to town. To start getting things for that special day.

Ethan had already left for work, and Joseph and Felix were preparing the patch to plant more fruit trees. They also needed to cut the fruits that were starting to ripen. At the moment, selling fruits was going to become their other source of income as the plan to sell their vegetables fell through. And after a short discussion, Lucas and Joseph were put on charge of selling the fruits.

However, to Isabelle, selling the fruits was just some extra as she expected her new venture to be more profitable for them; that was to sell purses and handbags.

Using lots of creativity, the colorful leftover Poplin fabric and the broadcloth she bought became purses and small handbags that had different embroidered designs on them. The purses were to carry coins; the small handbags were perfect for carrying small things, like kerchiefs, a coin purse, even make-up, snacks and knick-knacks.

She also made a bigger bag for Ethan to carry his stuff.

Isabelle had come up with the idea of making these handbags because she found it tedious to carry her pouch of water in her hand, the purse anywhere in her body that was tight and safe, and her new handkerchief hidden who knows where. Not anymore. With her new handbag, everything was safely put in one place.

How was she going to earn money with these new wares? They were obviously going to be sold at Mrs. Priddy's shop.

Isabelle would have loved to sell them on her own and get the full amount herself, however Mrs. Priddy had an established shop with an already formed clientele. If she wanted for people to see and buy her purses and handbags, then the shop was the best option. They were also made so she could earn her salary.

In hindsight, her salary actually heavily depended if her things were sold. 10 coins was the set amount. If she sold less than that, then she would get less money. What made her suddenly dubious of her contract was, what would happen if her sold wares went over the 10 coins? Was she going to get the money or would Mrs. Priddy keep it?

After all, the only extra she read in the contract was for commission with other works, not the wares for her salary. Or did it include the wares?

With so many doubts, Isabelle was starting to think that she signed up a bad contract. She thought herself clever and that she would not be cheated, yet maybe her need to earn money blinded her to some nuances in the contract.

Though, on second thought, her salary was insignificant in the face of the commission she could earn, so she had not much to complain about. Yet.

"Hello, Isabelle." Patricia greeted Isabelle as soon as she entered the shop together with Lucas. "Ah! You!" Patricia yelped the moment her eyes stopped on the man. She recognized the man as that bandit-like person that once visited the shop. She never thought Isabelle would be involved with him.

Such a small world it was!

Isabelle turned to look at the impassive mountain that was Lucas in askance. He looked down at her with a serene gaze and plainly replied, "I bought your pads here."

"Oh!" Isabelle nodded, finally understanding the situation.

Lucas entering such a shop would be strange for such a mild-mannered woman as Patricia, who blushed at the nonchalant way with which he talked about buying pads. Isabelle was cured of such awkwardness as she actually let Felix wash her used pads, yet she fully understood Patricia's uneasiness.

"It was hard for you." She told her.

"No!" Patricia squeaked. "I mean, it was, but it's fine. I just… um, he said he's your… husband, and that other day..." She hemmed and hawed, stuttering in her words. It was difficult to catch the gist of her idea, but after some recapitulation of her interactions with Patricia, Isabelle knew what the other was trying to say.

"Joseph and Felix, the ones from last time, are also my husbands. I have four." Isabelle explained to her. Contrary to Jean's face full of shock and wonder, Patricia looked at her with pity.

Well, to have four husbands mostly meant the woman was bought and that the men were dirt poor. The situation with her and the four brothers was not the same as those other families, yet it made Isabelle realize that most people would see it that way. However, she had neither the time nor the willingness to clear any misunderstanding, so she let Patricia think whatever she wanted.

Instead, she revealed the reason why she was there. "I came to leave these things to sell at the shop. The coin purses can be sold at the shop's normal price, but these small bags have to be sold at 5 coins. Nothing less." Isabelle said as she took out the things from the basket Lucas carried. She did not scamper on her efforts to make pretty handbags that women might like, so Isabelle was unapologetic in charging that much for them.

"5 coins..." Patricia trailed off in surprise. Her shock lasted a second as she, then, gasped when actually she saw the bags.

"I only made eight because I was unsure if they can be sold in the shop." Isabelle expectantly looked at Patricia. The latter seemed to have been working at the shop for a while, so it was logical to think she had to know how the market for embroidered wares worked.

Patricia looked back towards the curtain that covered the hallway, rummaged into her clothes and took out her own purse. She quickly took out 5 coins and grabbed a bag, a light green one with a field of sunflowers embroidered on it. "The shop would get 30% for the sale. You'll only get 3 coins and 5 dimes for them. These are too lovely to get so few coins in return. So here; I'm willing to pay the full price."

She took Isabelle's hand, put the 5 coins on the other's palm and ran off to the back of the shop to put the handbag with her things.

"She is a good girl." Isabelle commented, putting the coins in her own purse. Patricia's reaction to the handbags and her readiness to pay the 5 coins told Isabelle that the bags could be sold in the shop. It would just take time. At least, she already sold one.

A moment later, voices and the sound of steps let the couple know that Patricia was back, and accompanied with someone. Next second, the young woman appeared with Mrs. Priddy in tow. The older woman' eyes roamed all over the counter and immediately fixed onto the handbags.

"Patricia told me you brought seven new items for the shop." Isabelle glanced at Patricia, who only flashed her a small smile. Isabelle's lips twitched, then her gaze returned to Mrs. Priddy, who was already checking the bags.

"They are small handbags. The price for them is of 5 coins." Isabelle replied, not commenting about the bag that was already sold to Patricia.

Mrs. Priddy hummed. "People tend to bargain for things." She hinted.

"No less, Mrs. Priddy. If they cannot buy it, it is fine. If none is sold in the shop, then I can only sell them independently." Isabelle shrugged. Although she spoke as if she had other venues to sell her stuff, she was inwardly wincing at the thought of having to lower the price. She did not want to succumb to that tactic just to sell when she knew what her wares were worth for.

The fabric was even bought by her! So, no. She would not budge. If they could not be sold at the shop…

"Leave them." Mrs. Priddy's words stopped Isabelle's line of thought. "5 coins it is." The older woman seemed a bit troubled at the price, but she still grabbed all seven handbags plus the purses. If none of the so-called handbags were sold, then she could only return them after a few days of no movement. The purses looked more promising as they were lovely and there was no set price, so shop's prices it was.

"Thank you for giving them a chance." Isabelle smiled, paying some lip-service to the other woman. "Also, I want to buy some embroidery thread." What little thread there was in the box plus the ones she had bought before were all used in the purses and handbags, so she had to resupply.

In the end, with all the colors she bought, she almost used the 5 coins she had just earned from selling the handbag to Patricia. Though, because she was starting all the wedding preparations, Isabelle bought several red and white reels.

She had a pretty good idea how her wedding dress would look, so those two colors were a must. She only needed to find the perfect fabric for it. And she knew the best place!

Once again, Isabelle thanked Mrs. Priddy for letting her sell the handbags in the shop and then gestured at Lucas to leave. As he opened the door to let Isabelle walk out, someone came into the shop.

It happened in a flash. He had no had time to react.

Next thing he knew, there was a woman clinging onto him that was not Isabelle.