Sharon E. Cathcart

eBook edition (all formats) is available here: His Beloved Infidel

Catherine had been to every dress shop she could think of and afford, trying to find the right dress for her night at the opera.  She had an idea of what she wanted, and it was not to be found in the Gunne Sax designs from America, with their excessive lace and pastel prints.  She wanted something elegant. 

When Susan asked her to go along for a morning at the Marche aux Puces, Paris’ famous flea market, she decided it couldn’t hurt to look there as well.  The two women plowed through racks and racks of clothes, stacks of used books and more; one never knew what one would find.

And suddenly, on a rack in one of the rearmost stalls, was exactly what Catherine had wanted in the first place.  With a few alterations by her favorite tailor, it would fit perfectly.  She haggled over the price until she and the seller came to an agreement. 

“Is Monsieur Aria taking you to Maxim’s, that you need such a dress?” Susan asked as they walked back to the Metro.  They had to pause every few minutes, because Susan was loaded down by a floor lamp she’d found.