Leonie Read Free Page B

had ever owned.
    “She’s like a young cat, who doesn’t yet know how to use her claws,” Bella murmured into Loulou’s ear.
    Madame Artois watched in silence. The unkempt child who had shown up on her doorstep had taken on a new dimension. Paul Bernard had seen her allure right away, of course; that’s why he had helped her. And, of course, he was right.
    Léonie peered closer in the mirror, her excitement growing. Yes, she did look better, pretty even. She swirled in the dress straining to see how it looked at the back, patted her upswept hair, ran a finger along her cheek to see if the pink came off. “Oh, thank you, thank you all,” she said at last, tears falling down her cheeks and spoiling the rouge. “You’re all so nice, so good to me.”
    “Nonsense.” They laughed. “It was fun. And you’ll never be the same again, Léonie!”
    “Well, what do you think, Madame Artois?” she asked, posing before her.
    “I think,” sighed Madame Artois, “that I’ll have to find myselfa new kitchen helper, and we’ll have to find you a better job. Tomorrow I’ll speak to Madame Serrat at the lingerie shop on rue Montalivet. I heard she was looking for an assistant and you’d probably do as well as anybody else.”
    “ Really? Really, Madame Artois?” Léonie couldn’t believe it. “Oh, thank you, thank you.” She threw her arms around Madame Artois and kissed her, and then she kissed Loulou, Bella, and Jolie. “I’ll never forget this night,” she promised.
    Léonie’s interview at Madame Serrat’s was the most important topic of conversation among the girls that week. They were determined that she should get the job. “Although I don’t know what you’re worrying about, Léonie,” said Loulou. “I could get you into the cabaret in a minute.”
    Léonie laughed at her words. Of course it wasn’t true, and besides, the idea of the cabaret was frightening. Madame Artois had said that she would enjoy working at Serrat and there would be prospects for promotion to a proper salesgirl if she did well. Meanwhile, any spare moment they had the girls helped her. Jolie taught her how to do her hair herself, though more demurely, this time wrapping it into a smooth blond chignon, and they had added a band of deeper bronze velvet to the hem of the dress to make it longer, and a matching velvet collar. The shoes were a problem—none of the girls had any to fit her and obviously she couldn’t wear her old ones. Finally, Madame Artois took her to the store and she bought a pair of neat black shoes with small heels, like the ones she had seen the other girls wearing, though she was shocked by the price. “Look upon it as an investment, my dear,” advised Madame Artois. “Those shoes will put your feet on the proper road to success.” Bella and Jolie made her practice walking in the unaccustomed heels so she wouldn’t trip, and she was surprised how elegant they made her feel. For the first time in her life she wasn’t ashamed of the size of her feet. Madame Artois gave her a pair of fine cotton lisle stockings as a good-luck gift and Loulou presented her with a small gilt brooch with a pretty amber stone in its center. “It’s not worth anything,” she said, dismissing Léonie’s thanks, “but it suits the dress.”
    Léonie left the house early on Saturday morning wearing her new dress and Madame Artois’s second-best brown wool cape with the tiny fur collar. Her interview was at nine-thirty and at nine-fifteen she paced the rue Montalivet anxiously, passing theshop for the tenth time, becoming more nervous with every minute. She hadn’t realized that Serrat would be so intimidatingly smart. The tall windows were lined with rose velvet and a rose-striped awning, inscribed with the name Serrat in deeper pink letters, formed a protective half-moon across the curved marble steps. As she watched, a young boy emerged to sweep the pink carpet that led to the glass-paneled door. He added a final polish