Amelia POV

Holding her breath once again, Amelia followed her back outside to where the others were waiting. Even though she forced herself to believe that her mother's opinion of her appearance didn't matter, she was still waiting for the backhanded praise or passive-aggressive jab at her size.

Naturally, Julia held her close—she didn't wear pearls—and grinned. She said, "You look beautiful," and everyone else in the room nodded in accord.

Amelia smiled, letting go of her breath. "I want to make this look good," she remarked.

After the fitting, Julia gave Amelia a list of errands to do, and, to be honest, she was relieved to have a break...