Chloe put her hand up. “I will,” she said. She hadn’t yet sat down and everyone else had a glass of bubbly and looked to be seated comfortably on the overstuffed sofa that took up a generous part of the floor space.

The dressmaker ushered her into the changing room. Chloe slowly undressed and then pulled the emerald green bridesmaid dress over her head. The dressmaker came in to check the fit and made a tsk sound as she pulled at the seams.

“You’ve lost weight,” she ...