Tabi shot a look of pure befuddlement at Mr. Wye, helplessness and frustration clear on her features. Just a leg! It was the end of the reputation she had worked so hard to uphold. She wavered still, as her resolve crumbled. Mr. Wye's insistence that the other gentleman help and the assurance that he knew how to fix it, lulled Tabi into a sense of resignation. She certainly didn't know how to do it. She could embroider beautifully and stitch up a person, but she did not know how to sew clothing.

"Alright," she conceded gently, hands still gripped tightly on the shreds of her skirt, holding them as closed as she could possibly go. "I think just the top two layers will suffice." The overskirt and the underskirt would cover her enough to escape with some dignity in tact. No doubt she could take the petticoats to the seamstress or if she was desperate, dig into her savings to buy new ones; there would be no asking her father and stepmother for money to fix this.

Sifting through the layers of tattered fabric in her hands, Tabs located the underskirt first and fumbled to keep the rest from falling away again. She lost her grip for a moment and her stockings were visible once more and this time another surprise— they were stained with blood Tabi hadn't even noticed. She gasped in shock and annoyance. She hadn't felt any injury, but as she turned away for a moment, there it was, one long set of scratches from what must have been the gnome. Apparently the sting of a ruined reputation was worse than the sting of an actual wound. "Just perfect." She nearly whined aloud, but managed to keep it under her breath. Hopefully she could get the blood out, or she would need new stockings on top of a new petticoat!