The mourning order

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

The dressmaker spread black fabrics across the counter. Mrs Fenton had come to order clothes after her husband’s death. Her sister answered every question: the collar should be high, the sleeves plain, the hem suitably severe. Mrs Fenton touched a piece of soft wool and withdrew her hand when the sister selected a stiffer cloth.

The dressmaker asked which fabric would be comfortable for travelling. Mrs Fenton began to explain that she intended to visit her married daughter. Her sister said the journey could wait. People would misunderstand such activity so soon after the funeral. The dressmaker folded the stiff cloth but left the wool open.

She asked Mrs Fenton whether the garment was to be worn daily. The question was ordinary enough to answer without defending the journey. Mrs Fenton said yes, and that she disliked a collar pressing against her throat. The sister repeated that custom required restraint. Mrs Fenton asked whether a comfortable collar would make her husband any less dead. Nobody answered immediately.

They ordered the wool. The collar remained modest, but the dressmaker measured it without tightening the tape. Outside, the sister walked ahead. Mrs Fenton paused to look at the coach timetable in the window opposite. She had not ceased mourning. She had begun choosing how to live through it.

“The writer successfully distinguishes Mrs Fenton’s independence from a lack of grief.”

Evaluate how successfully the writer presents this idea. Support your judgement with detailed references to the passage.