Page 113 of The Wedding Dress Repair Shop
‘No! Like you, I have another reason,’ she said, eyeing us with a strangely speculative expression. ‘And I think my boss,Cassy Chance, might be interested in … well, a slightly different angle to what we usually do.’
We stared blankly at her.
‘You’ve never heard of her?’ she asked, sounding incredulous, and we shook our heads.
‘Well, it’s like this: I’m Milly Brownlow and I’m a scout for a TV series calledThe Upcycled Bride– you must have heard ofthat?’
‘No,’ Pearl and I said in unison.
She looked disappointed. ‘I suppose it is low-budget and not prime time, but it’s very popular. Look, do you think we could go for a coffee and have a chat in that café-bar across the road? Bring your husbands, or whatever, with you.’
She gave Thom and Simon, who were still patiently standing holding their burdens, an appraising look.
‘They’re just friends,’ Pearl said quickly, and I saw Thom’s mouth quirk up into a grin.
Milly’s gaze sharpened on Thom and she said, slowly, ‘You look really familiar … just like that actor who used to play Gus Silvermann in those old fantasy films! What was he called? Ivo something.’
Thom sighed and said, in a flat Lancashire accent, ‘I know, I get told that all the time.’
We agreed to meet Milly in ten minutes and she went out of the shop, already talking into her mobile, leaving us speculating about why she was interested in the wedding museum – background scenery for an episode, perhaps?
We paid for our purchases – Pearl had found a light blue cashmere cardigan – and then Thom and Simon volunteered to take the clothes back to the car before joining us at the café.
Milly was already there and said she’d spoken to her boss, who was very interested in the museum.
When Thom and Simon appeared and we ordered coffee, she explained that the show featured a bride from a different area of the country in every episode. Cassy and her team helped her to find a second-hand dress and accessories, and also, sometimes, outfits for the bridesmaids or the mother of the bride.
‘The bride we had lined up for this area has pulled out at the last minute, so I’m up here trying to find another happy couple and also suss out the local dress agencies and charity shops while I’m at it.’
‘I see! I thought you were just a bride looking for a dress, when I noticed you seemed to be on the same quest as us,’ I said. ‘What happens in your show once they find a dress?’
‘Cassy suggests ways of restyling it. She’s really good at that kind of thing.’
‘I’m not bad myself,’ I said modestly. ‘Before I took this job at the museum, I worked for a theatrical costumier’s.’
‘Cool,’ said Milly.
‘It all sounds like fun,’ Simon said patiently, ‘but I don’t see where Garland and the museum come in, unless you want it for a bit of background?’
‘No, I think it would make for a deliciously different episode in itself, and so does Cassy!’ she said to my surprise, and turned to me eagerly. ‘We can help you find the dress for the display and tart it up, but also “discover” an outfit for you to wear when your museum opens – that gorgeous vintage suit you were trying on. I mean …’ she added uncertainly, ‘I did get it right and you said the museum would open in October? And I suppose there will be some kind of ceremony?’
‘It opens on October the fifteenth and I expect there will be a bit of a ceremony,’ I agreed.
‘And you’re the – what do they call them? Curator?’
‘I’m the curator-conservator, but the museum belongs to my boss, so you’d have to talk to her about anything like that. She’s Honey Fairford, the bestselling novelist.’
Milly’s brown eyes widened. ‘Better and better!’ she exclaimed, then excused herself and went over to a quiet corner, where she spoke urgently into her phone.
‘I didn’t think we were that exciting,’ I said, but it seemed I was wrong, for by the time we left, Milly had Honey’s contact details and had headed off purposefully to where she’d left her car for more prolonged consultations with her boss.
Her parting shot had been, ‘Don’t do anything to that suit or the wedding dress till you hear from us! We’ll probably want to plant them back in the shop, for you to find on camera.’
‘Isn’t that cheating?’ I said to the others when she’d gone.
‘It’s certainly manipulating circumstances to make a good episode,’ Thom said. ‘I expect a lot of that goes on.’
‘I hope they think better of it. I really don’t want to be on TV. I’m strictly a backroom girl.’
