Page 125 of The Wedding Dress Repair Shop
‘At this rate, he might not want to come back, if it’s helping that much,’ Simon suggested.
‘I don’t know. He still asked lots of questions about how the order book was looking and whether I’d finished theMurder in the Red Barnmarionettes,’ said Thom.
‘Which youalmosthave,’ I said, ‘and then I’ll run up thecostumes in no time. Simon, I don’t think I properly thanked you for that box of Hetty’s patterns, did I? They’ll be so useful!’
‘That’s OK, I’m just so relieved you’ve taken all that over, especially now, when I’ve got other things I want to concentrate on in my spare time.’
And then he smiled across the table at Pearl, who blushed very prettily, the Snow Queen warmed to vivid life.
*
I spent all of Wednesday setting up the rest of the Rosa-May collection, and at various times Derek, Thom, Simon and Pearl popped in, if only for half an hour, to give me a hand.
By late afternoon everything was unpacked and in place: the hand-coloured prints of the costumes for the fairy scenes inA Midsummer Night’s Dreamin the glass-topped table, flanking the open journal, which I’d opened to the page where Rosa-May described her first major success as Titania on the London stage, and with a few other odds and ends of hers, including a pair of gloves and some satin shoes.
I’d spent a good couple of hours getting the central display with the two open trunks quite right, with an artful profusion of parasols, gloves, shawls and other odds and ends from the dressing-up box we’d found – and the leghorn hat, which Simon had now refurbished, resting on one open lid as if tossed down there by the owner.
Honey would have the big laminated storyboards that George had sent with the collection fixed to the walls, and then the room would be entirely finished. Or for the moment it would be, because I quite fancied trying to make that replica ofRosa-May’s wedding dress and pelisse, which she had described in the journal, and also, perhaps, a couple of ballgowns to go under the silk dominoes.
I hadn’t noticed that Honey and Viv had got back until they walked into the Rosa-May Garland Room late in the afternoon, just as I was taking a last satisfied look round, before going back to the cottage.
They were amazed at how much I’d done in so short a time, but I explained about all the help. Then I had to dash off and leave them to have a good look at everything on their own because, by then, Golightly’s Soul in Torment impersonation could probably have been heard in Ormskirk.
39
Director’s Cut
Apart from popping out to the market very early for some fresh fruit, salad and a chunk of the Lancashire Crumbly cheese to which I was now addicted, I worked on all day, because it seemed likely that the following day would be entirely taken up with Cassy Chance and the crew ofThe Upcycled Bridefilming some of our episode. I was really dreading it and would be glad when it was over and I could climb back into my own little world again.
Besides, there was so much still to do. The next dress on the list, a very wrecked mermaid, was calling to me.
Still, at least this dress, dating from 2004, was a lot less voluminous than the previous one. Mind you, it would be hard to make onemorevoluminous!
But Dress 9 was quite a simple design, in white matte silk satin, the strapless bodice boned to give it structure and then the fabric pleated around the bust and to the waist. It was tight to below the knee and then flared out, particularly at the back. It fastened with concealed hooks and eyes, all in good order, which was more than you could say for the rest of the dress.Not only was it extensively water damaged, but it was also covered in what looked like streaks of soot, mud and a quantity of brown dog hair.
The short and simple two-layered white veil hadn’t fared much better and as for the high-heeled white silk satin shoes, they were coated in reddish mud and one heel had broken off entirely. It looked as if the bride had caught her heel in the tulle flounce of her petticoat, too, for part of it hung down. The front of the veil had also partly pulled away from its flowered silk headband. It was all a sorry mess.
But I like a challenge and I was well on with mapping out the scale of the catastrophe and taking close-ups of the bodice, when Thom walked in, by way of the staff room. Ella and Kay, who were unpacking books in the foyer, must have let him in.
‘What on earth happened to that?’ he said, gazing down at the bridal wreckage with astonishment.
‘A series of unfortunate events that sound like slapstick, although I don’t suppose the bride thought it funny as it unfolded. It must have been like a wedding disaster in a sitcom!’
‘I’m guessing fire, flood and a mudslide, at the very least.’
‘Quite close. The bride and bridesmaid were travelling to the church in a vintage Bentley belonging to a friend of the groom, but the engine caught fire on the motorway and he pulled on to the hard shoulder. They had to get out and move up the grassy bank for safety … and it had just started to rain. Then the driver, who was more concerned with his car than his passengers, threw open the bonnet and the wind blew sooty smoke all over the bride and bridesmaid. At that point, the heavens opened and torrential rain soaked them to the skin in seconds.’
‘Was that followed by a plague of frogs, by any chance?’ Thom asked, grinning.
‘If it was, they arrived too late, because a passing breakdown truck spotted them and stopped, put out the fire, loaded the car on to the back and then managed to squeeze the whole party into his cab, along with hisveryfriendly dog.’
‘I can see from all the hair on the skirt justhowfriendly it was!’
‘The truck driver kindly made a detour to drop the bride and bridesmaid at the church, where everyone was still waiting. The bridesmaid had managed to ring the bride’s mother to say they had broken down, but were now on their way, but she lost the signal before she could mention what state they were in. Their dresses were a complete wreck, they looked as if they’d swum there through a bog, and the heel of one of the bride’s shoes was broken off, so she limped and squelched down the aisle to “The Wedding March”.’
‘I’m impressed she wasn’t having hysterics by this point and calling the whole thing off.’
‘She said in her letter that by then she’d gone sort of shell-shocked and just wanted to get the ceremony over, so she could get to the venue and change – but once she saw the groom’s expression as he turned to see her walk down the aisle, she started to laugh – probably thatwashysterical – and so did he.’
