Page 22 of The Wedding Dress Repair Shop
‘And where is Marco the love rat?’
‘He wanted a word in the front office with Roy, once he’d put Annie and the dress into a taxi. Then we’re going out to lunch … a long lunch. He might pop back later to see how the understudy rehearsal is going.’
‘I’ll see you for the dress rehearsal tomorrow, then, Mirrie.’
‘Yes. I wonder if Beng & Briggs have sent my costume over yet?’
‘Beng & Briggs always deliver,’ Wilfric said, turning away from her – and that was when he caught sight of me in the mirror. His expression went totally blank for a moment, then he gasped: ‘Garland!’
He whirled round, but the spell holding me had broken and, without conscious thought, I turned and dashed back into Mirrie’s dressing room, turning the key in the lock behind me.
9
Left Hanging
The cold, shivery shocked feeling was quickly replaced by a hot tide of fury. I have a quick temper but I’d never before flown into such a berserk rage that I had no idea what I was doing.
But the next thing I knew, I was standing panting, with my dressmaking shears in my hand, and the beautiful Titania costume had been slashed to ribbons.
Long tendrils of gauzy white and lilac silk hung from the bodice, swaying slightly like some monstrous jellyfish.
While I stared horrified at it, I became aware that the door was rattling and voices were demanding to be let in – one of them Marco’s.
Then I heard him shush the others before saying, persuasively: ‘Pleaseopen the door, Garland! I know you must be upset that we borrowed the dress without asking you, but it’s back in your flat again and hasn’t come to any harm.’
‘I think she’s upset about a little more than you borrowing the dress,’ Wilfric’s voice said drily. ‘She also heard Mirrie tell me you two were in a relationship and you were just waiting till the play opened before ending your engagement.’
‘Oh my God!’ exclaimed Marco. ‘Mirrie, you didn’t, did you? I mean, I never said—I didn’t mean—’
‘Has Mirrie jumped the gun in more ways than one?’ came Wilfric’s voice.
‘Oh, shut up!’ snapped Mirrie, and then Marco must have put his shoulder to the door, because it burst open and crashed off the wall.
*
‘Then they all just stood there goggling at me,’ I said on the phone to Honey later, with a shudder of recollection. ‘Andthenthey spotted the costume hanging in tatters and their faces looked like a still from a horror movie.’
The moment I’d reached the sanctuary of my flat, Honey had been the only person I could pour it all out to. I didn’t know what I’d have done if she hadn’t answered her phone.
‘Very graphic – I can picture that,’ she said. ‘Go on, what happened next?’
‘It all got a bit confused after that – I think I was in a state of shock – but they couldn’t have been more horrified about what I’d done than I was. I know I have a quick temper, but I’ve never totally lost it like that before, to the point where I can’t even remember doing something!’
‘A true berserk rage,’ she said. ‘Interesting! And you did have good reason to be furious, of course. None of them seem to have any inkling of how much love and hope you poured into making that wedding dress, not even Marco. It was a double betrayal.’
‘I know, but even so, to destroy the costume I’d spent weeks working on was totally unprofessional! Beng & Briggs are going tokillme.’
‘Tell me what happened after that,’ she coaxed.
‘It’s all sort of blurred, like an old film, but I do remember Mirrie screaming: “Oh my God, is that my Titania costume?” And then Wilfric said: “Itwas, darling,” after which Mirrie became hysterical and threw herself on to Marco’s chest.’
‘Well, that would help the situation along,’ said Honey drily. ‘I think I’m warming to this Wilfric, though.’
‘It was Wilfric who took the shears out of my hand. I hadn’t realized I was still holding them. Then he said, “Garland, darling, I can’t say Mirrie didn’t deserve that, but you’ve torn it now – quite literally, what with the dress rehearsal tomorrow and opening night a week on Monday.”’
I swallowed hard. ‘Marco was still holding Mirrie, but he looked at me as if he hated me and said he’d never have believed I could do something so vindictive and that he could have me charged with wilful damage! Then he ordered me to get out of his sight and said he never wanted to see me again.’
‘I’m sure that bit about charging you with wilful damage must have been an empty threat,’ Honey said judiciously. ‘I mean, he wouldn’t want the whole unsavoury story of why you’d done it to come out, would he? That wouldn’t exactly be good publicity.’
