Page 86 of The Wedding Dress Repair Shop
While we promenaded, our party somehow merged with another, though that was not an unusual occurrence at theseaffairs, when acquaintances were met with. Two wounded army officers, home on sick leave, were of the company … and both being young and handsome, and their wounds not seeming to impair their enjoyment of the evening, presented a romantic appearance …
One of them, Captain Guy Fairford, who was very merry and engaging, immediately attached himself to me. I had perforce to slow my pace to his, for he was walking stiffly, with the aid of a stick.
But we soon became so engrossed in conversation that we fell behind the rest of the party and noticed no more of the surroundings for a considerable time!
I had not thought myself capable of such tempestuous emotion, but from the very first moment my eyes met his merry hazel ones, my heart was quite lost and my fate sealed.
Nature plays such wicked tricks on even the most sensible of us!
28
Thirteen Dresses
I was up very early next morning, filled with anticipation at the thought of actually beginning work on the dresses today, but also some apprehension about having enough of them ready to go on display for the opening date!
I was sure Honey would have all the other arrangements in place by then, because I already knew she was someone who liked things done at once, and had the means to pay to make them happen. This was just as well, since I couldn’t see the museum making enough money to pay my wages and the upkeep for quite a long time, if ever. It could be a very expensive hobby! But then, I suppose the natural history museum had been just that for her uncle Hugo.
After I’d fed Golightly, I unlocked the cat flap and he went straight out. Then, a few moments later, when I was eating my poached egg on toast, he came back in again.
This was reassuring, because it looked as if the central garden was now his new outdoor vantage point.
‘You’re a very clever boy,’ I told him. ‘You can just go in and out all day, as you please, while I’m working, and I expect Jester will be about later too, so you can hang out together.’
He didn’t respond to that, just sat staring at me through slitted yellow eyes, until I got the message and gave him a cat treat.
I left the top half of the stable door open when I went into the workroom, and the one to the staff room ajar in case Honey came in. I thought I’d make a habit of this, so I was always accessible when I was working, to Honey or, when the museum was open, Ella, Kay and Derek.
Today, because they would be the first to go out on display, I’d have the treat of examining Honey’s dress and the Bloody Bride’s in detail.
I reminded myself that I really should stop calling poor Amy Weston the ‘Bloody Bride’, because she was a real, live – at least I hoped so – person.
Deciding to begin with Honey’s dress, I removed it from its hanging cover, before carrying it in and carefully spreading it out on my new cutting table.
Then I opened Honey’s basic catalogue of the collection on the computer, ready to start adding detail as I went.
I was about to scroll down to Honey’s wedding dress, when I glanced out of the window and caught sight of Golightly, insouciantly sauntering across the cobbles to the garden, as if he owned the place.
With a smile, I looked down again and read:
Dress 1
Honey Fairford
Jilted, 1990
The bare bones of her story were already there, though it would seem not the whole of it. I wondered what else was to come, but then put the thought aside and turned back to the cutting table.
The dress, made from a smooth silk satin with a faint sheen, was floor-length and the skirt slightly fitted. Looking at it, I didn’t think Honey could have put on an ounce since it was made for her!
The lightly beaded bodice had a sweetheart neckline, with a lace collar that rose high up to the neck, but was open at the front.
There was a short train, trimmed all the way down with the same lace and beading used on the bodice, as were the slightly puffed, wrist-length sleeves.
The underskirt layer was fairly minimal and I thought the effect would have been a sort of demure slinkiness … very Honey!
I took photos, including various construction details and then added those and a detailed description to the computer catalogue, along with the measurements.
Of course, the dress was marred by some ominous staining – the front hem of the skirt looked as if it had been dragged through blood, which was now a rusty red-brown, and a paler stain spread above it, about knee-height. I took pics of all that, too, before fetching the box of accessories and opening the lid. Honey had kept things simple for her big day: there was a light veil, obviously meant to just hang behind, attached to a beaded headband. The shoes were plain white satin with small heels, although they wouldn’t really have shown.
