Page 48 of The London Girls
Ivy came towards her, her walk steadier than she’d have expected in an elderly lady, the fabric of the dress outstretched. She draped part of it over Olivia’s shoulder, the rest hanging, and Olivia couldn’t help but smile as she looked at the lace.
‘A wedding dress would usually take weeks to finish, but we’ll make something work,’ she said. ‘I suppose I’m lucky you didn’t bring me a silk parachute and ask me to fashion that into a dress at short notice.’
‘I honestly don’t want to trouble you, I—’
‘Nonsense, this is no trouble at all. Who would have thought I’d come out of retirement in the middle of the war?’ Ivy’s smile was as warm as her touch, her hand finding its way to Olivia’s shoulder. ‘You’ve made this old lady’s day, and it’s so good to finally meet you girls. Florence has told me so much about you both. This dress is going to be perfect, just you wait and see.’
‘You truly think so?’ Olivia asked, fretting. ‘It all feels so rushed.’
It was Florence who spoke then, crossing the room and directing Olivia towards the full-length mirror, her hands on Olivia’s shoulders as she stood behind her while Ivy held up the dress again and draped the fabric against her body so she could see it.
‘If anyone can make you a beautiful dress this quickly, it’s my grandma,’ Flo said. ‘I promise you can trust her. If she says it’s going to be perfect, then it’ll be perfect.’
Olivia blinked away tears as she looked at the lace and imagined herself in her wedding dress, standing in front of Leo. It didn’t seem right to feel so happy given what had happened, each burst of happiness short-lived when she remembered why Leo was home.
‘Hey, no crying!’ Florence gently wiped Olivia’s cheeks with her thumb. ‘You deserve this, Liv. You’re going to make the most beautiful bride.’
She nodded, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. ‘I just wish Pete were here. I keep thinking about him, wondering if he’s truly dead, or if he’s injured or being held captive. I can’t get him out of my mind; I just can’t believe he’s gone.’
Florence hugged her then, wrapping her arms tightly around her. ‘I know,’ she whispered. ‘Trust me, I know the pain.’
Ava flung her arms around them, joining in on the hug, and Olivia noticed Ava hung on just that little bit longer than necessary, and she tightened her arms, hoping she knew how much she cared.
‘How do you keep going each day?’ Olivia asked when they finally stepped back, looking over at Florence. ‘How can you keep living knowing that they’re ...’
Florence’s eyes met hers. ‘Because you have to. Because we have to keep living for them. It’s what they would want for us.’
Olivia dabbed at her eyes and took a breath, nodding at Florence as her friend smiled back at her.
‘Girls, we have dresses to organise and barely a day to do it!’ Ivy said, throwing her hands up in the air in despair as they all turned. ‘Now, when can I get you back for another fitting? You’ll need to try it on again.’
‘I’m on night shift tonight, but I could come back in the morning?’ Olivia suggested.
‘Come here then, girl,’ Ivy said, setting the lace down and fumbling about for something. When she turned her mouth was full of pins, carefully positioned between her lips as she mumbled. ‘You stand here in front of the mirror and let’s see what we can do.’
Olivia stood, staring at her face, at her body, wondering when was the last time she’d actually looked at herself. She barely recognised the woman looking back at her – how slender she was, howstrong she looked, how much pain filled her eyes. The past year had changed her, but the past few weeks seemed to have defined her.
‘How long did you get off for the wedding, love?’ Ivy asked, as she helped her strip out of her skirt and jumper, before assisting her to step into the lace dress. It had already been picked apart on one side, and Ivy started to pin it again, making it cling to Olivia’s figure.
‘Just a twenty-four-hour leave pass,’ she said. ‘I wish it could be longer, but it is what it is. They don’t have enough dispatch riders, so I was lucky to even get that long.’
‘So, no honeymoon, then?’ Florence asked. ‘What a shame.’
‘Hey, they only need one night to consummate the wedding!’ Ava teased, with a hint of her usual spark.
A shoe flew through the air and Olivia laughed as she saw Ava duck, and a look back the other way showed a very unimpressed Florence scowling at her.
‘Do you have any plans?’ Ivy asked, her voice low as she continued to position the pins in her mouth on to the dress. ‘Perhaps a night somewhere? Even a little time alone would be nice for you both, before your man heads off again.’
Olivia knew she was blushing, but she couldn’t help it. She cleared her throat, hating that she was embarrassed. ‘Honestly, I haven’t even thought about it.’ Would Leo think of it? Would he organise something? Or was that something she should do?
Worry fluttered inside her as she thought about their wedding night, about what would be expected of her, about where they might be. She certainly didn’t want to stay at her parents’ house for their first night as husband and wife, although she supposed they could go to the flat if no one else was going to be there.
‘No need to worry, love,’ Ivy said. ‘That husband-to-be of yours will probably have it all figured out. That’s the one part they usually get right; they’re so desperate to get their new bride alone.’ Shepatted her hand. ‘If you have any questions, things you don’t want to ask your mother, well, just ask away. There’s nothing I won’t give you an answer to.’
‘Thanks, Ivy. When Flo said you weren’t like other grandmothers, she wasn’t joking.’
There were things she wanted to know, like what it would be like on her wedding night and what her husband would expect, but they were questions that lodged in her throat. No matter how kind Ivy was, Olivia doubted she’d ever be able to ask them, no matter how much she’d have liked the answer.
