Page 49 of The London Girls
‘You’re going to make a beautiful bride, Olivia,’ Ivy said, standing back with her hand over her heart. ‘Your Leo is a lucky boy.’
Olivia kept staring at herself, seeing what Ivy saw. But as much as her heart skipped a beat when she looked at her reflection and imagined her wedding day, imagined the way Leo might look at her when he saw her walking towards him, another part of her kept breaking down, wondering how or why she’d ever consented to a wedding, however small, with Pete missing.
And presumed dead.
‘Grandma Ivy,’ Ava suddenly said, in a voice much smaller than usual. ‘May I ask you a favour?’
Olivia turned to Ava, and realised she still hadn’t asked her whether she needed to stay another night.
‘Don’t tell me, you need a wedding dress too!’ Ivy cried.
They all laughed, except Ava.
‘I was actually wondering if I might be able to stay here for a few days, just until I find somewhere else,’ Ava said quietly. ‘My beastly father kicked me out and it turns out I’ve nowhere else to go.’
Olivia reached for Ava’s hand and held it tight. She could see how heartbroken her friend was, even though she’d been doing a brilliant job of hiding her pain.
‘A friend of my Flo’s is a friend of mine. You can stay with us as long as you need.’
‘I’ll make up the spare bed,’ Florence said. ‘It’ll be lovely having you here.’
Ava started to cry again as Olivia kept hold of her hand, but this time she was smiling through her tears. ‘I’m a terrible cook and I can’t do housework, but I promise to make up for it with my incredible personality.’
Olivia had never laughed so hard in all her life.
The very next day Olivia stood, barely able to breathe, after she turned in a little circle in front of Ivy. Florence hadn’t been lying when she’d said how capable her grandmother was; she’d worked a miracle to get her dress finished in time.
‘Ivy, I don’t know what to say,’ she whispered, as Ivy set her hands on her hips to stop her from moving.
‘Your smile is reward enough,’ Ivy said. ‘Now, stand still while I make a few adjustments.’
She wished the other girls were with her, but Florence was sound asleep and Ava had promised to meet them later. For once, Olivia wasn’t exhausted, although she did wonder if perhaps she was running on adrenaline. It had been a fairly quiet night, with not one bomb falling. They’d had so many days straight of bombings in London, it was a welcome reprieve – and she only hoped that the reprieve lasted for at least a few days longer.
‘Ivy,’ Olivia started, chewing on her bottom lip.
‘Yes, love?’ Ivy looked up expectantly at her.
She wanted to ask her how she’d coped with losing her family, how she stopped herself from drowning in her grief, because herown mother wasn’t coping. She knew it was only natural for her family to be in mourning – she felt the same deep grief at the loss of her brother – but she also needed her mother, more than she’d ever needed her before.
‘It’s nothing,’ Olivia murmured, suddenly not even sure what she was going to ask.
‘What did I miss?’ Ava burst through the door then, but she stopped in her tracks the moment she saw Olivia. ‘Oh, Liv,look at you!’
Ivy patted her hand, as if to say that they could pick up their conversation later, and as Ava came towards her, arms outstretched, Olivia couldn’t help but smile. ‘You like it?’
‘Iloveit. Truly, it’s absolutely stunning. You’re the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.’
‘I feel amazing,’ Olivia said, smoothing her hands down the lace. ‘My mother thought the dress would never work, but Ivy’s certainly worked a miracle.’
‘Is your mother coming here to get ready with us?’ Ava asked gently. ‘You haven’t said a lot about her.’
Olivia shook her head. ‘My dad said he’d make sure she was there on time to see us get married. She’s in a bit of a fog at the moment; I honestly don’t know how to comfort her.’
‘Well, we’ll get you ready for the big day, won’t we, Grandma?’
Ivy chuckled to herself. ‘Yes, Ava, we will. Now, make yourself useful and wake Flo up, would you? I’ll get some tea brewing.’
Olivia hugged her arms around herself, closing her eyes for a moment as she felt the weight of the lace on her body, and imagined seeing Leo standing in his uniform.
