Page 97 of A Secret Cornish Wish
Twenty-Six
‘You look beautiful, Mum.’ Rosie comes up behind me and puts her arms around my waist while I stare into the long mirror in our room at Claire’s house.
‘No, you’re the one who looks beautiful,’ I tell her. ‘This is such an old dress now, I’m not sure it suits me any more.’
I bought the dress I’m wearing tonight a number of years ago in a sale when we were having a gala event at the gallery. A three-quarter length, sleeveless black gown. It’s fitted on the body, until the long chiffon skirt extends into loose waves around my calves. Tonight, I’ve teamed it with black velvet shoes with a small heel, and a black velvet clutch bag with colourful flowers embroidered on to the front – both of which I’ve also had in my wardrobe for several years.
‘Of course it suits you,’ Rosie says. ‘You can wear anything.’
I kiss the top of Rosie’s hair. ‘I’m so pleased you’re coming with me tonight. It’s like having my own personal cheerleader boosting my confidence.’
Originally, I didn’t realise that Rosie was invited to the party as well. Both Claire and I made arrangements for Alice to look after her this evening. But when Claire came back from the café this afternoon, she said that Eddie and Dexter were keen to make this a family affair, so suddenly both Rosie and Alice were joining us. The boys both passed on the invite, preferring to stay home and play computer games, rather than attend some ‘old folks’ do’.
But Alice was surprisingly keen.
‘She’s only coming so she can meet Rob,’ Claire told me with a wink. ‘All her friends are jealous that her mum knows a Hollywood movie star.’
‘Isn’t he a bit old for her?’ I responded. Something about Alice liking Rob felt a bit weird.
‘Of course he is – in real life. But superheroes don’t age, do they? When Rob made his first Danger Man film, he was a lot younger. People remember him like that’.
‘I suppose.’
If everyone remembers me as I was ten years ago, they’re in for a shock, I thought.The last few years haven’t been kind to me.
‘Can I be your personal cheerleader too?’ Claire asks now, popping her head around the door. ‘You look great, Frankie. And I won’t hear you say otherwise. You both do. I’m so pleased some of Alice’s old clothes fit you, Rosie.’
‘I love them,’ Rosie says, spinning around. ‘It’s like nothing I have at home.’
Alice is of average height for an eighteen-year-old girl, but Rosie is tall for her age, so she fitted easily into some of Alice’s clothes from a few years ago that Claire found stashed away in her attic.
In fact, there were so many that Rosie liked, that Claire promised to courier them up to us when we left, as there were just too many for us to manage in a suitcase.
‘Thank you,’ I told Claire quietly as we watched Rosie try them on and then parade through Claire’s house like a catwalk model. ‘I could never afford to buy her clothes like this.’
‘Don’t be silly,’ Claire said. ‘You’re doing me a favour. Now I don’t have to find a charity shop that will take them.’
Claire is now frowning at me slightly. ‘Will you be warm enough like that, Frankie?’ she asks. ‘It’s all right out there at the moment, but it might get chilly later.’
‘I’ll be fine,’ I say hurriedly. There is no way I’m putting on my Primark puffer jacket with this lovely outfit.
‘Wait there.’ Claire disappears again.
She reappears a few moments later with something in her hand in a deep shade of purple silk.
‘It’s a pashmina,’ she says, handing it to me. ‘Jonathan bought it for me years ago, so I never wear it – for obvious reasons.’
I open up the folded fabric, which is incredibly soft to touch, and place it around my shoulders. I don’t want to wear it, knowing that Jonathan bought it, but I have to admit it does set the dress off beautifully.
‘Perfect,’ Claire says, smiling. ‘I knew it would work. What do you think, Rosie? Isn’t your mummy beautiful?’
Rosie nods. ‘We’ll be the belles of the ball,’ she says, smiling at us both. ‘Beauty and the Beastis my favourite Disney film,’ she tells Claire. ‘And we’re all just as beautiful as Belle is when she dances with the Beast. You too, Aunty Claire, you lookverypretty tonight in your dress.’
Claire looks at Rosie and I’m sure I see her blink away a tear.
‘Thank you, Rosie,’ she says quietly. ‘It’s been a long time since anyone told me that.’
‘Right then,’ I say, feeling myself beginning to well up. I can’t cry now – it’s taken me far too long to do my make-up tonight to have to redo it all again. ‘As long as there’s no beasts tonight at Eddie’s birthday party, then we’ll all be quite safe, won’t we?’
