The girls set off for home, carrying their shopping bags and talking about the dinner party. Lizzie was excited but trying not to show just how excited. She’d never been to a dinner party given by her contemporaries before. She’d attended her parents’ parties, of course, but never one especially for people her own age.
‘Long dresses means Vanessa has got one she wants to wear,’ said Alexandra. ‘But have we all got long dresses?’
‘No,’ said Lizzie, ‘but we’ve got time to make them. Or adapt something.’ She glanced at Alexandra.She was longing to get a look at her stash of old clothes.
‘Oh yes,’ said Alexandra. ‘I’ve got lots of old things that I’m sure Lizzie could alter.’
Meg was slightly less enthusiastic than Alexandra and Lizzie about spending time in the attic searching for clothes. It was dark and very spidery. ‘Let’s bring the trunk down,’ she suggested.
‘Will we get it down the stairs? They’re terribly steep and narrow.’ Lizzie had been a bit wary of going up them, although Alexandra had run up with practised ease.
‘It should be possible,’ said Alexandra. ‘Although we can wait until David’s home if you like.’
Lizzie, eager as she was to get her hands on this treasure trove of fabric, clothing, lace, ribbon and accessories, agreed this might be the sensible course. Luckily, they heard David arrive back shortly afterwards and he and Alexandra soon had the trunk (one of several) down in the basement.
‘OK,’ said Lizzie. ‘We don’t want to look as if we think it’s a fancy dress party. We can look different, but not peculiar.’
‘I think I always look a bit peculiar,’ said Alexandra.
‘Eccentric maybe, but not peculiar.’ Actually, Lizzie thought her frienddidverge towards peculiar sometimes but somehow she always managed to carry it off.
Once in the basement, in better light and without the smell of damp and mothballs that permeated the attic, they found a skirt for Alexandra almost immediately. It was in a wonderful dark green velvet, and she said she could wear it with a lacy blouse that was already in her wardrobe. When forced by the others to try on the entire outfit she definitely looked a bit ‘period’, but also stunning with her hair piled up.
David, who came over from the kitchen end of the basement, had an old biscuit tin shaped like a country cottage in his hand. From it he produced a big cameo brooch. He pinned it on to the high neck of the blouse, at Alexandra’s throat. It was the perfect touch.
‘You can borrow it, but not keep it,’ said David. ‘It’s quite valuable. Now, Meg, what are you going to wear?’
‘Nothing fancy,’ said Meg. ‘If it must be long, it’ll have to be fairly plain. Lots of this stuff is very frilly.’ She picked up a dress that was not only heavy but seemed to be made of enough material to make a small pair of curtains.
‘OK, we’ll find something that’s not bustley,’ said Lizzie. ‘Sorry!’ She turned to Alexandra. ‘I seem to have taken over your clothes.’
‘Fine by me,’ said Alexandra. ‘Just don’t try and take over my junk!’
‘Oh, it’s junk now, is it?’ said David. ‘I thought it was all antique.’
‘Well, as you know, a lot of it is antique, it’s just very damaged,’ Alexandra said. ‘Which means I don’t have to sell it.’
‘Did you know we’re going to have a lesson in how to mend china?’ said Lizzie. ‘It seems a bit odd but Mme Wilson has a friend who does it, so naturally, we’re going to learn it. I suppose it’s in case the debs on the course break the priceless antique Ming vase when they go to meet their future mothers-in-law.’
‘That’ll be really useful,’ said Alexandra. ‘I have a couple of items I was given because they were in pieces.’
‘You seem far keener on bits of broken plate than clothes,’ said Lizzie, amused.
‘I am keen on clothes,’ said Alexandra, ‘but I can’t be bothered to keep changing or having different ones. But I do love china and I don’t care if it’s glued together.’
‘So, what about you, Lizzie?’ said David. ‘You seem keen to sort everyone else out with dresses but you haven’t said what you’re going to wear.’ He pulled out something that was possibly worn for riding side-saddle in. ‘Actually, darling,’ he said to Alexandra, ‘you really should keep these somewhere better than in this trunk.’
‘I’ll help you,’ said Lizzie. ‘Is there an empty wardrobe anywhere?’
‘Oh yes,’ said Alexandra with a casual flick of her hand. ‘So what are you going to wear, Lizzie?’
‘If you don’t mind, and it’s not a historic heirloom or anything,’ said Lizzie, looking at the dress David was holding up, ‘I’ll take this apart and make a new dress with it. It’s a really fine cord, if you look at it, and I love the little flowers.’
‘I think that’s dimity,’ said David.
‘Cool,’ said Lizzie. She’d seen a dress in a shop, long, with sleeves slightly puffed at the top, she thought she might copy. It had a yoke and a high neck but she was considering doing without the high neck. She planned to wear a velvet ribbon round her neck. She didn’t have much jewellery; her pearls were safely sitting in a satin-lined box in her mother’s dressing table. Her mother was probably waiting for the day when Lizzie had met a nice boy (picked out by her), when she’d put them round her daughter’s neck for a studio photograph that they could display on the piano with pride. Well, she didn’t need them yet.
Chapter Six
