‘Yes. Otherwise you won’t get a chance to meet him, and you wanted to, didn’t you? You couldn’t be at the parents’ evening.’ Hattie felt obliged to remind her sister. ‘He’s really nice.’
‘You always think the best of people, Hattie,’ said Leonie, but for once it didn’t sound like a criticism.
‘I don’t always,’ said Hattie, thinking about Lance. ‘Have you got something nice to wear? It’s a garden party, so you don’t want to be too formal. It’s not Buckingham Palace,’ she added quickly, knowing how her sister’s mind worked.
‘I’ve brought a couple of options,’ she said. ‘You can advise me. I don’t know our hostess.’
A few minutes later, when they reached the lodge, Leonie said, ‘Oh, is this it? It’s tiny! No wonder you thought Xander was better off staying with Luke.’
‘It’s too small for three.’
‘It’s pretty small for two,’ said Leonie.
‘It’s only temporary,’ said Hattie. ‘We’ve done it up a bit for now, but I’m aiming to move on soon.’
Leonie put down her case and eased her shoulders. ‘I’ve agreed to extend my time in Switzerland a little; they’re paying me so well. But I won’t do it again. I need to come home.’
‘But you’ve enjoyed your time abroad?’
‘Oh, yes. And I’ve saved money, but I’m missing Xander. And you.’
Hattie gave her a little hug. ‘And me you,’ she said, surprised to discover it was true. ‘Now, let me show you your bedroom. There’s a shower but no bath, I’m afraid.’
‘I do need a shower. Trains are always filthy. Have you a hair dryer? I need to wash my hair.’
Hattie never used a hair dryer herself but she had bought one specially for her sister. ‘I’ll let you borrow it if you promise to wear your hair down for my party.’
‘But I hardly ever wear it down!’ Leonie protested. ‘It looks so – unprofessional.’
‘It looks lovely down—’
‘Long hair on an older woman doesn’t look good,’ said Leonie firmly.
‘You’re in your early forties, that does not qualify as being older, not these days.’ Hattie was being unusually firm, she realised, possibly because her sister wasn’t being as bossy as usual.
‘OK. I did have it trimmed recently.’
‘Don’t you want a cup of tea or something first? Rose is taking us so we could have a glass of Prosecco.’
‘Oh, go on then,’ said Leonie.
As Hattie put her own new-to-her dress on and fluffed up the hair she’d washed that morning, she reflected that she and her sister had never done this ‘getting ready to go out together’ thing before. It was surprisingly fun. Maybe it was the glass of Prosecco or maybe it was just a change of mood, but Leonie seemed open to Hattie’s suggestions about her hair and make-up. The final effect was a dreamier, more relaxed Leonie in a lovely rose-covered vintage-style dress, knee-length and full. It showed off her tiny waist and made her look curvy and slim rather than just thin.
Hattie was pleased with her own appearance too. It was fairly casual in a longer, softer dress, but her hair looked OK and her make-up was nicely smudged under her eyes, making them look extra green. She was just wondering if she needed different earrings when Leonie came into her room. She stood behind Hattie as she looked in the mirror.
‘What about this?’ said Leonie, and picked up Hattie’s hair from the nape of her neck and twisted into a knot which she secured with a clip. Then she pulled out a few extra strands round Hattie’s face, letting them fall delicately. ‘There,’ she said. ‘Very Jane Austen. What do you think?’
Hattie was so surprised at her sister doing something so… sisterly that she couldn’t speak for a moment. Then she considered her reflection. It was different, but she still looked like herself. ‘I think I like it,’ she said. ‘I mayget fed up with the clip halfway through the evening, but it’s nice to try new things.’
The sisters were in surprising harmony when they got into the back of Sam and Rose’s car. Rose could hardly hide her disbelief.
Sheila’s garden looked magical. There was a gazebo with fairy lights and lanterns in the surrounding trees. Beyond the gazebo was a summer house, and soft lights flickered there as well. As Hattie was nominally one of the hostesses, they had arrived early, but there were a couple of people there already. She was longing to see Fiona and Nick although they were nowhere to be seen.
‘This is really pretty!’ said Leonie as they went through the gate. ‘It gives me hope that if – when – I move to this area, I can still have a good social life.’
Hattie knew her sister was thinking about coming to the locality but mostly managed to forget about it. She smiled as their hostess approached.
‘Sheila! This looks amazing!’ said Hattie, kissing Sheila’s cheek. ‘Let me introduce you to my sister, Leonie.’ She placed her hand on Leonie’s shoulder but she needed no encouragement. Leonie was good at this.
