Hidden behind the black lacquer screen covered in art nouveau birds, Hattie stepped out of her wide linen trousers and pulled off her shirt. Mary handed her the dress and Hattie stepped in. She pulled it up and did up some of the buttons.
‘Here,’ said Mary. ‘Put the belt on. Now, look at yourself in the mirror.’
‘It probably doesn’t fit—’
‘It fits! It looks wonderful. But it needs the petticoat.’
Hattie looked at herself. Her waist looked tiny and she felt wonderful in it. ‘I love it! I can’t bear wearing normal smart clothes, but this is perfect. Elegant but different. Even my fussy mother will approve. Oh, Mary! I love myself in this! Can I really borrow it?’
Mary was as thrilled as Hattie was. ‘It’s wonderful seeing this favourite outfit getting another outing. Trythe petti – although it is rather discoloured. You may need to have it all cleaned.’
Hattie nodded. ‘I know a specialist cleaner. I’ll take it tomorrow.’
‘Darling, I understand you knowing about builders and mortgage brokers and all those sorts of people, but a specialist cleaner?’
Hattie laughed. ‘Nothing to do with work. Rose had her wedding dress cleaned by them. It rained on her wedding day and her dress got covered in mud.’
Mary was now sitting down and Hattie realised she was tired.
‘Shall we go back where you can be comfortable?’
‘I’m fine here. I want you to try on more clothes. I love seeing them come to life again.’
Hattie tried on a couple more dresses. The sweetheart necklines, tight waists and full skirts suited Hattie’s shape, but Mary and she agreed their favourite was a full-length dress made of silk with a halter neck. It clung to every curve and managed to be sexy yet demure at the same time. But it was the colour that made it extra special. It was a dark peacock blue but with just enough green in it to enhance the colour of her eyes.
‘You need a long string of pearls and an event, darling,’ said Mary, having directed Hattie to the matching clutch bag made of the same fabric. ‘Somewhere you can wear that.’
‘When’s your birthday, Mary? I’ll arrange something. I’m somewhat of an expert on party planning now, thanks to my parents.’
Mary laughed but demurred. ‘Maybe I am a bit tired.’
‘It is past your bedtime. I’ll help you upstairs. Or would you like a bath before bed?’
‘I think I’ll have that in the morning. Now I’d like a mug of Ovaltine to take my pills with.’
‘With a tot of something in it, to help you sleep?’
Mary smiled. ‘That sounds delightful.’
Hattie spent quite a lot of the night thinking about making changes for Mary, to make living in her house easier. Putting in an en-suite was one idea, though ideally Mary would have a bedroom and bathroom downstairs. Even more ideal would be a move to the care home Mary longed for, though that seemed less likely every day. At least Luke had made a start on a few urgent things around the house.
‘So do you really think I should buy this house, Hattie?’ asked Hattie’s client the next morning. ‘It’s much smaller than I asked for.’
Nor did it have a stable yard, five acres, an orchard and a wildlife pond with frogs, but Hattie didn’t mention that. It had been a daunting list of requirements but Hattie’s experience told her that when people started looking at property what they wanted tended to change. And with luck, eventually, they wanted something that was available and affordable.
‘It’s your decision of course, Mrs Conway,’ said Hattie, ‘but I do think you could be very happy here. A big house is a lot of work. What this house has is one really gorgeous, spacious room that you can virtually live in, with smaller rooms that won’t need much looking after.’ She paused. ‘Plenty of space for you to putin a wildlife pond too. And if you like, I have someone who could do that for you.’
Mrs Conway didn’t reply immediately. ‘I’ve just always dreamed of living in a small stately home. With land. So I could have horses.’
‘Are you sure you want horses?’ said Hattie quietly.
Mrs Conway sighed. ‘Well, I can’t ride so maybe I’d better not have them.’
Hattie didn’t reply. She could see Mrs Conway was teetering on the verge of making a decision.
‘No, you’re right, Hattie. This is a very pretty house in a lovely spot.’
‘No need to decide immediately, but the owners are keen for a sale and it’s not yet on the open market. Why don’t you sleep on it, and tell me tomorrow?’
