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‘I shouldn’t think so. Katie, I’d suggest you all wear something – comfortable. These things can get pretty hot and sweaty.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Was it wrong, Katie mused as she climbed into Jess’s car, that all she could think of was getting hot and sweaty with Arlo in close proximity? He’d said the words deadpan, yet they’d made Katie go shivery all over.
‘I’ve never been to a barn dance,’ she said. ‘What do you wear? A plaid shirt, jeans and cowboy boots?’
Jess squeaked. ‘I can imagine Athene’s reaction if you suggested that.’
Katie did an imitation of Athene’s horror at the prospect. ‘A plaid shirt and cowboy boots! I’ve never possessed either of those things in my life and I don’t intend to now.’
After they’d stopped laughing, Jess said, ‘I’ve been thinking. Why don’t we ditch the Wordsworth trip and go shopping for outfits? There’s a brilliant vintage shop in Keswick and the sales should be on so we could pick up some bargains. I can alter anything that doesn’t fit or isn’t quite right.’
Katie loved the idea. ‘Sounds like great fun apart from the fact you don’t have your machine.’
‘No, but I can hand sew and we can pick up needles and thread from somewhere and you can iron on most of the embellishments.’
‘Won’t it all be a lot of work? We don’t have long.’
Jess’s eyes were fiery with enthusiasm. ‘It’ll be the best fun ever. We can all get involved.’
‘OK, as long as you’re aware I can’t sew for toffee. Auntie Wanda can though. She used to make fancy dress for Tyrone when he was little and she made an angel costume for me once when I was in a nativity play. I wore it so often that it eventually fell apart. I went to sleep in it for a week.’
‘There you are,’ Jess said, smiling. ‘We’ll all get stuck in as soon as we get home. We’ll pick up something for Wanda and Athene and they can help.’
Lovely as Wordsworth’s house must have been, dressed in its Christmas finery, shopping for cowgirl skirts and barn-dance costumes sounded a lot more fun.
‘I still think Athene will be horror-struck at the idea of any kind of costume,’ Katie said as they drove into the town.
Jess smirked. ‘Maybe she’ll be happy to wear anything after a day spent in overalls covered in sheep muck.’
Even though Christmas was over, Keswick was still bustling. There were sales in many of the shops but the market was still doing a roaring trade in food with holidaymakers and locals anticipating the upcoming new year.
Jess and Katie set off to scout for likely items. The vintage shop yielded a Western-style skirt with a white broderie anglaise petticoat for Katie and a denim jacket which Jess said she could decorate with sequins for Wanda. The haberdashery stall on the market had everything they needed in the way of thread and embellishments and Jess managed to pick up a boho skirt for herself in the sales.
‘I can soon alter the waist to draw it up,’ she said, marching on through the streets like a general leading her troops. ‘Now we only have Athene to deal with.’
Several stores later, Katie unearthed a black satin blouse on a charity shop rail. ‘Don’t you think this would look great with Athene’s black jeans?’ she suggested.
Jess wrinkled her nose. ‘Yes, but it’s also a bit boring.’
‘True. It’s all too chic and understated though that’s probably what Athene would prefer.’
Jess held up the shirt and turned it this way and that. ‘It’s definitely her size and it’s still got the original tag on it. Look. She even likes this brand.’
‘Can you zhuzh it up a bit?’ Katie asked, aware she was displaying her total lack of dressmaking knowledge.
‘I suppose I could oversew some piping on the seams and add some cream or white fringes. Athene might not object too much.’
Katie knew she would but they grabbed the shirt anyway.
‘Oh, look at those!’ On the way out of the shop, Katie had spotted a pair of silver-leather Western boots. ‘They’re my size too.’
‘They are amazing. You must have them!’
Katie tried them on and found the fit was perfect.
‘They were clearly meant for you,’ Jess said, and they exited the shop, clutching their purchases like excited kids.
