Annie Groves 2-Book Valentine Collection: My Sweet Valentine, Where the Heart Is. Annie Groves

to order for them, so it’s bound to fit me, see?’

      ‘If the dresses were stolen.’ Tilly began as they set off walking again, her conscience pricking her, ‘then—’

      For a second time Dulcie stopped dead in the street and whirled her round.

      ‘Now you listen to me, Tilly. What went on by that stall is between you and me and the gatepost and it isn’t going to get told to anyone else, understand? As far as anyone else is concerned, we saw the frock on a stall and we was told that it was second-hand. You aren’t to go saying anything to anyone about looting or anything like that. Besides, what would happen if you was to report it? Nothing, that’s what, except that someone else would end up with my dress, and I’m not having that.’

      There was nothing she could say that would persuade Dulcie to change her mind, Tilly knew, just as she knew how shocked and disapproving her mother would be if she were to learn the truth about the dress.

      There was one person she intended to exclude from Dulcie’s ban on her mentioning what had happened, though, and that was Drew.

      ‘Come on, there’s a shop down here where they rent out fur jackets, and I want to see what they’ve got.’

      Tilly looked at her watch. It was one o’clock. Drew would be meeting his contact any minute now. She would far rather be with him than going looking at fur jackets with Dulcie, and she suspected that if he had seen what had happened this morning even Drew would have agreed that she would be safer with him than with Dulcie.

      ‘I’m going to Fleet Street to see Drew,’ she told Dulcie, feeling very grown up and independent. ‘I’ll meet you back home.’

      ‘All right,’ Dulcie agreed, adding unexpectedly, ‘Here, you take this and put it in your handbag,’ thrusting the dress at Tilly. ‘Just in case anyone decides to try and take it back,’ she explained when Tilly looked surprised.

      Immediately Tilly’s surprise turned to concern.

      ‘You don’t think they will, do you?’

      ‘You never know with people like that,’ Dulcie told her. ‘And just be careful with it,’ she warned.

      ‘It will be dreadfully creased up,’ Tilly protested.