‘See what she thinks of the dress we’re altering when it’s finished, and then we’ll see how we go from there …’
Mrs Holland looked at Mary for what seemed like an age before she spoke, her expression giving nothing away until she finally nodded her approval.
‘Yes, that looks very professional, and much nicer for Mary now that the neckline is softer. Will you put it on my account, please, and send it to the usual address.’
‘Yes, of course, Mrs Holland. Is there anything else I can help you with?’
‘Mary will be having several social engagements over the next month or so, though she won’t be presented to Their Majesties as such. Her father was against that and he has the last say, though I would have arranged it all, of course. However, she has been invited to several more dances, afternoon parties and lunches, and she will have her own dance in September. Will you have anything suitable in stock before then?’
‘I wondered if you might like to look at one or two of the designs I told you about? There are a few that might suit Mary.’
She stared at me in silence for a moment. ‘Are you suggesting that the gowns could be made here for Mary?’
‘Yes, if you approved.’
‘They would need to be top quality.’
‘Of course. Would you care to see the designs?’
‘I would,’ Mary said. ‘Please may we, Amy?’
‘It won’t take a moment to fetch them. I left them in Miss O’Rourke’s office.’
My heart was racing as I walked into the office. I thought all four gowns would look well on Mary, who was a slender, fragile girl and could wear simple elegant styles with the softer look that Paul Poiret had first brought to the attention of fashionable women in the early years of the twentieth century. My own designs were similar, but with a more modern style and hemline; I had included a swatch of materials to show what I had in mind.
I handed two drawings to Mary and two to her aunt, feeling nervous. Would they like them or turn them down instantly? I held my breath as they examined each drawing in turn, exchanging them back and forwards more than once before Mary gave her verdict.
‘I like all of them, but I would prefer the blue evening gown in emerald-green.’
‘They look very stylish on paper,’ Mrs Holland said. ‘How long would it take to make one of these evening gowns?’
‘The blue one that Mary would prefer in green should take two weeks, because there is only one panel of beading on the back of the bodice. She would need to come for a preliminary fitting in a few days’ time, but the beading on the back should only take me a day or so. If I work at it I might have it done in ten days.’
‘And how much exactly would that gown cost?’
‘You will have to ask Miss O’Rourke about that, but I think around twenty pounds.’
‘That’s ridiculous! The gown you just sold us was only fifteen pounds, and that was more than enough.’
‘Miss O’Rourke might be able to give you a discount, but you must ask her about that. I merely work here.’
‘It would be perfect for the Marlborough ball,’ Mary said. ‘I am sure Daddy wouldn’t think it too much. He said I was to have the best available and the gowns at Worth’s were far more expensive. Besides, I like this better than those we saw there – it’s simpler, with less frills and furbelows.’
‘You have no idea what constitutes value for money. Wait here, Mary. I shall speak to Miss O’Rourke and see what she has to say. If she is prepared to be sensible we might order more than one gown.’
Mary pulled a face at me as her aunt went off to speak to Lainie. ‘Aunt Emily makes such a fuss about money. Anyone would think it was her own money she was spending. Daddy gave me two thousand pounds for my clothes and I’ve hardly spent anything yet. I couldn’t find anything I liked.’
‘That was very generous of your father.’
‘Oh, Daddy has lots of money. He doesn’t care what I spend as long as I stay out of his way and don’t bother him when he has his business friends to the house.’
‘What does your mother say about your clothes?’
‘She died when I was quite small,’ Mary said. ‘Aunt Emily was her closest friend, and she has been very good, taking me about with her since I left school at Christmas – but she is rather strict.’
‘I am sorry you lost your mother when you were small. Was she very ill?’
‘I’m not sure. I think she was unhappy. She used to cry a lot and hug me – and I think she drank too much alcohol.’
‘Oh …’ I wasn’t quite sure what to say. ‘I’m sorry, Mary. I shouldn’t have asked such a personal question.’
‘It doesn’t matter. I cried a lot when Mummy died, but then Eleanor came and took me home to stay with her and I felt better. Eleanor was Mummy’s sister’s daughter. I felt better when I stayed with them. Eleanor was good to me but she died during the war. She was a nurse in France and the ambulance she was travelling in was blown up while on a rescue mission to bring injured men back to the hospital. It was terrible.’
‘That was very sad. You must have been very upset.’
‘Yes, I was. Very upset. Eleanor was my best friend. I loved her very much, and I still miss her. If she had been alive she would have come with me to choose my clothes and it would have been so much more fun …’ She sighed deeply. ‘You can’t imagine how many establishments we’ve been to, trying to find the right clothes, Amy.’
‘I know a lot of the styles this season are very sophisticated.’
‘Some of them are so fussy. I like simple things like these designs of yours. Paul likes me in green best, that is why I chose green for that evening dress.’ She smiled to herself. ‘He has been in France, taking part in the first twenty-four-hour race at Le Mans …’
She broke off and glanced towards Mrs Holland as she came back to join us, looking pleased with herself. I guessed that Lainie had given her a generous discount, which we had allowed for in the costing, knowing that she would not be satisfied with just a few pounds off the asking price.
‘I have ordered the green gown,’ she said. ‘We shall see how that looks for a start. Miss O’Rourke has told me she has a new line of ready-made afternoon dresses coming in soon, and we shall look at those before we make any further decisions.’
Mary pulled a face at me as she followed her aunt from the shop.
‘When shall I come for my fitting?’
‘On Tuesday afternoon at half past two – if that suits you?’
She nodded and smiled, then disappeared out into the bright sunshine.
I waited until they had gone and then went into the office, where Lainie was looking at some patterns of silk and satin materials.
‘She insisted on the best material, Amy,’ Lainie said. ‘I told her that would be another five pounds, and she haggled so we ended up at fifteen pounds and ten shillings – will that cover your costs?’
‘Yes, quite easily with some to spare,’ I said. ‘But I had quoted for the best quality material, Lainie.’
‘I know, but Mrs Holland likes to think she is getting the best of the deal so I put the price up and then came down more than I could have done if I’d stuck to your original quote.’
‘I shall have to remember that in future.’
Lainie nodded, looking at me thoughtfully. ‘Yes, I think she will order several more gowns if she