Lilian had clearly noticed Evelyn staring. “Do you like it? It’s new for Christmas, this one.”
“Yes, it’s beautiful.” Evelyn was not sure if she meant the compliment or not. Certainly the detailing of the dress was exquisite, but Lilian’s appearance was also rather startling.
“It’s not as though I’d wear so much sparkle every day, of course, darling. But I will be onstage, you know.”
“Of course.” Lilian’s outfit was certainly more of a stage costume than anything Evelyn would have expected a woman to wear out for the evening.
“But I do love it. Of course, I can’t do anything to shave the inches from my hips, but this hides them well enough, don’t you think?”
“Well, yes, I suppose…” Evelyn flushed at being asked to make such an assessment.
“But, darling, why aren’t you dressed yet?” Lilian had apparently just noticed that Evelyn had not changed since her arrival.
“I had to rest a little. But I’ve just started to look through my clothes for something suitable,” Evelyn assured Lilian. She hoped her face did not look as tear-stained as it felt.
“Excellent, that means I can help you, then. At least until James gets here.”
“Oh. Thank you.” Lilian’s help was not something Evelyn felt she needed. In her mind she catalogued every outfit in her suitcase and knew instinctively that Lilian would approve of none of them.
“So show me what you have!” Lilian was clearly excited.
Evelyn removed the plain white blouse and navy skirt, which sat on top of her case, and reached under the grey, functional dress beneath them to pull out the dress she’d worn for Annie’s wedding. It was, after all, the best dress she owned. Plain, dull, and with no embroidery at all, it was nothing compared to the astonishing sight Lilian presented, but she had liked it well enough until now. “This is my best,” she told Lilian, letting the dress unfold and holding it up for inspection.
Lilian stood back, head tilted to one side in consideration. “That’s really all you have?”
“I have my blue dress, that’s smart too. But really, there wasn’t much call for evening wear in West Coombe.”
“The colour is good, that’s something. It’s just not very on fashion, is it?”
“We didn’t really have fashion in West Coombe.” Evelyn’s tone was flat. Lilian’s approval felt more important than she wanted it to. It was almost as though Lilian embodied London and Lilian’s approval was, therefore, London’s approval.
Lilian sighed, as if confronted by an intractable problem. “I’d lend you something but you’re so much taller and narrower than me, it’d be an indecent tent. So it will have to do.”
“Oh, good, thank you.” Evelyn let the dress drop.
“If I give you some pearls, that will liven things up a little.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I do. Darling, the Yellow Orchid is the height of fashion. You can’t just wear anything to a place like that.”
If the place was as Lilian described, Evelyn failed to see how a string of pearls would help her. However, it seemed to pay to humour Lilian, so she smiled her acquiescence and thanked her.
“You put the dress on and we’ll see what we can do, darling.”
Lilian turned to leave the room. Evelyn did as she was told, stripping her travelling dress and stepping into the lighter, smarter garment. Looking at the pale green fabric, with the darker pattern of leaves, her mind flew back to Annie’s wedding. The yearning for home twisted with the fear of suffocation, of ending up in a marriage like Annie’s, reminding her of one of the reasons she’d come to London. The despair that had led to her tears had gone, and a sort of determination replaced it. She had to make this work.
Lilian returned bearing not just the pearls, but a dark green scarf with silver embroidery and a hair decoration of pearls and sparkling white stones. “These will help create the right impression, darling.”
“If you say so.” Despite herself, Evelyn was drawn to the beautiful creamy pearls, the glistening of the stones and embroidery. As Lilian passed her the scarf, it shimmered, the silk trickling into her hands. For a moment she wondered how much such an item would cost, then cast the thought from her mind. She did not have to worry about that, not now. For now she could simply enjoy the luxury. She smiled as Lilian passed her the hair ornament and the heavy string of pearls. “They’re beautiful.”
“Well, put them on.” Lilian looked pleased by Evelyn’s reaction.
Evelyn draped the scarf over the end of the bed and carefully rested the hair ornament beside it, leaving her free to place the pearls around her neck. The string was long enough not to need a fastening. Against the skin on the back of her neck, the pearls were cold, heavy, strange. They hung between her breasts, pressing the fabric of her dress closer to her body, accentuating the curves of what was beneath. Even as they warmed with her body temperature, Evelyn was not sure she was comfortable with the pearls. Yet she had to admit, as she looked in the mirror, they were beautiful. Just because they were unfamiliar didn’t mean she couldn’t grow accustomed to the sensation.
“Excellent. That’s a big improvement. I was going to suggest you tie the scarf around your hair, but I actually think you should wear it as a sash. It’ll hide the fact that your dress isn’t really as low-waisted as it should be.” Before Evelyn could protest, Lilian was reaching around her body to position the scarf. Evelyn could do nothing but submit. Lilian tied it expertly so that it draped elegantly over her hips. Evelyn’s dress was not altogether old-fashioned; the waistline did sit low on her hips. But with Lilian’s handiwork, it was now hidden and the illusion created that her dress had a similar shape to Lilian’s. The hem was lower, the fabric
