All in the Mind

Chapter 10

"Tilly, Darling! I thought I'd never find you. Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" So many things had happened already today she wasn't sure she could take much more. And she had always imagined county life might be boring.

"I'm going to make the announcement." He turned, grabbed her by the arm, and walked her to the end of the room where a grand piano stood.

"Can I ask for quiet, everybody?" he shouted. The roomful of people obediently fell silent.

"I have a very important announcement to make. I'm sure most of you have already been introduced to my beautiful Tilly. Well, now I want to ask her the question in front of all you witnesses, so she can't back out."

He dropped on one knee and held out the little blue box containing his grandmother's ring.

"Matilda Whitbread, will you do me the honour of agreeing to become my wife?"

Tilly gazed down at him fondly. He looked as eager as a little boy, his face flushed, the errant lock of his hair once again falling into his eyes. Behind him Dorothy and James stood arm in arm, smiling with calm confidence.

"I would be honoured," she replied.

And Johnny stood up and slid the ring onto her finger. How many people receive three proposals, she thought to herself smugly, as Johnny took her in his arms and gave her a lingering kiss to the background of thunderous applause and popping corks.

****

Tilly shifted, stretching her arm across the bed. It encountered empty space. Something wrong there. But she didn't want to think about it. She went back to her memories...

The next day had been just as full as the first. The whole family had walked to the village for the Sunday service, Tilly feeling very smart in her new cashmere skirt and linen blouse. She kept looking down at herself as she walked along, marvelling at her good fortune. The only problem now was that her shoes looked terribly shabby in comparison with her smart outfit. Fortunately, the good weather had held, so nobody remarked on her lack of a coat.

During the service lots of people who had been at last night's party, glanced over towards them, nodding and smiling. I'm part of all this now, she thought. All these people are my friends. And she smiled back, delighted with herself and the day and Johnny. She was wearing her lovely new engagement ring, but had prudently tied a bit of string further up her finger to make sure it didn't slip off. She was terrified of losing it. It wasn't just her engagement ring, but a precious family heirloom. She held her hand low in her lap so that nobody would notice how often she looked at it, turning her hand so the diamond could catch the light.

After the service, they went out into the sunny churchyard, stopping to thank the young vicar. "Lovely service, Reverend," Dorothy said, and Tilly echoed her sentiments, "Yes, really beautiful." Although, for the life of her, she couldn't recollect any of the sermon.

They made their way back down the church path in a leisurely fashion, taking time to chat to various villagers. Everyone seemed pleased to see her and they all congratulated her and Johnny.

"So, when's it going to be, Johnny?" This was the blacksmith, a burly old man with a red face. She had been introduced to him at the party, but she couldn't remember his name.

"Well, it depends how soon I get my de-mob." Johnny ran a hand through his hair. "But we don't want to wait too long."

"Well, I'd at least like some time to organise the wedding," Dorothy chipped in. Johnny looked at her in surprise. "Men," she went on, "think these things organise themselves. Which reminds me, Tilly. We need to nip down to Polly's and get you measured."

Tilly gave Johnny a despairing look over her shoulder as Dorothy, totally in her element, led her away down the street.

"Does she work on a Sunday?" Tilly ventured to ask. "For us, she will," Dorothy said. "She knows you've only got the weekend."

By the time she and Johnny were ready to go, Dorothy had organised everything except the actual date of the service. She had taken Tilly to Polly's little shop, where she had been measured extensively, thanking God the while for Dorothy's thoughtful gift of underwear.

"Glad to see these weren't wasted," Polly said as she wound the tape round Tilly's waist. "I had a strong suspicion she only ordered them to keep me occupied."

Tilly and Dorothy exchanged a conspiratorial glance.

"Not at all," Dorothy said. "I was saving them for a special occasion." And she smiled indulgently at Tilly.

Polly tutted a lot as she adjusted the size of a complicated tailor's dummy. Then she got out a book of patterns for Tilly to look at.

"How much material have we got?" she demanded.

"Consider it unlimited. Far more than you need. I'll bring it across tomorrow. But there's yards and yards of it."

"Good."

There were so many patterns, Tilly didn't know where to start, but Polly asked her questions and gently guided her through until, between them, they had decided on a long full skirt and a fitted bodice.

"Summer or winter?" Polly looked questioningly at Dorothy.

"God, summer, I hope. Surely they're not going to take that long to de-mob him?"

"So," Polly pursed her lips. "How about something like this?"

She indicated a Cinderella gown with a plunging neckline.

"I think that's a bit too daring."

"Well, this then." They bent their heads over the designs.

Eventually it was decided that Polly would draw three or four versions and Dorothy would bring them to Tilly in London the following week.

"Oh, you don't need to do that! You've already done so much. You could post them."

Dorothy shook her head. "We've got to get you some shoes as well, and there's really only one place. I know a lovely little man in Jermyn Street."

Tilly gasped. Jermyn Street was where all the expensive gentlemen's outfitters were located. A garment from one of the shops there would cost more than her wages for a year.

"He makes a pattern of your feet so that your shoes always fit perfectly. So comfortable. And they last forever. I've been wearing some of his shoes for twenty years and they still look like new."

Tilly was dumbfounded. She was beginning to feel she was being swept along by a powerful current and it was better to just give in and go along with everything.

Dorothy beamed at her. "Just tell me your next day off, and I'll book us in at a decent hotel. We can get the shoes ordered and maybe see a show."

"That will be absolutely marvellous, Dorothy."