The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
The colour was perfect with her fair hair and the style complemented her tall, slim figure
Mamie looked at Peggy. “Elizabeth doesn’t seem to be laughing much at the moment,” she said. “She seems preoccupied, but whatever it is she doesn’t want to tell either me or her father. “Neil came straight out and asked if anything was wrong, but she shrugged him off.”
“I’ll see if I can find out,” Peggy said. “Probably Mr Shaw making her life difficult, as usual.
“Do you know what she’s going to wear to the ball?” “Crys is going to come home that weekend. She says she’ll borrow some dresses for you both so can you let me know your measurements?
“And she’ll do your hair and make you up Londonstyle.”
“She’ll have her work cut out with me!” Peggy cackled. “Oh, did I tell you what Nancy saw the other day?”
Auntie Mamie held up her hand.
“Tell me later. Back to the wheel, Peggy! Now, turn on the engine, that’s it . . . ”
Once again Peggy did as she was told. Nancy’s startling news – that she had seen a fair-haired girl she was sure was Lady Cecily in the passenger seat of Frank Robertson’s truck – would have to wait.
Temperature
Peggy opened Elizabeth’s front door. “Yoo-hoo!”
Crys hurtled downstairs, although how she could run in those heels Peggy couldn’t imagine.
“Come and see the gorgeous dress I’ve got for you,” she said loudly.
Then she put her mouth close to Peggy’s ear. “Elizabeth’s in a funny mood. I hope you can jog her out of it.
“And Libby’s got a temperature. Elizabeth’s unhappy about leaving her.”
“She’ll be fine with Tibbie, won’t she?” Peggy whispered back.
Crys shook her head.
“Tibbie’s gone to her sister’s for the weekend. I’m in charge. But I think Elizabeth’s just looking for an excuse not to go to the ball.”
“She must go!” Peggy said, feeling panicky. Raising her voice, she said, “Let’s have a look at this dress, then.”
Upstairs, in Elizabeth’s bedroom, little Libby and Flora sat wide-eyed on the bed.
Around them were strewn open boxes and piles of white tissue paper. On the dressing-table was an array of make-up, enough for a department store.
Elizabeth stood in front of the wardrobe mirror. She wore a full-length dress with wide shoulder straps and a low neck, in a lovely shade of violet.
The colour was perfect with her fair hair and the style complemented her tall, slim figure.
“I’ve never worn anything like this before,” she said, smiling a welcome at Peggy.
“I don’t feel like me at all.”
“You look beautiful, Mummy, like a princess!” Flora told her.
“You certainly do,” Peggy said. “Belle of the ball.” “There will be two belles!” Crys pushed aside some tissue paper. “What do you think of this, Peggy?” She held up a dress in glorious amber.
“For me?”
Peggy had always loved the colour of autumn leaves. The stiff silk rustled as her cousin handed the dress to her.
“Crys, it’s gorgeous! Too good for me.” “Nonsense. Get out of that old tweed skirt. Your fairy godmother is here.”
Satisfaction
As Peggy disrobed as far as her petticoat Crys unzipped Elizabeth’s dress.
“I’ll hang this up and do your hair and face. Sit at the dressing-table.
“Girls, do you want to help? You can pass me the hairpins and those sparkly combs.
“Wait a minute, Peg. I’ll give you a hand.”
She manoeuvred the amber dress over Peggy’s head.
“It fits perfectly,” she said, with satisfaction, leading Peggy over to the mirror.
Peggy’s first instinct, which she hoped didn’t show in her face, was to be disappointed.
The dress was gorgeous but she was still Peggy Mackay inside it, with her reddish complexion and untidy hair.
What had she expected? A miracle?
Behind her she could see her cousins. No-one would believe they were related to her.
It was like comparing racehorses with a Shetland pony.
She gave a snort of laughter at the thought. “What’s funny?” Crys asked. “You look great. And I know just what to do with your hair.
“Why don’t you wear Elizabeth’s dressing-gown until I’m ready for you?”
Peggy sat on the bed, her hands clasped round her knees, while Crys swept Elizabeth’s hair up into an elegant style.
She hadn’t realised how glamorous her cousin could look – like Peggy herself, Elizabeth usually wore no make-up and had her hair tied up any old how.
Her usual garb was old dungarees for working and a skirt and blouse for best.
Looking the way she did now, the men would be flocking round her at the ball.
Peggy ran through the neighbourhood’s bachelors in her mind.
Not many of them were what you might call eligible, except perhaps for . . .
“Is Andy Kerr going tonight?”
She was surprised to see Elizabeth give a start. “I believe so,” she said.
“Will you dance with him at the ball, Mummy?” Libby asked.
“Don’t play with those hairpins, Libby, you’re bending them,” Elizabeth said, rather sharply.
Best efforts
She looked up to catch Peggy’s eye in the mirror. “How’s Alec feeling? Looking forward to tonight?” “Grumbling, but he’ll be fine once he’s there,” Peggy said.
Was there something going on between Elizabeth and the vet?
“He’s promised he’ll give the car a good clean before he comes to pick us up,” she said.
“We should have a carriage and four white horses, of course.”
“Like in stories?” Libby asked, coming to join her on the bed.
She was a bit hot-looking, now that Peggy saw her close to.
“Peggy, I should have said. Lady Annabel’s insisted on sending a car down for us.”
Elizabeth stood up and motioned for her cousin to take her place.
Thank goodness, Peggy thought. Despite all her husband’s best efforts, their car was sure to have had lingering traces of the farmyard about it.
“I’ll tell Alec we’ve engaged another chauffeur,” she said as she sat down.
Crys smiled as she put a little cape round Peggy’s shoulders.
“Let’s see what we can do for you, madam.”
More tomorrow.