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Authors: Kirsty Murray
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wedding.’
Minna looked at Tiney appraisingly. ‘The good thing about making clothes for you is that I don’t need a lot of cloth. I could talk to Mr Timson and see if he would give me a few yards of something interesting. But I want to ask you a favour in return. My shoes. They’re so drab and ordinary. Do you remember those brooches, the matching diamante ones that Paul gave us for Christmas? Could I swap one of my other brooches for yours? So I’ll have a pair of them, you see.’
‘Nette says they’re too gaudy to wear. You don’t have to swap them for anything.’
‘But I want to do a swap. And Paul has very good taste, really he does. He just doesn’t know about girls, that’s all.’
Tiney opened the small wooden box in which she kept her meagre collection of jewellery. The diamante brooch looked loud and ugly sitting beside the tiny cameos and beaded floral brooches. Tiney handed it over and Minna deftly removed the pin. Then she took the two brooches and fixed them to her black day shoes.
‘That’s so clever, Minna!’ Tiney realised that with the large silver and black diamante brooches winking, drawing attention to the slenderness of Minna’s ankles, the drab black leather shoes were scarcely noticeable.
‘Come here and I’ll give you one of my brooches in exchange,’ said Minna.
‘No, that’s all right,’ said Tiney. ‘I never would have worn the diamantes.’
Minna laughed and opened her jewellery box.
‘I know you think things like dreams and spirits aren’t to be trusted, but I dreamt about you last night so I know you must have this brooch. Come here and let me pin it on you. When you see it, you’ll know why you have to wear it.’
Tiney stepped close to allow Minna to pin the new brooch on her brown cardigan. When she looked down, she smiled. The brooch was in the shape of a boat, with a sharp, slender sail in bright red guilloche enamel arcing like a crescent moon above a small Florentine brass boat.
‘I love it,’ said Tiney, touching the red sail with her fingertips.
‘I knew you would. I dreamt you were in this tiny boat, or at least one with red sails, sailing across a very green ocean.’ She hugged Tiney. ‘But you won’t go away and leave us, will you? Not like Nette.’
‘I wish Nette wasn’t getting married,’ said Tiney.
‘Do you dislike Ray so much?’ asked Minna, half smiling. In truth, no one really liked Ray, much as they all wanted to admire him.
‘It’s not about Ray. It’s about us. All being together. He’s going to take her away and we won’t be able to do things the way we used to.’
‘There’s still you and me and Thea,’ said Minna. ‘And Victory Balls galore!’ She danced a few steps of the Charleston, and the diamante brooches sparkled as she moved. Then she put her arms out and sang, ‘ You’d better be nice to them now! ’
Tiney giggled and sang along. Minna was right. There were still plenty of reasons to be cheerful, and even if Nette was going away at least they could dance at her wedding.
Tiney felt the hot north wind at her back as she stood on the steps of the church, looking about for somewhere to put her bowl of wilting rose petals. She shouldn’t have bothered to bring it. She’d forgotten that Ray, like many soldiers, couldn’t bear to have things thrown in his direction. It made him flinch.
Papa was grim-faced as he walked with Nette down the aisle and Mama, sitting in the front pew, wept all through the ceremony. Minna and Thea looked pale. Tiney tried to be happy, for Nette’s sake, but she felt it too. Louis’ absence. It was as if his shadow fell square and dark across the wedding party. When Ray and Nette made their vows, Tiney squeezed Thea and Minna’s hands as if to reassure herself and them of the solidarity of sisters.
Nette had been saying the wedding would give the family something joyful to celebrate together and it was true Minna had gladly made the wedding gown, and Tiney and Thea
Minna looked at Tiney appraisingly. ‘The good thing about making clothes for you is that I don’t need a lot of cloth. I could talk to Mr Timson and see if he would give me a few yards of something interesting. But I want to ask you a favour in return. My shoes. They’re so drab and ordinary. Do you remember those brooches, the matching diamante ones that Paul gave us for Christmas? Could I swap one of my other brooches for yours? So I’ll have a pair of them, you see.’
‘Nette says they’re too gaudy to wear. You don’t have to swap them for anything.’
‘But I want to do a swap. And Paul has very good taste, really he does. He just doesn’t know about girls, that’s all.’
Tiney opened the small wooden box in which she kept her meagre collection of jewellery. The diamante brooch looked loud and ugly sitting beside the tiny cameos and beaded floral brooches. Tiney handed it over and Minna deftly removed the pin. Then she took the two brooches and fixed them to her black day shoes.
‘That’s so clever, Minna!’ Tiney realised that with the large silver and black diamante brooches winking, drawing attention to the slenderness of Minna’s ankles, the drab black leather shoes were scarcely noticeable.
‘Come here and I’ll give you one of my brooches in exchange,’ said Minna.
‘No, that’s all right,’ said Tiney. ‘I never would have worn the diamantes.’
Minna laughed and opened her jewellery box.
‘I know you think things like dreams and spirits aren’t to be trusted, but I dreamt about you last night so I know you must have this brooch. Come here and let me pin it on you. When you see it, you’ll know why you have to wear it.’
Tiney stepped close to allow Minna to pin the new brooch on her brown cardigan. When she looked down, she smiled. The brooch was in the shape of a boat, with a sharp, slender sail in bright red guilloche enamel arcing like a crescent moon above a small Florentine brass boat.
‘I love it,’ said Tiney, touching the red sail with her fingertips.
‘I knew you would. I dreamt you were in this tiny boat, or at least one with red sails, sailing across a very green ocean.’ She hugged Tiney. ‘But you won’t go away and leave us, will you? Not like Nette.’
‘I wish Nette wasn’t getting married,’ said Tiney.
‘Do you dislike Ray so much?’ asked Minna, half smiling. In truth, no one really liked Ray, much as they all wanted to admire him.
‘It’s not about Ray. It’s about us. All being together. He’s going to take her away and we won’t be able to do things the way we used to.’
‘There’s still you and me and Thea,’ said Minna. ‘And Victory Balls galore!’ She danced a few steps of the Charleston, and the diamante brooches sparkled as she moved. Then she put her arms out and sang, ‘ You’d better be nice to them now! ’
Tiney giggled and sang along. Minna was right. There were still plenty of reasons to be cheerful, and even if Nette was going away at least they could dance at her wedding.
Tiney felt the hot north wind at her back as she stood on the steps of the church, looking about for somewhere to put her bowl of wilting rose petals. She shouldn’t have bothered to bring it. She’d forgotten that Ray, like many soldiers, couldn’t bear to have things thrown in his direction. It made him flinch.
Papa was grim-faced as he walked with Nette down the aisle and Mama, sitting in the front pew, wept all through the ceremony. Minna and Thea looked pale. Tiney tried to be happy, for Nette’s sake, but she felt it too. Louis’ absence. It was as if his shadow fell square and dark across the wedding party. When Ray and Nette made their vows, Tiney squeezed Thea and Minna’s hands as if to reassure herself and them of the solidarity of sisters.
Nette had been saying the wedding would give the family something joyful to celebrate together and it was true Minna had gladly made the wedding gown, and Tiney and Thea
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