‘Mamma wake up now,’ she says. She’s holding the dress that my own Mamma made for me before she left for California, stretching it out like shimmering wings between her tiny hands.
‘Mamma, you need to put your new dress on now.’ She shakes the sleeves impatiently. ‘Mamma wake up. Put it on.’
Billy appears in the doorway behind her, a mug of steaming coffee in his hand.
‘Morning,’ he says and grins, balancing the mug carefully on top of the pile of books that serves as my bedside table. ‘Sleep well?’ He leans down to kiss me.
Grace can’t wait any longer. She flings her arms around my neck and buries her nose in my chest. She smells of sleep and soap and the chocolate milk that she isn’t supposed to have for breakfast.
‘Yes,’ I say, smiling at Billy. ‘Yes, actually, I did.’
Gently, I prise Grace’s fingers from my shoulders and prop her against the pillows. She looks at me expectantly.
I pull my old, grey sweatshirt over my head and take the dress from Grace, slipping my arms into the wide sleeves. The fabric is fragrant and soft. It feels just right.
‘There,’ I say. ‘OK?’
Grace nods approvingly.
‘Give me just five minutes then, darling. Mamma’s got to do something first.’
I sip at the coffee, letting the fragrant warmth reach all the way inside me. I take a breath, listening past the sound of the pigeons clattering on the roof and the gentle patter of rain at the window for that still, small space where the words begin.
A shimmer of green. A streak of silver. The air shifts against my cheek and it’s scented with rain and wet leaves. The path shines ahead of me, framed by sky and dripping trees.
I reach for the pen and notebook that I keep under my pillow and I begin to write.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the very kind readers who took the time to get in touch – by email, through my Facebook page or Twitter – to share their responses to my first novel, The Dress. Connecting with you has been an unexpected pleasure and one that I treasure. I feel truly honoured to be able to share these stories with you.
Thank you, Joel Richardson and Claire Johnson-Creek, for your wise and insightful editorial advice but also for such generous support of my writing process; and everyone in the Twenty7 Books and Bonnier Zaffre team for your support of my work.
Thank you to my fabulous agents, Jo Hayward and Zoe King, for your belief in me; and to all at the Blair Partnership who work so tirelessly on my behalf.
A huge thank you to Team 27: Simon Booker, Deborah Bee, Alex Caan, Colette Dartford, Corrie Jackson, Lesley Allen, Ayisha Malik, G. J. Minett, Deborah O’Connor, Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin, Chris Whitaker, David Young. I feel so fortunate to have met you all. Thank you for holding my hand, cheering me on and offering support, solidarity, practical advice, GIFs and RTs so generously.
Heartfelt thanks to the wise women who have helped, inspired and supported me this past year: Naomi Booth, Claire Castle, Helen Dawson, Helen Davies, Caroline Flatekval, Celia Hunt, Hilary Jenkins, Helen Roberts, Lydia Noor.
A big thank you to my godmother, Marilyn Daw, and to Roger Daw for epic journeys and shared stories.
This book would not exist without the help of my family. I would like to say a special thank you to Anne Nicholls, who supported my own new journey into motherhood and did so much to help me to make time to write the early draft of this book. Thank you to my dad, Roger, who also helped me to carve out precious writing time. A huge thank you to my sister, Verity Nicholls, who is the best sister and the best aunty for Violetta that I could wish for. Thank you to my three beautiful stepdaughters, Daisy Smith, Betty Smith and Lily Smith, who have taught me so much over the years. It’s a privilege to watch you grow and begin your own new stories. Thank you to Violetta, my own tesora, storyteller extraordinaire and supreme conjuror of ‘everyday magic.’
Finally, thank you to my husband, Tom, who has the bravest heart I know and is the very best companion through the woods that I could wish for. I love you.
About the Author
Sophie Nicholls is an Amazon bestselling author. She lives in North Yorkshire in the north of England with her partner and young daughter. She likes swimming outdoors and eating dark chocolate.
Also by Sophie Nicholls
The Dress
Reading Group Questions
•Why does Ella struggle with motherhood? How common do you think her experiences are?
•Did you have any doubts about Billy in the book? What do you think he should have done differently?
•Does Selena have any redeeming features? How do you think Bryony should treat her sister?
•Ella tells lots of stories within the book. Did you enjoy them? Why do you think they’re included in the book?
•How do you think Fabia will answer David’s proposal? How do you think she should answer?
•How did you find the dreams in the book? Do you think your own dreams have meaning?
•What did you think of the spells at the beginning of each chapter? Do you believe in Everyday Magic?
•If you’ve read The Dress, how did you find it to read a sequel? Did the new twists and turns in the story surprise you?
First published in Great Britain in 2012 as The Dream
This paperback edition published in 2017 by
ZAFFRE PUBLISHING
80-81 Wimpole St, London W1G 9RE
www.zaffrebooks.co.uk
Copyright © Sophie Nicholls, 2012
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
The right of Sophie Nicholls to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-1-785-76176-8
Also available as an ebook
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Printed and bound by Clays Ltd, St Ives Plc
Zaffre Publishing is an imprint of Bonnier Zaffre, a Bonnier Publishing company
www.bonnierzaffre.co.uk
www.bonnierpublishing.co.uk
Miss Mary's Book of Dreams Page 27