She wondered what either father would have made of the brand new, modernist theatre that Wilton Bovary’s fortune had built on a barren stretch of Thames riverbank. While The Farren went through its slow, expensive renewal, the New Wilton Theatre was building a reputation for cutting edge drama. They’d opened with Tom Cottrill’s play, Higson’s Choice.
Vanessa and Alistair were jointly manager and producer and their head designer was Hugo Brennan. A competent woman with two assistants ran wardrobe and hired in seamstresses when she needed them. Vanessa would smile as she walked past the studio, hearing the whirr of sewing machines. Uninterrupted electricity, reams of fabric, central heating and hot water – some folk didn’t know how easy they had it.
‘Let’s go,’ Alistair said. ‘It would be very embarrassing if we missed our ship.’
‘Aye aye, Sir.’ Her fashionable shoes gave her just enough lift to kiss the frown line over the bridge of his nose. He kissed her upturned throat. A flame flickered, before they recalled where they were.
They strolled back towards the road, smartly-dressed married lovers. As they approached the gleaming black Crossley parked at the kerb, Alistair whistled. Doyle stamped out his cigarette and tugged down his jacket before opening the rear door. A dog with a grey muzzle and one leg short of a full set lumbered towards them, his tail beating joyfully.
***
Looking for another war-time romance guaranteed to capture your heart? Discover the fashion houses of Paris with Cora Masson in The Milliner’s Secret!
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The Milliner’s Secret
The Milliner’s Secret
London,1937. A talented young woman travels to Paris with a stranger. The promise of an exciting career as a milliner beckons, but she is about to fall in love with the enemy...
Londoner Cora Masson has reinvented herself as Coralie de Lirac, fabricating an aristocratic background to launch herself as a fashionable milliner. When the Nazis invade, the influence of a high-ranking lover, Dietrich, saves her business. But while Coralie retains her position as designer to a style-hungry elite, Paris is approaching its darkest hour.
Faced with the cruel reality of war and love, Coralie must make a difficult choice – protect herself or find the courage to fight for her friends, her freedom and everything she believes in.
A breathtakingly beautiful and evocative tale for readers of The Book Thief, One Lavender Ribbon, and Suite Francaise.
‘Fresh and exuberant and full of authentic detail.’ Rosanna Ley
Also by Natalie Meg Evans
A Gown of Thorns
The Milliner’s Secret
The Dress Thief
The Wardrobe Mistress
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A Letter from Natalie
Thank you so much for choosing to read The Wardrobe Mistress. I hope you enjoyed Vanessa’s battle to unravel the mysteries of her birth and to grasp that elusive shadow called happiness. Though the story was set three generations ago, I believe that security and love is a universal impulse. Never more so than after the cataclysm of war.
Though some themes of the novel are heart-rending, the book was fun to write as it allowed me to go back to my acting roots and recall the friendships I struck, the backstage butterflies and the sense of ‘aliveness’ I experienced walking on stage. There is nothing like it. You might wonder why I concentrated on backstage life in this novel. Why not write from the viewpoint of the actors, the stars? Well, firstly, I continue to be enthralled by dress and costume-making and through Vanessa, I got my hands into the dressing-up box again! Secondly, I like to see behind the scenes. I’m the person who wants to look at the back of an oil painting, or at the innards of a clock. I sneak looks into restaurant kitchens to see the chefs at work. I wanted to show the workings of the Farren, its performers and back-stage hands at their most vulnerable and human.
During those difficult, post-war years, everyone had to roll up their sleeves and get by on what was available. Year by year, that generation slips away from us and I hope, through Vanessa and Alistair, I’ve given a voice to an age when people gave so much and demanded so little in return. I have dedicated this book to my dad, who served in the RAF during World War II. I will never know what he would have made of my writing as he died as I turned six – shades of Vanessa, losing her dad at the same age – I think he’d have enjoyed the Farren as he was a hands-on, practical type.
If you enjoyed The Wardrobe Mistress, I would love you to leave a review. And if you’d like to keep up-to-date with all my latest releases:
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I’d love to hear from you if you have thoughts and reflections to share. I can be found through the contacts page of my website.
Goodbye till next time,
Natalie Meg Evans
www.nataliemegevans.com
The Dress Thief
The Dress Thief
Winner - Festival of Romantic Fiction's Best Historical Read and USA Today Bestselling author
A modern tale of desire and deception set in the world of 1930s Parisian haute couture – perfect for fans of The Perfume Collector or The Paris Wife.
Alix Gower has a dream: to join the ranks of Coco Chanel to become a designer in the high-stakes world of Parisian haute couture. But Alix also has a secret: she supports her family by stealing designs to create bootlegs for the foreign market. A hidden sketchbook and two minutes inside Hermès is all she needs to create a perfect replica, to be whisked off to production in New York.
Then Alix is given her big break - a chance to finally realize her dream in one of the most prominent Parisian fashion houses - but at the price of copying the breakthrough Spring Collection.
Knowing this could be her only opportunity, Alix accepts the arrangement. But when a mystery from her past resurfaces and a chance meeting has her falling into the arms of a handsome English war reporter, Alix learns that the slightest misstep - or misplaced trust - could be all it takes for her life to begin falling apart at the seams.
‘The Dress Thief goes way beyond a story of Parisian fashion. It is a story of mystery, romance, friendship and the everyday struggles of life. Right from the start this book will grip hold of you and draw you into Alix’s story and it won’t let you go till the very last page…’ That Thing She Reads
'A delicious treat of a novel. I loved the setting in 1930s Paris - a place of intrigue, exquisite silk frocks, and dangerous secrets. And I was utterly charmed by the story's delectable heroine, as she struggled to make her mark in this seductive but perilous world' Margaret Leroy
'A truly accomplished and delicious debut novel' Laurie Graham.
A Gown of Thorns
From the multi-award winning and bestselling author, a bittersweet romantic story set against the backdrop of the French Dordogne valley.
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Hidden within the wardrobe’s embrace, she rifled through the folds of cloth until her fingers stopped at a gown of violet, lavender and silver-grey pleats. She lifted it off its hanger and turned towards the mirror…
Shauna Vincent arrives in the little French village of Chemignac after accepting an offer to be an au pair to the grandchildren of an old family friend.
As she begins to explore her new home at the ancient Chateau de Chemignac with it’s beautiful vineyards, she discovers a locked tower room where she unearths a treasure trove of exquisite vintage dresses. One gown feels unsettlingly familiar.
When Shauna falls asleep one afternoon in a valley full of birdsong, she has a strange dream of a vintage aircraft circling threateningly overhead. So when she suddenly awakes to find charming local landowner Laurent standing over her - Shauna wonders if he might be just the person to help her untangle this unexpected message from the past.
A Gown of Tho
rns draws you into a richly evocative world steeped in secrets that will mesmerize fans of Rachel Hauck’sThe Wedding Dress, Kristen Hannah’s The Nightingale and Adriani Trigiani.
What readers are saying about Natalie Meg Evans’s bestselling novels:
‘The Dress Thief sweeps readers into the heart of Paris during the rise of the fashion industry… one to be savoured for its wonderfully rich descriptions and details.’ The Great Historical Fiction Review
‘An amazing look into couture Paris of the 1930's. Natalie Meg Evans has woven, like the tapestry of a beautiful fabric, amazingly diverse characters that will beguile you with their faults and their attempts at redemption.’ Ask A Bookworm
‘The Dress Thief goes way beyond a story of Parisian fashion. It is a story of mystery, romance, friendship and the everyday struggles of life. Right from the start this book will grip hold of you and draw you into Alix’s story and it won’t let you go till the very last page…’ That Thing She Reads
'A delicious treat of a novel. I loved the setting in 1930s Paris - a place of intrigue, exquisite silk frocks, and dangerous secrets. And I was utterly charmed by the story's delectable heroine, as she struggled to make her mark in this seductive but perilous world.' Margaret Leroy
'A truly accomplished and delicious debut novel.' Laurie Graham
'A fascinating evocation of a great fashion house and the knife-edge the designers live on. Natalie Meg Evans is a born storyteller.' Sara Craven
‘A charming novel that totally transported me to the Paris fashion houses of the late 1930s.’ Trip Fiction
'Rich in detail, this is a pacy and engaging read,full of cloak and dagger intrigue, beautiful clothes and romance.' Sunday Mirror
'I loved this story, the way that Cora grows from a self centered young girl into a strong, independent woman who had me reading late into the night.' Books for Avid Readers
Acknowledgements
Thanks, as always, to my agent Laura Longrigg and to the editorial teams at Quercus and Bookouture.
Published by Bookouture
An imprint of StoryFire Ltd.
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
www.bookouture.com
Copyright © Natalie Meg Evans 2017
Natalie Meg Evans has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.
Published in the UK in 2017 by Quercus
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
ISBN: 978-1-78681-164-6
The Wardrobe Mistress Page 38