Sarah Love

by Geraldine O'Neill

  Sarah suddenly remembered. “The cushions! We said at Christmas that I’d make those velvet ones for the window and a few extra for sale inside. I might as well go and get started. Before we know it, I’ll be too busy with alterations to take time for the shop interior.”

  She had just finished hand-sewing the tassels on the first cushion when a knock came on the stockroom door and a moment later David McGuire came in. He held a bag up to show he was there on business. “Happy New Year – I haven’t seen you since it started.”

  Sarah smiled. “Happy New Year to you.”

  “I like the new hairstyle,” he said, leaning against the jamb of the door. “Very fashionable . . .”

  Sarah could immediately tell by his muted reaction that Lucy had warned him about the hair, and she could tell by his eyes – like most other men – he had preferred it long. But he was nice enough not to say it.

  “Thanks,” she said. “Is that the christening gown and shawl?”

  “Yes, I didn’t dare forget it or she would have had a heart attack. She’s been telling everyone about you, so don’t be surprised if you get a rush of business from our neighbours.” He handed her the bag.

  “Well, I hope I don’t disappoint her,” Sarah said taking a square gold cardboard box out of the bag very carefully. She untied the satin ribbon and then took the lid off. She lifted out the cream silk and satin gown and held it up. “It’s beautiful . . . a work of art.” Her eyes moved to the hem to where the hot iron had melted the lace. She put it down and then took out the shawl. Again, the lace was damaged in a few areas. It would require careful unpicking and then replacing with new lace, and there were a couple of holes which would need repairing. The work would be slow and tedious but it would be worth it.

  “I’m glad you came out to our house after Christmas,” David said now. “I’ve got used to seeing you almost every day and it felt strange not seeing you for such a long time.”

  Sarah went to the door to check that Lucy couldn’t hear. “Things were awkward afterwards with Harriet.”

  “I didn’t expect you to bring her.”

  “I asked you if I could bring a friend.”

  He looked over to the row of small windows on the back wall. “I thought it would be one of the girls from the house.”

  “Harriet is as nice as any of them. You hardly spoke to her at the house.”

  He turned to look her in the eye. “I was the same as I always am with her – I only like her as a friend. I was afraid she would get the wrong impression. That she might read something into the fact she was at my family home.”

  Sarah took her chance. “Well, I suppose I can understand about not wanting to give the wrong impression.” She looked down at the little gown in her lap. “I’ve recently had the same problem.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I was at a dance at New Year with the girls from the house . . .” She stopped to clear her throat. “And I was asked out on a date. He was a nice fellow – one of the doctors at the hospital where two of the girls work.”

  He waited.

  “I told him I’m not interested in seeing anyone at the moment.” She looked up at him, making sure he got the point. “I explained that apart from being too busy with work I’d just broken off an engagement before I came to Newcastle.” It was all so easy to say now, like repeating the lines in a play. “I should have been married in September.”

  He looked startled. “I didn’t know that . . .”

  “Why would you?” She smiled. “I had no reason to tell you before.”

  The shop bell went and with the stockroom door half open, they could hear a customer asking about alterations.

  Sarah folded the gown and put it back in the box. “Thanks for dropping this over. Tell your grandmother I’ll start on it when I get a chance. I’ve a lot of orders in at the moment.”

  “She said there’s no rush. I’ll let you get on with your work.”

  For a moment, as he turned away, Sarah had to stop herself asking about the job in London. She wanted to tell him that he should forget her and go for it, that his career was much more important than any romance. But, he would know then that his grandmother had told her about it, and she might end up telling him that Harriet had heard it all too. She decided to say nothing.

  * * *

  On Saturday morning, as Lucy was serving a customer, Sarah answered the phone and a formal female voice asked for Miss Harrison. The woman apologised for disturbing her at work, but said it was an emergency.

  When Sarah gave Lucy the phone, within seconds she knew by her face that there was something wrong. Then, when she saw Lucy rushing into the kitchen, she instinctively knew not to follow her. She finished serving the woman and as the door closed behind her, Lucy reappeared, with her handbag under her arm and holding her car keys. Sarah immediately knew she had been crying.

  “I’m sorry, Sarah,” she said, trying to sound normal, “but I’m going to have to leave you on your own. I have some business I need to attend to straight away.” She went towards the door. “I won’t be back before closing time today, so if you wouldn’t mind locking up for me.”

  “That’s fine,” Sarah said. “And you can either pick the keys up at the house, or I’ll come down early on Monday to open up for you.”

  Lucy turned back to look at her. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, you know. You make even difficult things much easier for me.”

  Then, as she went off without any explanation as to what the emergency was, Sarah felt a small twinge of jealousy as she wondered whether Lucy would tell everything to Harriet.

  * * *

  Back at work the following Monday morning Lucy made no mention of her upsetting phone call and subsequent quick dash out of the shop.

  Harriet appeared mid-morning and Sarah was relieved that she seemed almost back to her old chatty self. She sat in the kitchen with Lucy and Sarah drinking tea and telling them about the great party she had been to at New Year, then all the things that had been happening in the clinic since she’d come back to work.

  When she was going, she and Lucy stood chatting at the door for ten minutes while Sarah measured material for a customer, and she heard Harriet saying, “It’ll be fine,” and then she caught something about “having the best professional care”.

  Once again she had the feeling of being left out in the cold.

  Chapter 30

  In the middle of February Lucy told Sarah that she was starting renovations in the three rooms above the shop. “If I don’t do something, the rooms will go damp and be eventually unusable, and with everything so much busier, we could really do with more space for stock. I met up with my solicitor Peter Spencer recently and we got chatting. You know him of course, don’t you, Sarah? He’s your landlord.”

  Sarah nodded. “Yes, I’ve met him out at the house a few times, he’s a nice man.”

  “Well, we were discussing some other subject and we got to talking about the shop and how much business has improved, and I told him my concerns about the upstairs part and he suggested I have a chat with this architect he knows. Anyway, to cut a long story short, he’s suggested we move the kitchen and toilet upstairs, which will let us expand the shop area.”

  Sarah was curious now. “What will you change downstairs?”

  “We’ll have two work areas – we’ll make the counter we have bigger with shelves behind for wool and craft things, and another counter area at the back for measuring material, a corner for a desk to do the accounts and a bigger changing area for the customers with a door on it.” She narrowed her eyes, picturing it. “It will practically double the space in the shop.”

  Sarah was more than impressed the plans. “It sounds fantastic. We’ll be able to put more stuff out on display.”

  “Ah,” Lucy said, holding up a finger. “We’re also having a new door and bigger deeper windows so we can have bigger displays of your wonderful work. I also thought we might expand our range of ready-made things
– and maybe stock a gift range.” She tilted her head to the side. “Things for the home like nice vases and ornaments.”

  Sarah’s eyes widened. “My God . . . it sounds as though it’s going to be huge! That’s wonderful and –” She halted as a thought struck her. “But what will we do when all the work is going on?”

  “We’re going to have a week off,” Lucy told her. “I’ve a lot of business and personal things I need to catch up on, and a week would make a big difference. I thought you could work your usual hours from home – take any shop alterations with you – and it means you will have your wages as normal.”

  “When does the building work start?”

  “Next Monday, so we can start moving things towards the end of this week.”

  * * *

  Sarah wasn’t sure whether it was because a sign had gone up advising customers that they were closing Harrison’s for the week, or because it was the month before Easter, but more customers than ever came asking for new curtains and soft furnishings, plus all the usual alterations.

  Lucy made several car trips up to Victoria Street with boxes of material and trimmings. “Are you sure you don’t mind having all this in your bedroom?” she said, looking at all the sewing machine and all the sewing paraphernalia, and the boxes and bags of carefully labelled material.

  “Not at all,” Sarah said. “It will be great to have everything to hand so I can get on with things any time of the day or night. It’s just a case of keeping everything tidy.”

  “Does the machine disturb the other lodgers?”

  “No one has ever said anything,” Sarah told her. “They often play music so I don’t think they would mind too much if it did.”

  Lucy paused at the door. “I think we should have a day off to relax. Would you like to take a trip out to one of the towns you haven’t seen yet? We could go somewhere like Whitley Bay.” She shrugged. “Of course it will be cold this time of the year, but we could wrap up well.”

  Sarah’s brow deepened. “Could we see how we are toward the end of the week, in case I don’t get everything finished?”

  “No,” Lucy said, wagging a finger. “We’re going to take next Saturday off whether you’re ahead with things or not. You haven’t been anywhere since the Christmas holidays and you need a break.” She smiled. “Even I take time out to play golf in the evenings and weekends. It’s got to be bad if someone has a worse social life than me.”

  “Okay,” Sarah said, laughing. “A day out would be lovely, although after Easter I’m actually going to be very busy myself.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Evening classes. I’ve signed up for a course in fashion design at the university.”

  “Really? That’s a fantastic idea.” Lucy’s face suddenly clouded. “But it’s more work, Sarah – I hope you’re not going to drive yourself too hard?”

  “It doesn’t feel like work. I’m really excited about it.” She indicated the piles of boxes. “I’m going to get all the work I’ve accepted out of the way and after that I’ll pace myself carefully. I won’t be talked into doing rushed jobs for customers or promising things to be done overnight. I’ll work out a proper schedule which will allow me so many hours studying for the course and the rest of the time doing alterations.”

  Lucy looked thoughtful “It’s got much busier now and I feel bad leaving you on your own every Thursday. It’s a day when you get no time for anything else but serving.”

  “It’s a good complaint,” Sarah said. “And isn’t it great that the business is doing so well that you have to think of expanding the premises?”

  “I probably wouldn’t have thought of doing it now, but Peter Spencer said that if the building is well-maintained it will make it much easier to sell in the future. He pointed out that the premises next door to the bookshop have been empty for the last year, but no one has put in a bid for it because it’s so dilapidated.”

  Sarah felt something cold clutch her. The thought of not working in Harrison’s shop suddenly filled her with fear. “Surely you wouldn’t think of selling up? Not when things are going so well.”

  “Not now,” Lucy said quickly. “Although I won’t deny it crossed my mind last year before you came. The responsibility had become like a millstone around my neck. It’s different now. I’ve got a renewed interest and enjoyment in it, so you can rest assured that I’m in it for the long haul.”

  Sarah was relieved. “Good,” she said. “So it looks as though we have a busy year ahead.”

  “If it gets busier when the new shop is ready,” Lucy said, “then I might have to think about taking on another member of staff.”

  Sarah felt a sudden jolt. “I suppose there’s no big rush,” she said casually. “You will probably just want to take one step at a time.”

  After Lucy left Sarah went back up to her room and lay on the bed thinking about all the changes that were due to come about. To her they were big changes. She had been working in the shop for six months now and had got used to the way things were. She liked working with Lucy and she liked all their regular customers. She had a free hand with most things in the shop and could decide which way she wanted them done. She didn’t really want anyone new coming into the shop who might want to do things differently. She liked the routine of her week in the shop and doing her sewing at home. And she had got used to the girls in the house and over the months had got to know quite a number of the neighbours in Victoria Street. Things were fine as they were. She realised she didn’t really want any changes just now.

  And then, she caught herself.

  How could she mind the changes that were going to happen to Harrison’s when it meant such an improvement in their working situation? How could she begrudge Lucy the chance to develop a small, old-fashioned shop into a bigger and better business? And how could she even think of holding herself back? The changes would bring a more professional tone to Harrison’s, and the new gift section would widen their customer base.

  She thought about the fashion-design course she was due to start straight after Easter. She wondered if it would be difficult, if it would be more advanced than anything she had ever done. She thought back to all the things she had made over the years – skirts, jackets, dresses, suits, pyjamas – and inevitably she found herself picturing the wedding dress and the bridesmaid dresses. She forced herself to push away the uncomfortable emotional memories and focus solely on the physical work that had gone into the intricate garments, and she was surprised that she could now feel a tiny spark of pride in the fact that she had made them.

  Then, before any tentacles of self-pity could reach out and grab her, she moved from the bed and went across to the wardrobe to examine the dusky grey and navy ball gown she had made for New Year. By anybody’s standards it was a good piece of work, from the choice of fabric to the hand-stitched details, and the compliments she had received bore this out.

  As she closed the wardrobe door she had a flashback to the dance, to the conversation with the male doctors about her dress-making skills. She remembered all the things that Vivienne had said about her becoming a famous fashion designer. She had said nothing that night, but she had felt a wave of satisfaction – even pride about the work she did. She felt something like it now when she thought about the future.

  A sense of hope – a sense of ambition.

  She remembered the feeling from before, when she and Con Tierney used to talk about their plans for the future. She had given up all those plans and dreams after she left Ireland. Since then, she had only really been living day to day. Now, she knew, she could plan and dream of a better, bigger life. A life that she could create with her own hands. She wasn’t looking to reach the grandiose heights that Vivienne had described – but any achievement in that direction would be worthwhile nonetheless.

  She closed the wardrobe door, smiling to herself.

  All the changes that lay ahead were going to be good for Lucy and good for her.

  Chapter 31

 
Sarah finished working on Nora McGuire’s christening gown the following Monday. It had been a slow, fiddly job, but in the end she felt very satisfied, knowing that it would take a very practised eye to see where she had mended it.

  She decided to wait until she was back in the shop to give it to David. She wanted it to seem casual, just another job – but by Tuesday guilt had set in. She knew the old woman was anxious to have it back in its fully restored condition. She diligently worked until her usual lunchtime break at one o’clock and then she put her warm coat on and walked down to the bookshop. It was only when she approached the shop and saw the blinds down, that it dawned on her that it was closed. Annoyed at herself for making such a stupid mistake, she turned towards Harrison’s. The windows were thick with dust and from what she could see, everything was covered with sheets.

  She could tell from the muffled noises that the workmen were upstairs. She stood for a few minutes deciding whether or not to open the door and go in, when she heard the bookshop door opening. She turned around to see David McGuire coming out, doing the buttons up on his black overcoat.

  “Come to keep an eye on them?” he said, smiling at her.

  “I came to see you actually,” she said, holding the bag out. “I’ve finished your grandmother’s christening gown.”

  He took the bag from her. “That’s great! She’ll be delighted with it.”

  “Make sure you give it to her without anyone else seeing it,” she reminded him.

  He lifted his eyes heavenwards. “I’m not likely to forget. You would think she was conducting an illicit spy ring the way she’s gone on about it.”

  Sarah laughed.

  “Has she paid you?” he asked.

  “The bill is in the bag. There’s no rush.”