Dot turned around in awe and couldn’t stop staring at the detailing in the creatures’ faces and eyes. It was exquisite work. ‘Why didn’t you send these into the competition? I know you won anyway, but this work would have earned you an agent and a fight over who represented you.’ Dot could barely contain her excitement.
Maud sat back and for once she didn’t hesitate. ‘Enough has been said in the press for me finally to have the confidence that my work is good.’ She hesitated and blushed, brushing her hair across her face. ‘Not just good, but really good, no matter what my parents think,’ she sighed.
‘People finding out the artist is me, isn’t a problem from an art point of view, it’s just that it could possibly alter my quiet life, and I’m not sure if I’m brave enough for it. I’ve kind of just decided that if you can change, Dot, then so can I. Daisy sent in the entry to your competition. She didn’t think I would kill her if she submitted one of my earlier works, but knew I was precious about these ones.’
‘I can see why,’ said Dot reverently, then remembered something and looked at her strangely. ‘You’ve been leaving your beautiful work all over the region. Why? You could have made thousands from those paintings. Was it a publicity stunt?’ she couldn’t imagine something of this magnitude from a timid girl like Maud, but nothing else made sense.
Maud scoffed at that idea and set her wine glass down, almost knocking it sideways and giving Dot a heart attack, as it just missed the canvas on the easel. Maud’s cheeks were flushed and she seemed decidedly tipsy. ‘I might regret my decision in the morning, but I don’t think so. I’m not clever enough to plan a media-frenzy like this, but I wanted to show someone. It scares me a bit,’ she half-joked, reaching her hand out to have another mouthful of wine and looking confused that it had all gone and the glass was empty.
‘I wish I’d thought of it,’ sighed Dot, glugging some more wine, then setting her glass down too, to go and pick up a little painting of a fox to study at close range. ‘It’s a perfect marketing idea that will go viral pretty soon, I’m sure.’
‘Viral? Oh crap. I just wanted someone to like my art. My parents hate it.’
‘They won’t when they realise one collection could buy them a new house,’ said Dot, affronted that anyone could not love this work. ‘They really are stupid,’ she said blandly, which made Maud splutter and laugh loudly. Dot grinned too and rushed forward to hug her friend. ‘You’re incredibly talented. I was so desperate to represent the artist who created this work, but now it’s you, I can see you should consider all the offers you will most certainly get and take your time checking the contracts. I’ll help you.’ Her shoulders sagged in defeat. ‘I’ll just have to discover the next Maud Silverton.’
Maud hugged her friend fiercely back. ‘I don’t like the limelight and I’m not ready to tell anyone else about my work yet, but if you can somehow work around that, then I’ll happily sign your contract and be your first client.’
Dot stepped back with tears in her eyes, and stared at Maud in wonder. ‘Are you sure? You can check out my contract,’ she delved into the bag over her shoulder and produced one, like a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat, and Maud doubled over and held her sides with mirth.
‘Bloody hell, Dot. You brought it with you?’ Maud was rubbing tears from her eyes and her shoulders were shaking uncontrollably as she giggled.
‘I carry it everywhere, in case I ever find him or her,’ she said innocently, batting her eyelashes again.
‘I told you, that move doesn’t work on me,’ Maud held her stomach and gasped for air after all the merriment. ‘You really are a one-off, Dot. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately, though, and we would work well together. What are the terms?’
‘It’s a fair contract,’ said Dot seriously now, ‘but take your time and check it out with a professional. No hurry... but I’ll help you choose one tomorrow!’
Both women leaned into each other and stood with their arms looped around each other’s backs, but an impatient Dot moved forward and was picking up and examining every last piece, before Maud pulled her away, locked the studio door and returned to the kitchen to open a second bottle of wine.
Chapter Twenty-Three
A few hours later, they were lying on their stomachs on the floor of the lounge. They had just poured out the remains of the second bottle of wine and found a third hiding at the back of the fridge. Maud winced as she rolled over to look at the ceiling. Her head was spinning a bit, although she quite liked the hazy sensation of seeing everything through a white fog. It meant she didn’t have to think too much about the contract she had agreed to sign with Dot, or the plans they had been drunkenly mulling over.
Dot finally noticed that Maud had gone quiet, but was evidently too wound up to sit around for long, so she heaved herself up, using Maud’s bent knees as a support. ‘I’ve had the best idea ever to stop you thinking things over too much,’ she squealed in delight at her own brilliance. She paused while she tried to stop her stomach growling by rubbing it, as they hadn’t bothered with food. ‘Now I’ve stood up I’ve realised I’m famished, too.’ She ran and collected a pizza flyer she’d seen neatly squared up next to Maud’s fridge earlier, hit a button on her mobile phone and called in for delivery to Maud’s house, while Maud sat and stared at her in bemusement.
‘Great idea,’ said Maud, easing herself up and slowly going to get a glass of cold water. ‘You have all of the best ideash.’
‘I know I do… sh,’ Dot parroted Maud’s slurred words and they both spluttered with laughter again. The whole evening had been full of wine, plans and more wine, and tiredness from a full day at school was starting to make Maud sleepy. Gabbing Maud’s hand, Dot shuffled her into her bedroom and shoved her none too gently onto the bed.
Maud giggled. ‘You can’t have your wicked way with me, if that’s your idea. You fancy men and I’ve got a vagina!’
Dot snorted merrily and looked at Maud’s ungainly sprawled figure on the bed and her soft blond hair fanned over the bedspread. ‘I think my brother wouldn’t mind finding that out, but as the thought is disgusting, it’s a good job you’ve got a boyfriend. Speaking of which, I really should find one for myself sometime soon. Work takes over my life. That’s why this is a good idea.’
‘What is?’ Maud got up on her elbows and frowned as Dot opened her wardrobe doors and started picking out clothes and holding them up against herself.
‘We’re going to swap clothes.’ Dot looked down at her own attire and started to undress, making Maud squawk and hide her eyes. ‘Maybe what I wear is a bit too far for you to go in one sitting, but let’s live dangerously for once, Maud. We’re just about to do a joint showing of my jewellery and your paintings... we need to start being ourselves.’
‘By wearing each other’s clothes? Doesn’t that make us each other?’
Dot threw a sparkly top with delicate flowers sown all over it at Maud’s head and carried on stripping off. ‘No, it makes us discover who we want to be, not what everyone else wants us to be.’
Maud fought with the top and threw it on the bed. ‘Isn’t this a bit deep after three bottles of wine? Can’t we just eat pizza and fall asleep in our own slobber?’
‘No,’ said Dot decisively. ‘Ley’s try on some clothes.’
Maud thought for about twenty seconds. Then, mainly due to her lost inhibitions from the alcoholic haze, she flew off the bed with an athleticism she didn’t know she possessed, and began pulling her own clothes off until both girls were standing almost naked, curiously looking at each other’s bodies. Dot had beautiful black lingerie that sculpted her small breasts and knickers that whispered over her lean hips, Maud had her brightly coloured underwear on and the sight made Dot gawp. ‘Blimey, Maud,’ she gasped. You wear pale clothes that you button up to your neck, and then have that hiding underneath? It’s enough to give a man a heart attack.’
Maud blushed furiously as she hadn’t shown anyone her purchases, even Daisy. She did flee
tingly remember that Nate had seen them, and hoped Dot wouldn’t find his note. ‘I decided that now is a good time to start being a bit more adventurous, but I haven’t found the courage to do more than wear the underwear that I had hidden away. It’s been sitting there for so long that I felt it was about time I went out and found some fierce.’
Dot stood in awe. The colourful garments lovingly caressed Maud’s full breasts and womanly hips and the strong pinks and blues that were interwoven in lace drew your eyes immediately. ‘I wish I had big boobs,’ she sighed dramatically. ‘I bet Tom loves these wisps of lace. How does he keep his hands off you at school knowing that this is what you wear underneath? Do you do it to drive him nuts?’
Maud looked appalled at the idea. ‘I’m not trying to tease him... well, maybe I do like the idea of him panting at my feet, if he ever sees them.’ She visualised Tom staring at her lustfully and quite liked the idea. ‘But I haven’t had a moment alone with him to find out. You keep me too busy. My old boyfriends didn’t see them as I just wore plain black and white. I thought you would see the other colours through my clothes, but the fabrics are all quite thick, as the weather hasn’t properly warmed up yet. You’re right that I’ve been hiding behind a boring alter ego. I want to be a butterfly,’ she slurred, flapping her arms in the air.
Dot looked momentarily guilty for giving Maud so many jobs, but then explained her plan. ‘Ok, look. If we start by bringing out your inner butterfly by adding some colour to your wardrobe, then your outside will match your amazing pants and Tom will move heaven and earth to get inside them.’ She threw some more clothes Maud’s way. If Maud had been sober, she would have felt faint with the mess, but as she wasn’t, she delved in and started pulling the wispy fabrics over her arms. Dot’s top didn’t go past her shoulders, which they both found hilarious, so Maud turned to her own clothes. Looking up and seeing Dot wearing one of her A-line skirts and a loose lace blouse, she fell about laughing, before remembering she hadn’t pulled her top over her arm yet. She promptly tripped and fell face-first onto the bed, making Dot roar and go to help hoist her painfully back up.
Looking at Dot in the demure clothes, Maud could see how wound up she must appear to everyone else. The clothes shouted go away, but on Dot, still wearing a few crazy accessories, Maud could finally see there was a middle ground somewhere. Dot waited for Maud to finish getting dressed and they stood side by side in the mirror. Both women stared mutely at their reflections in awe. Maud was wearing a white blouse with lace detailing which cut into a low dip at the front, with a khaki jacket over the top with delicate little flowers sewn all over the shoulders. Below that, she wore fitted dark denim jeans, skimming her legs, and turned up mid-ankle. On her feet were sky-high black ankle boots making her legs look endless and sexy.
Without the vivid colours and very weird sculptural distractions, Dot looked a lot less exotic and confusing, but on her tall, slim frame, the clothes took on an ethereal quality and she looked very beautiful and angelic. ‘Wow, Dot! You look like a fashion model, though hell knows how, as the clothes are so damn boring. On you, they drape as if they’ve been sewn by angels. How can you make them look so damn good?’
Dot was still gazing at her reflection in shock and then cocked her head to one side to squint at them both really closely, as she was having trouble focussing, and Maud remembered that they really needed some water to drown out the wine.
‘What the hell have we both been doing all these years?’ Dot asked quietly. ‘We’ve been dressing up in someone else’s clothes. Ok, this isn’t exactly how I would choose to look, but I’ve never really considered anything other than appearing like a serious artist.’ She gave Maud a hard stare when she saw the corners of her mouth twitch at the thought of Dot’s mad clothes and how they made her look anything but serious.
They heard the doorbell peal and Maud pushed past Dot and ran to answer the door. The deliveryman smiled as if his day had just got more interesting when Maud opened the door and Dot peeked out behind her. He’d delivered to Maud many times, and his sister had been at school with her and Daisy. He’d never seen her looking ready for a night out, with her hair tumbling wildly about her flushed face, though. He must think he’d arrived in a parallel reality, Maud decided, although he gave her a big grin in response to her new look. His sister had once told Maud that he thought of himself as a bit of a lady’s man. He gave her a lascivious wink and handed the pizza her way. ‘You girls going out somewhere nice tonight?’ he asked, staring at Maud’s chest, as if hoping they would invite him to join them.
Dot reached past Maud and grabbed the pizza, pressing £20 into his palm giving him a dazzling smile in return, which almost knocked him sideways. He was obviously shocked to realise that Maud had such glamorous friends.
‘We just had our own party,’ she winked at him cheekily, making his smile go wide then falter as she shut the door in his face. ‘Keep the change!’
Chapter Twenty-Four
The following weeks were hard on Maud, keeping up the pretence of normality, when in reality Dot had taken over her life. Maud’s stomach buzzed with excitement, and not the boredom she normally felt, but trying to paint enough art for her first exhibition, with one or two extra canvases to leave around to keep up the press momentum, was taking its toll on her sanity.
She’d confided in Daisy, who had been suitably impressed, jumping around the office again. Daisy had then basically taken credit for sending her art to the gallery for the competition in the first place, and crowed that she was the one who’d discovered Maud’s talent. It had all been said in jest, but Maud had made a show of hugging and thanking Daisy none the less. She’d promised tickets to the opening show for Daisy and Ryan, and she’d need them there to help calm her nerves. Living a double life, helping children to read during the day, then furiously painting at night, was exhausting. She was worried her art would suffer.
Tom was being very patient with her and she was enjoying flirting for the first time in years. He seemed to be an expert in it, giving her more confidence and bringing out her personality to make her feel a bit happier about her appearance. She knew she’d never be supermodel-gorgeous like Dot, but with every bottom stroke in the staffroom when no one was looking, or every time he brought her a cup of tea in class and gave her a dazzling smile, she had begun to unfurl and stand straighter. She didn’t hunch over her chest anymore and she’d begun to loosen up over her clothes, and experiment a bit. She had been doing it so gradually that hardly anyone noticed so far, but Tom seemed to appreciate the delicate accessories she now wore and the slightly lower-cut necklines.
Dot had been arriving at the bungalow every other night, to check on Maud’s progress and sometimes to ask her opinion on her own work, which she was trying to fit in between her usual family commitments. Maud could feel how frazzled Dot was, but as she had no energy reserves of her own, she decided Dot would just have to manage, the same way she was. It was all Dot’s fault this had happened anyway. Seeing Dot slump onto her sofa and grab a bowl of spaghetti Bolognese that Maud had whipped up for them from a jar, Maud decided she was being mean, as Dot was working so hard to make this exhibition a success for both of them. She tried to recall a moment when Dot hadn’t been in her life, and although it had only been months, if felt like they were best of friends now and had known each other since playschool, where true bonds were formed.
Maud sighed and rubbed her temple. Her forehead was aching and she felt a migraine coming. Wavy lines danced in front of her eyes. She slurped a long drink from the glass of water on the little white wooden side table by the sofa and threw a couple of headache tablets in her mouth, fished from the bag at her feet. Daisy had said she might turn up later and, although Maud had been sworn to secrecy by Dot, Daisy insisted she was included in major decisions about which paintings would be shown. Dot had been annoyed that Maud had told anyone, but she could see Daisy was jealous of her new relationship with Dot and was just marking her territory. The problem was t
hat Dot knew very well what she was doing and when she privately swiped at Daisy for interfering, Maud got defensive and they grumbled at each other.
‘Dot...’
Dot looked up from spooning another big mouthful of the meaty spaghetti into her mouth, as if she hadn’t eaten for days, and raised her eyes.
‘I know Daisy can be a pain, but could you be a bit gentle on her? She’s my oldest friend,’ Maud kept from saying best friend, as she had discovered Dot was quite possessive over her friends and family. Maud was hoping she would bring Daisy into the fold, but it just hadn’t happened. ‘She has my interests at heart and spends most of her time with Ryan anyway, so she won’t trouble us too much.’
‘She’s been here poking her nose into our plans for our joint exhibition ever since you told her. Why did you do that?’ demanded Dot.
Maud felt exasperated and rubbed her sore head again, before resting it on the back of the sofa and looking up at the ceiling for strength. ‘She’s the one who sent my work to you in the first place...’
‘As she often tells us.’
‘She’s proud, as she should be. I’ve noticed she’s not her usual sunny self lately and I think this is what’s bothering her. She’s been by my side for years and has tried to get me to show someone my work. She’s been my biggest supporter.’ After a glare from Dot, Maud corrected herself, ‘…after you, of course. But she knows about our collaboration and if we want her to keep it a secret, then we have to keep her onside.’ Maud hoped that by playing to Dot’s business mind, she could make her ease up on Daisy.
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