The Dressmakers of London

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Two

Izzie beamed up at Jack through the fug of smoke that hung in the pub. They were crammed into two chairs in the corner, Alexandra and Ben across from them.

“How do you think it’s going?” Jack asked, jerking his head toward the other couple.

“He looks smitten,” she said, watching Ben, who was resting his chin in his hand as he watched Alexandra explain in great detail the art of the English steeplechase.

“He’s a good Kentucky horseman.”

“And Alexandra is a horsewoman,” she said with a laugh.

“I don’t know how those people manage to find each other in a crowd, but they always do,” said Jack before leaning over the table. “Hey! Are you two going to stay here for a while?”

“Sure,” said Ben, not taking his eyes off Alexandra.

“Let’s go for a walk, Izzie,” said Jack.

“It’s raining,” Alexandra protested. “You’ll both be soaked through.”

“It’s always raining in this country,” said Jack with a laugh before turning to Izzie. “Are you coming?”

She nodded and shimmied her way out around the table. She let Jack pull her by the hand to the door. When he opened it, she saw that the rain had stopped, and she could smell the fresh scent of damp leaves that surrounded the country pub.

“I love that smell,” she said, breathing deep.

“Can’t imagine that you have much of that in London,” he said, offering her the crook of his arm.

She slipped a hand onto it, tucking in next to him. “No. Our most common weather seems to be the London fog.”

“I’ve never seen a London fog, but I’ve read about it in Sherlock Holmes stories. I’d like to see it one day.”

She smiled a little at the thought of Jack in London, his American enthusiasm brimming over as he took in every bit of her city. She wanted to walk all over the roads, seeing whatever monuments and sights would satisfy his curiosity. She wanted to do completely normal things that she heard other women talk about doing with their admirers, like going to the cinema or dancing.

But it was more than that. She wanted to show him the shop and the flat, to introduce him to Miss Reid and the neighbors. She wanted to show him off to Sylvia.

And then…

She stole a glance at him. She could see a future with this man, and it terrified her as much as it thrilled her.

It was mad, but who wasn’t doing mad things these days? Everyone seemed to have a story about men and women meeting and marrying mere weeks later. No one wanted to be alone during this war.

“I want to show you Iowa,” he said, as though reading her thoughts. “Beautiful prairie as far as the eye can see.”

“Before joining the WAAF, I’d hardly left London except to go to the seaside,” she said with a laugh.

“You’d love it. There’s nowhere more beautiful in the winter when the snow covers the hills around Newton, and when Rock Creek Lake freezes over we go ice-skating.”

“I’ve never ice-skated before,” she said with a laugh.

“I’ll teach you,” he said.

“What if I fall?” she asked.

“You won’t fall. I won’t let you.”

She smiled at that. “What do you do during the summer?”

“The summer is the best. We could go dancing, or we could just sit out on the back porch, watching the fireflies light up the night. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you can watch a storm roll in in the distance and run into the house just before the rain starts.”

He stopped, his hand finding hers to twine their fingers together.

“I want to take you up to Iowa City to watch a football game and show you off to all my brother’s college friends,” he continued. “He’ll love you, by the way. And his wife, Muriel, won’t be able to get enough of you.”

“What’s she like?” she asked, warming at his confidence that these people who clearly meant so much to him would adore her.

“Sweet as pie but with a backbone of steel,” he said with a laugh. “They have three boys who run wild around the house, but they all fall into line when Muriel raises so much as an eyebrow. Come to think of it, my brother does too.”

“It sounds like you miss them,” she said.

He squeezed her hand. “Maybe a bit, but I’ve found some things here in England that sure are worth sticking around for.”

Warmth bloomed in her heart, and she went up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.

With a laugh, he caught her around her waist and pulled her into him, kissing her properly. When he finally pulled away, he leaned his forehead against hers and said, “You sure do make a man think, Izzie Shelton.”

“About what?” she asked, every nerve in her body alight.

He kissed her quickly again. “All sorts of things.”

Izzie didn’t want the night to end, but as time slipped away, it was Jack who reminded everyone that they had to make it back to base before Izzie and Alexandra’s curfew.

“Here we are,” said Jack, slowing the car he’d managed to borrow for the evening just before the gates to their base.

“With two minutes to spare,” said Alexandra, sticking her arm through to the front seat where Izzie was tucked up against Jack’s side to show Izzie her watch. “We’d better hurry.”

“She’s right,” said Jack with a rueful smile.

“I know,” said Izzie with a sigh.

“Come here,” said Jack, dipping his head to kiss her. She leaned into him, drinking him in because she knew it would be far too long until she saw him next.

“When will I see you again?” she could hear Ben ask Alexandra behind them.

“When will I see you ?” Jack murmured against her lips.

“Next Friday, I think.” She hesitated. “Unless you’re going to be near Great Yarmouth. That’s where we’ve been flying our balloon recently.”

“Are you suggesting I come see my favorite balloon girl in action?” he asked.

She blushed. “Only if you can.”

“I can’t make any promises because I never know where they’ll want me, but I’ll do my best to try to make it out to Great Yarmouth,” he said.

“Izzie, we need to go now,” Alexandra interrupted.

Izzie gave Jack one last, swift kiss, and then flung open the car door to sprint to the gate.

She and Alexandra skidded to a stop in front of the gatehouse, pulling out their passes for the bored-looking guard on duty. He glanced at them and then waved them through. Safely on the right side of the gate, they turned to wave goodbye to Jack and Ben, who were both hanging out of the car windows to watch them.

“Move on, you two,” the guard droned.

They glanced at each other and burst into giggles as they scampered away.

“I thought Jack would never let you go,” said Alexandra.

“Oh, stop it,” said Izzie.

“I’m serious. The man is utterly head over heels in love with you,” said Alexandra.

“We hardly know each other,” Izzie protested.

“That doesn’t seem to matter much these days,” said Alexandra, a little more sober now.

Izzie knew that her friend must be thinking about Nancy and her flying officer.

“What about you and Ben?” she asked, trying not to let melancholy creep into the evening.

“He’s nice enough,” said Alexandra with a shrug.

“I think he thinks you walk on water.”

“That’s just because I can speak horse,” said Alexandra.

It’s because you’re five foot ten inches of beautiful, sunny, intelligent aristocrat, and he’s never seen anything like you before , she wanted to say, but she had a sneaking suspicion that would only make Alexandra clam up.

“He’s sweet,” Alexandra continued, “but I’m not interested in attaching myself to a man who’s only going to be sent away and forget me as soon as his assignment here is done.”

Some of the wind went out of Izzie’s sails. “That’s very practical of you.”

Alexandra clapped her hands over her mouth. “Oh, dear, I’m very sorry, Izzie. Jack’s not like that, I’m certain of it.”

Izzie laid a hand on Alexandra’s forearm. “It’s all right, really it is. I like Jack, but I know that it’s early days and none of us know what’s going to happen in this war.”

Alexandra covered Izzie’s hand with her own and gave it a little squeeze. “Forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” said Izzie firmly.

They walked back to their hut, perhaps a little more subdued than before, but happy nonetheless. When they pushed open the door they found the usual cheerful chaos of their unit.

“Izzie, thank goodness!” Amelia cried out, brandishing a uniform skirt. “It’s a disaster. I’ve torn a hole in my skirt.”

“Izzie and Alexandra have just come back from a date,” admonished Grace. “Izzie doesn’t want to fix your skirt, she wants to swoon about Jack.”

Izzie laughed and stuck out her hand. “Give it here, Amelia. I’ll see what I can do.”

Alexandra flopped down on her bunk. “I’m exhausted.”

“Tell us everything,” said Lottie, who had already wrapped her hair in rags. “Did you dance?”

“Izzie,” said Grace, looking up from the magazine she was reading, “there’s a letter that came for you while you were out. I left it on your bed.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Amelia, give me one moment while I read it and then I’ll take a look at your skirt.”

She picked up the letter and immediately recognized her sister’s handwriting. She set the skirt aside, sat down on her bunk, and tore open the envelope.

The letter was long, and as she read her eyes widened as sentences jumped out at her.

I am no longer living with Hugo at the flat in Marylebone…

Last autumn, I discovered that he has been conducting an affair…

I have moved back into our old bedroom…

Our mother blamed me for Papa’s death…

I thought that you would be better off without me…

When she finished the letter, she sifted back through the pages and read it all over again. Then she lifted her head and said, “I’m sorry, Amelia. I must answer this.”