A Family Recipe by Veronica Henry

Author:Veronica Henry
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orion
Published: 2018-04-22T23:00:00+00:00

After breakfast, Jilly went back up the stairs and braved her parents’ bedroom. She opened the wardrobe to see if she could look out some of her mum’s old dresses. When she was younger her mother had been tiny and had been known for the pretty frocks she ran up on her Singer. It was only in later years she had become thicker in the waist and hips and dressed more like the schoolteacher she was, although she still liked to dress up for an occasion.

Jilly steeled herself as she opened the wardrobe. It smelled of her mother’s scent. It was as if she had walked into the room. She could almost hear her voice: ‘Hello, poppet. What are you after? You don’t want any of my clobber, surely?’

She wasn’t going to be mawkish. She wasn’t going to start fondling her mother’s old clothes and end up sobbing into them. She braced herself and began to dig about at the back of the wardrobe where her mum had kept the older stuff. She found a selection of things that might be suitable for Helena: some skirts and a couple of cardigans and blouses. And there were two floral dresses made of silk, with tiny covered buttons. She held them up, admiring her mother’s dressmaking skills. She would never be able to fit into them herself. She swallowed. She couldn’t be sentimental about keeping them. This was an emergency. Helena needed clothes.

She took them down to the kitchen where Helena was spooning the last of a bowl of porridge into Dot. Most of it seemed to be on the table or in Dot’s hair. Ivy was washing up the breakfast things.

‘Look,’ said Jilly. ‘I found these. I think they would fit you. They’re so pretty. You’d look lovely in them.’

She held them out, showing off the brightly coloured silks. They were a breath of fresh air: everyone still seemed to be wearing the sombre colours of winter, as if war was dictating the sartorial mood.

Helena looked at the dresses longingly.

‘Go on. I’ll look after Dot if you want to go and try them on.’

Helena reached out and took them from Jilly, then left the room without a thank you.

‘She is so bloody rude!’ exploded Ivy.

‘Shhhh. She’s been through a lot.’

‘It doesn’t excuse rudeness. You’re the kindest person anyone could ever wish to meet. I don’t know how you can have her under your roof.’

‘It doesn’t matter,’ said Jilly. ‘It’s not for ever.’

‘Let’s hope not,’ said Ivy. ‘Let’s hope the council get their finger out and rehouse her quickly.’

Dot banged her spoon on the table and glowered at Ivy, as if she knew Ivy wasn’t keen on her mother.

‘Come here, you,’ said Jilly. ‘Let’s get that porridge off you.’

She dampened a tea towel and scrubbed at Dot, who scrumpled up her face. She was a funny little thing, but made Jilly’s heart melt rather as she pushed her mouth out into an exaggerated pout and breathed deeply in and out through her nose.

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