Chapter 8

The next few days went by in a similar pattern. Various people making adverse comments about their forthcoming nuptials and a fewer number positively congratulating them. Bert and Al offered their services as caterers, which Martin was reluctant to accept and even Louisa was somewhat doubtful, but agreed. On Friday Martin drove them to Truro for the late-night shopping where they dined first before looking for their wedding rings. Several shops were investigated and rejected until in a side street off the main thoroughfare they found an independent jeweller.

The rings were simpler with none of the fancy flourishes which Martin detested. Eventually they settled on matching platinum bands in appropriate sizes. On their return to Portwenn Louisa asked to be dropped off at home so that she could get an early start, with Joan, for her second trip to Truro.

Saturday was overcast when Rob Thornton dropped the car off at Louisa's. He made sure that the driver's seat was adjusted correctly and said he'd filled the tank up with fuel. After thanking him Louisa drove to collect Joan from the farm.

Martin had already confirmed the wedding date with Joan and she had volunteered to deck the church with flowers as well as sorting out the corsages for Martin, Bert and Al. She chattered on about the celebration to come, seemingly oblivious to Louisa's quietness.

"Joan, I find it sad that Martin has so few supporters coming to the wedding. Isn't there any other family or friends he could invite?"

Joan paused in her ramblings and said "Well, he wouldn't thank you if his parents were invited, and frankly neither would I. As for friends from London I wouldn't know about them. Have you asked him?"

Louisa said she had but that he'd only named the Parsons and Joan. Joan shrugged and said "he must have his reasons."

They continued talking about what sort of dress they might find and then the going away outfit.

Louisa parked the car and they set off in search of THE dress. Because of the proximity of the wedding day Louisa knew she would have to take an off-the-peg dress as there simply wasn't enough time to have one made. They wandered through several stores and shops but hadn't found anything which caught Louisa's attention. Louisa suggested a lunch stop and Joan readily agreed. Somehow walking around shopping was more tiring than pulling veggies and distributing them!

They went into a café where Louisa, having looked at the menu decided upon a chicken sandwich and with Joan's agreement a pot of tea for two. Joan wanted a tuna/mayonnaise sandwich.

When the waitress brought their meals, she asked them if they were enjoying Truro's shops. Being the outgoing lady that she was, Louisa told her about their attempts to find a wedding dress.

The waitress commented "Have you tried Lavinia's on Lemon Street? She does wedding dresses, perhaps you might find one in there? Louisa looked at Joan, "I don't think we've seen that one, have we?"

She thanked the waitress and having paid the bill, set off for Lemon Street. They looked up and down before finding a tiny shop with dresses in the window.

They went inside and looked at the dresses already hanging on the rails. They moved from rack to rack before a saleswoman came over to offer them her assistance. "Is there a particular style you were looking for?"

Louisa explained that she was getting married at short notice and that having a dress made for her was not an option. "I'd like a dress which goes just past my knees, so not trailing on the floor, close fitting sleeves down to just past my elbows and a fuller skirt."

"What size are you Madam?"

"I'm an 8/10, " volunteered Louisa. Together they looked through the racks but nothing caught Louisa's eye. Joan remained in the background and watched the proceedings. "Have you anything else not already on display?" asked Joan.

"I can check out the back, because we got a delivery in this morning." The saleswoman then bustled out to the rear of the shop. She returned with two dresses over her arm. "As I said these have just arrived." She held up each dress in its polythene cover for Louisa to see. The first did not have the fuller skirt and was longer than Louisa wanted. However, the second one looked to be closer to her requirements. She asked to see it out of its covering.

When it was held up to the light Louisa fell in love with it. The dress had a neckline which was open, descending just to her cleavage, (but not too far) and the length of the dress was just right. The skirt was full with layers of tulle underneath to plump it out. "May I try it on?"

"Certainly, love – the changing rooms are just over here." Louisa took the dress and went to change. As she pulled it on, she was struggling with the rear zip but called the assistant to help her out. Looking in the mirror and turning from side to side she decided it was perfect. She went outside to show Joan.

Joan put her hands up to her face and tears came into her eyes as she looked at Louisa. "Louisa that is beautiful, and suits you perfectly! Do you like it enough?"

Louisa nodded, also becoming emotional. "Joan, it's just what I wanted." Turning to the assistant she asked "How much is it?"

"You're in luck because that dress is actually old stock and has a 50% discount on it. It also comes with a short veil. So, £500 in total!"

Louisa knew that it was just within her budget and immediately agreed. "Could you put it into an opaque bag, please?" She went back to the changing room to take it off, before handing it out to the assistant. Getting dressed she was grateful that things were coming together and that she would be the best-looking bride she could be. She went across to the till and used her credit card.

Joan was equally delighted with it and assured Louisa that it was the right dress for her. They then moved on to the less expensive department store and looked for a going-away outfit. Louisa had long been used to careful spending and buying clothes which would be appropriate for more than one function. She wandered up and down the aisles inspecting the suits. A navy-blue suit with short jacket and knee-length skirt caught her eye. She discreetly looked at the price and went to try it on. It would be ideal for the wedding outfit she required as it was of a warm linen material. She could wear a thin blouse underneath, and if she changed the blouse, it could also be used as more formal attire for attending meetings at school.

She went back to Joan and said that she would like to have this one. Both of them were satisfied with their day.

They went to the café and had a quick cup of tea. "Right, I just need a new pair of shoes to go with the dress and then I'm done for the day. Are you OK with that, Joan?" Joan said yes, so they went off to the shoe shops. Louisa found an inexpensive pair of shoes with heels which would be an ideal match for the dress. The heels would lessen the height difference between her and Martin. As she didn't intend to wear the dress more than once it didn't make sense to her to pay a fortune for them, either.

Returning to the car they stored the purchases in the boot. They settled themselves in for the journey home. Louisa looked at Joan and thanked her profusely for her company throughout the day. "I've no-one else to do it for, so for me it has been thrilling too. Thank you for asking me. Now come on, let's go home."