Page 102 of The Wedding Dress Repair Shop
‘Well, you knew what the access was like from when you collected the natural history museum furniture,’ she pointed out.
‘I expect we’ll manage,’ he sighed, and followed the others out.
*
Two hours later, everything had been brought in, unwrapped and placed in more or less the right position.
The wooden cases had been renovated and polished to perfection, the plate glass sparkled and the brass locks gleamed like gold.
Honey went out to see the men off and I skirted the huge, handsome, L-shaped reception desk that now sat in the middle of the foyer, along with some display shelving, and then went into the Rosa-May Garland Room.
It now contained two large, full-length glazed cases and three shallower, half-glazed ones, with cupboards underneath. There was also the glass-topped curio table that was to displaythe journal, and the big rectangular case in the middle of the room, which looked oddly like a giant inverted fish tank.
The place suddenly looked like a room in a museum now. In fact, it reminded me a bit of the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth; it had that sort of feel about it.
Honey joined me there a few minutes later and eyed the fish tank speculatively.
‘I’m certain the two trunks will fit in that, with the lids open,’ she said. ‘They’re quite small.’
‘Perhaps we’ll find a few things from the right period, like parasols and gloves, to help dress them up with,’ I suggested.
‘Or perhaps fans?’ added Honey. ‘Though replicas would do because they’d only need tolookright.’
‘I think the Jane Austen Centre in Bath sells those and possibly other odds and ends that would be useful. I’ll check out their website later,’ I said.
‘We’ll have to sort out the keys to everything, although they’re all labelled. The curio table, the desk and the shelves in the foyer weren’t from the ecclesiastical museum, so they have a different set. I’ll get a big key cupboard for the staff room.’
Then she went on, more briskly, ‘Let’s go upstairs and get an idea of how it will look when it’s finished.’
Most of the big units for upstairs were still to arrive, but in the Bloody Brides room it was the same mix of full-length display cases and shallower ones as downstairs, though instead of a central fish tank there was a big octagonal glass case.
This would display Amy Weston’s dress and you’d be able to examine it from all angles, because the door was of mirrored glass.
‘When the rest of it arrives, we’ll have plenty of space to display everything we have, but there’ll still be room for expansion later,’ Honey said.
‘When are the electricians coming in again?’
‘Allegedly this afternoon, to make a start on lighting the display cabinets,’ she said. ‘And I’ve invited Derek, Ella and Kay to a meeting here tomorrow morning at ten thirty, if that suits you, Garland?’
‘Yes, of course – good idea. We’re going to be a team, so it will be good to meet everyone.’
‘I’m sure they’ll all have lots of constructive suggestions to make, Kay especially, since she used to run that small folk museum.’
‘Yes, she has to be the expert in the running of a small museum,’ I agreed.
‘I left Viv poring over the latest update you’ve made to the wedding dress catalogue – she’s increasingly fascinated,’ she said. ‘But she’d already made a big batch of madeleines first thing, and said she might pop over with some for you – and right on cue, here she is!’ she added, as Rory appeared from the Rosa-May Room, claws clicking on the parquet floor, closely followed by Viv, who was carrying a small plastic box.
‘I just told Garland about the madeleines, Viv,’ Honey said, bending to stroke Rory’s grey head as he looked adoringly up at her. ‘I don’t remember invitingyouin here, though,’ she told him sternly, and he wagged his tail.
‘I think he only came with me because he watched me put biscuits in this box,’ Viv said – quietly, but not whispering today. ‘These are for you, Garland.’
She handed me the box and I thanked her.
‘These will be such a treat!’
‘I just really enjoy baking and we can’t eat it all ourselves.’
‘I have a damned good try, though,’ Honey said with a grin. ‘It’s just as well I have the kind of metabolism that burns the calories off.’
