after she retired from acting she slowly sold off anything of value in order to go on living here. Moira thinks this may be so. She told me that after Lana stopped working, things – like a piece of Lalique glassware, or maybe a Tiffany lamp – began to disappear.
If this is the case, I’m sad that she had to sell things she might have held dear to her, but I’m not at all concerned for myself. The things that are left can tell me so much about her. The clothes in the wardrobes are the most revealing. They are stylish and elegant, and so evocative that they almost bring her to life for me. Moira, who is so fashionable herself, says they are almost a history of twentieth-century fashion.
Lana must have kept every garment she ever bought. Moira told me that although the majority of them are copies run up by a corner-shop dressmaker, there are also some genuine gowns designed by Elsa Schiaparelli and Madeleine Vionnet. Also some silk scarves by someone called Hermès. I am afraid these names mean nothing to me, even though Moira says they are quite famous.
There are some clothes that have never been worn. Moira says Lana just couldn’t stop herself from buying new things. She thinks I should have any that I take a fancy to. What do you think? And would you like me to send some that I think would suit you and Julie?
Even more interesting than the clothes are the boxes of letters and photographs and theatre programmes. I’m afraid Lana wasn’t at all methodical with paperwork, and it will be a nightmare trying to get them in order. I don’t know why I feel compelled to do this. Perhaps it is just curiosity on my part – the chance to peer into someone else’s life – or maybe it’s a perfectly natural desire to find out more about the woman who was once your friend and who became my godmother, and yet who walked away from us without a backward glance.
I’m glad that your plans are going ahead smoothly, and yes, I’m happy for you to contact Mr Butler about the purchase of the new house and the money I’ve agreed to give you and Julie. I’m sorry that Miss Pearson and Miss Elkin took the news so badly, but I think you should take this as a tribute to the way you have looked after them. Staying here in Brook Lodge has made me realise how good a cook you are and how lucky I have been.
Mum, I’m really glad that you won’t have to take in lodgers any more and I hope you and Julie will be happy in your new home.
Love,
Kay
Kay looked at what she had written before putting the letter in the envelope. Something about it made her stop and think. She had asked her mother if she should send some of Lana’s clothes home for her and Julie. ‘Send’, not ‘bring’. She had also said she hoped her mother and her sister would be happy in their new home. She had not suggested that she would be there with them.
In the letter she had written to Miss Bennet she had said that she felt as though she was in limbo – a state of uncertainty. And that was true. She didn’t know whether she wanted to go home to the people and places she knew, and yet she could not imagine a life in London nor what she would do if she stayed.
Thoughtfully, she put the folded pages of her letter in the envelope and sealed it. There was no one at reception and Kay could hear tinny voices and recorded laughter coming from behind a closed door. Mrs Price must be listening to the wireless. There was no need to ring the bell and summon her to the hall. Kay left the letters on the desk as she had been told to do, and she also left five pence to cover the cost of two postage stamps. Then she went to bed.
Six days later Kay was in Moira’s office, but this time, instead of relaxing in the armchair, she was facing Mr Butler’s secretary across her desk. Moira held a letter in her hand and stared at Kay incredulously. ‘This letter is from your mother’s solicitor,’ Moira said. ‘Is it true? You’ve really agreed to buy a house for your
If this is the case, I’m sad that she had to sell things she might have held dear to her, but I’m not at all concerned for myself. The things that are left can tell me so much about her. The clothes in the wardrobes are the most revealing. They are stylish and elegant, and so evocative that they almost bring her to life for me. Moira, who is so fashionable herself, says they are almost a history of twentieth-century fashion.
Lana must have kept every garment she ever bought. Moira told me that although the majority of them are copies run up by a corner-shop dressmaker, there are also some genuine gowns designed by Elsa Schiaparelli and Madeleine Vionnet. Also some silk scarves by someone called Hermès. I am afraid these names mean nothing to me, even though Moira says they are quite famous.
There are some clothes that have never been worn. Moira says Lana just couldn’t stop herself from buying new things. She thinks I should have any that I take a fancy to. What do you think? And would you like me to send some that I think would suit you and Julie?
Even more interesting than the clothes are the boxes of letters and photographs and theatre programmes. I’m afraid Lana wasn’t at all methodical with paperwork, and it will be a nightmare trying to get them in order. I don’t know why I feel compelled to do this. Perhaps it is just curiosity on my part – the chance to peer into someone else’s life – or maybe it’s a perfectly natural desire to find out more about the woman who was once your friend and who became my godmother, and yet who walked away from us without a backward glance.
I’m glad that your plans are going ahead smoothly, and yes, I’m happy for you to contact Mr Butler about the purchase of the new house and the money I’ve agreed to give you and Julie. I’m sorry that Miss Pearson and Miss Elkin took the news so badly, but I think you should take this as a tribute to the way you have looked after them. Staying here in Brook Lodge has made me realise how good a cook you are and how lucky I have been.
Mum, I’m really glad that you won’t have to take in lodgers any more and I hope you and Julie will be happy in your new home.
Love,
Kay
Kay looked at what she had written before putting the letter in the envelope. Something about it made her stop and think. She had asked her mother if she should send some of Lana’s clothes home for her and Julie. ‘Send’, not ‘bring’. She had also said she hoped her mother and her sister would be happy in their new home. She had not suggested that she would be there with them.
In the letter she had written to Miss Bennet she had said that she felt as though she was in limbo – a state of uncertainty. And that was true. She didn’t know whether she wanted to go home to the people and places she knew, and yet she could not imagine a life in London nor what she would do if she stayed.
Thoughtfully, she put the folded pages of her letter in the envelope and sealed it. There was no one at reception and Kay could hear tinny voices and recorded laughter coming from behind a closed door. Mrs Price must be listening to the wireless. There was no need to ring the bell and summon her to the hall. Kay left the letters on the desk as she had been told to do, and she also left five pence to cover the cost of two postage stamps. Then she went to bed.
Six days later Kay was in Moira’s office, but this time, instead of relaxing in the armchair, she was facing Mr Butler’s secretary across her desk. Moira held a letter in her hand and stared at Kay incredulously. ‘This letter is from your mother’s solicitor,’ Moira said. ‘Is it true? You’ve really agreed to buy a house for your
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