Home Front Girls

then. But meantime make sure you ring them first thing in the morning.’
    Dotty assured her that she would and floated back to the flat in a bubble of pure delight.
     
    Both Annabelle and Lucy were nearly as excited as Dotty was the next morning when they met up during their morning break at work.
    ‘Just think, I could be sitting next to a budding bestselling author,’ Lucy twinkled. ‘Have you rung them yet?’
    ‘I have, as a matter of fact,’ Dotty said. ‘And I’ve made an appointment to go and see them next week. On Wednesday.’ Her face fell as she looked down at her plain black skirt and her flat black shoes. ‘Miss Timms thinks I ought to treat myself to a new outfit, and get a new hairdo,’ she went on doubtfully. ‘But to tell the truth I haven’t got a clue about what’s fashionable and what’s not. I’ve always tended to go for comfortable, practical clothes and I can’t ever remember having my hair cut by a hairdresser.’
    ‘Hmm.’ Annabelle eyed Dotty’s long hair, which was tied into a ponytail at the nape of her neck with a slim black ribbon. ‘You know, I think a bob and a side parting would suit you,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘And as for a new outfit – well, we won’t have to go far to get you one, will we? We can have a look around the clothes department in our lunch-hour. There’s bound to be something to suit you.’
    ‘I don’t want anything too fancy,’ Dotty gushed nervously. She had never been one for making a statement or wanting to stand out from the crowd.
    ‘Just leave it to us,’ the girls told her. ‘We won’t put you far wrong, trust us.’
    And so during their lunch break the three girls headed for the ladies’ fashion department and began to rummage through the clothes rails as Dotty tagged along behind them.
    ‘What about this?’ she asked, holding up a calf-length grey skirt.
    ‘Oh please !’ Annabelle snorted in disgust. ‘You may as well go in one of your work skirts as that. It’s dull as ditchwater.’
    ‘I’m afraid I have to agree with her,’ Lucy said. ‘We want something sort of . . . classy! Yes, that’s it – classy and sophisticated to give you confidence.’ And so the search continued until Annabelle gave a sudden exclamation of delight and pounced on a suit.
    ‘Now this would be perfect,’ she declared. A lovely shade of blue, it had a fitted jacket with a peplum waist and the skirt was calf-length and flared.
    Dotty eyed it doubtfully. It looked very expensive and it was nothing at all like the clothes she normally favoured.
    ‘Just try it on,’ the two girls urged as they saw her uncertainty and so Dotty reluctantly took it off them and headed for the fitting rooms.
    When she reappeared minutes later wearing the suit, both girls gasped. The assistant who had been helping during the search nodded approvingly. The jacket made Dotty’s waist look tiny and the skirt was very flattering.
    ‘How does it feel on?’ Annabelle asked. The suit was made of a very soft woollen material, and Dotty told her that it felt like silk against her skin.
    ‘It makes your eyes look really blue,’ Lucy commented.
    ‘And it shows off your figure. I never even realised you had one under all those baggy clothes you wear,’ Annabelle teased.
    ‘How much is it?’ Dotty asked, ever practical.
    ‘It isn’t cheap,’ the assistant said, glancing at the ticket, ‘but it is beautiful quality and seeing as you work here I’m sure I could get you a staff discount. Let me go and have a word with the head of department.’
    She hurried back seconds later to tell her, ‘Miss Marsh says you can have it for one pound seven and sixpence.’
    Dotty gasped. It seemed like a fortune but as the assistant quickly pointed out, ‘Once the clothes rationing really comes into force you won’t be able to buy anything nearly as nice as that.’
    ‘And it will never go out of fashion,’ Lucy added. ‘It’s a timeless style and just perfect for what you want it for. You could wear the skirt with a blouse and make more than one outfit out of it.’
    ‘You’re having it,’ Annabelle told her firmly when she saw Dotty dithering. ‘And now we need to get you a new coat to go over it. There’s no way I’m letting you go to London in that drab old thing you wear to work. And then of course we’ll need some new shoes and a new handbag and—’
    ‘Stop right there,’ Dotty said, holding up her hand to halt Annabelle in mid-flow. ‘I might