Grace

Chapter 41.1

After that the weeks progressed in their usual, hectic fashion. I was sleeping properly so I got through it alright and was only as stressed and sleep deprived as everyone else.

Then it was long leave.

And I was wondering what to pack. I was going to Johnny's 'house' for the weekend. I was going to meet his wife and she was the style icon of the world. We were also going to be going out for dinner because it was Caroline's birthday today and I had nothing smart to wear that wasn't my uniform.

"What's up?" Chi asked from my door. Clara was with her.

"I have no smart clothes to wear for a slap up meal at some posh restaurant," I nearly panicked. "And apparently all the milestone birthdays are had at that posh place and she's turning forty so all the press are going to be there and... What am I going to do?"

"Grace," Clara said pragmatically. "You've known that you're going for three weeks. Why didn't you order something or request a trip to London."

"Because until forty minutes ago I didn't know this was happening!" I cried and threw my hands up in the air.

My phone started ringing. It was Ben.

"What?" I tersely asked.

"I didn't tell you, but you need to wear a floor length dress." He said it casually. Like he was talking about wearing flip-flips to the beach.

"A floor length dress?" I asked incredulously. "Ben, why didn't you tell me weeks ago?"

"I've got to finish packing bye!" he gabbled and hung up. Good idea. I was gonna – Ugh. Boys.

"I have an idea," Clara said, grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room and up the stairs to the top of the building.

She found the room she wanted pretty quickly and then pounded on it, still holding my other hand. Chi was a few paced behind.

"What on – Clara? What's up?" It was Abigail Hawthorne's room. She was in B block and was doing textiles. I had a feeling I knew where this was going.

"Ben oh so cleverly didn't tell Grace she needs a floor length dress. I don't suppose there's one knocking around somewhere in textiles that she can borrow for the weekend?"

She looked me up and down, hopefully to measure my size, and then thought for a moment. "How posh is the do?"

"Princess Caroline's birthday," I said. "Dinner at the Savoy."

"Who's going to be there? Apart from family I mean?"

"No idea."

"Humm... Well there are a few you could try. Want to take a simple one and a something a bit... more?"

"That might be best, yeah. Good job I have nice shoes with me."

"Colour?"

"Back and red."

She nodded. "They'll be fine. Come on."

I looked at my watch. "We'd better hurry. I'm supposed to be leaving in ten minutes."

"Gray, he gave you all of forty minutes warning. He didn't leave you time to go shopping. He can wait," Chi said breezily as we walked. 

*     *     *     * 

I got two phone calls from Ben, both of which I ignored, before we got back to Walpole. He was pacing outside the car. When he saw me he looked to the sky, growled a sigh and strode over to me, not paying a blind bit of attention to anyone else.