Page 61 of The Village Inn of Secret Dream

‘I didn’t even know you could sew,’ said Molly, frowning.

Belle shrugged her shoulders. ‘I never told you, so why would you?’

‘I thought you went to bingo on a Monday night,’ said Amber, looking at Grandma Tilly.

‘I lied,’ said the pensioner, looking uncomfortable. ‘Belle wanted it to be a secret.’

Belle shook her head and smiled. ‘I did not,’ she said. ‘This is all on you.’

‘Humph,’ said Grandma Tilly, frowning.

Belle sighed and leaned forward to take her hand. ‘Look, I think it’s a good thing that the girls came over tonight. It’s time to be honest, don’t you think?’

Grandma Tilly shuffled in her seat. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

Belle squeezed her hand. ‘There’s something wrong with your eyes, isn’t there? That’s why you can’t thread the needle any more.’

Amber gasped. ‘And you were peering closely at a price label in the shop the other day and still said the writing wasn’t clear enough.’

‘That was just poor penmanship,’ replied Grandma Tilly, still frowning.

‘I think you should go to the optician,’ said Belle. ‘It’s probably nothing.’

‘I don’t want to,’ said Grandma Tilly, positively sulking by this point.

‘I’ll go with you,’ offered Amber, softly. ‘We’re going to be family, aren’t we?’

Grandma Tilly’s bottom lip began to wobble. ‘We already are, my dear,’ she said in a tremulous voice.

‘Well then, that’s settled,’ said Lucy, with a nod. ‘No more secrets.’

‘Not even of the heart?’ asked Grandma Tilly, giving Belle a wink.

Belle blushed and busied herself cutting up some more squares of material that had already been laid out.

‘So who wants to learn about quilting?’ asked Grandma Tilly. ‘We need to get at least half a dozen more done in the next month.’

The girls watched Belle demonstrate how to join the pieces of material together and then eagerly began to sew, in various levels of competence. In the end, Lucy was given the job of cutting up the material as her stitching was so appalling.

‘These colours are so lovely,’ said Amber, looking at the material that she had in front of her. ‘Where did you get all this material?’

‘Some were old blankets and whatnots,’ said Grandma Tilly. ‘Some of it came from Belle’s grandmother.’

‘She liked to sew?’ asked Molly.

‘She was a wonderful seamstress,’ said Grandma Tilly. ‘And you should see the clothes she made. The cut was marvellous. You’d think that they were vintage designer or something.’

‘You’ve still got the clothes that she made?’ asked Lucy, with wide eyes. She had a particular love of fashion.

Belle nodded. ‘Of course,’ she said.

The girls then demanded that Belle show them, so she had no choice once they had left Grandma Tilly’s bungalow but to head back to the inn.

They waved at all their partners and friends in the bar but carried on upstairs, where Belle led them to her bedroom.

‘These are beautiful,’ said Molly, holding up a pretty flowered skirt.

‘Look at that material,’ gushed Lucy, touching a silk top. ‘It’s real quality.’