We'll Meet Again Read Online Free

headless mannequin. ‘Madame Elizabeth’s is where the top people go, so no funny remarks, Meg. This is serious and with the ball only two days away I’d say it’s critical. Follow me.’
    She entered the salon with a determined twitch of her slender shoulders. By this time, Meg had lost all her enthusiasm for shopping. Her feet were sore and she wished that she had eaten something more substantial than a bowl of cornflakes first thing thatmorning. Josie did not believe in cooked breakfasts, but then she ate sparingly of everything, as Meg had noticed at dinner the previous evening. The food had been excellent but Josie picked at hers, confessing that the thought of gaining an extra pound or two was terrifying in the extreme. Paul, she said with a wry smile, did not like plump women. Meg thought privately that if she married a man who made her starve in order to keep her figure she would divorce him and find someone else.
    ‘Madame Elizabeth,’ Josie said with a charming smile. ‘We need your help desperately.’
    Meg took a seat on one of the spindly gilt and red plush chairs set out for prospective customers, and allowed her thoughts to drift in the direction of lunch. They were to meet David at the Mitre Hotel, which luckily was only a couple of streets away. She hoped there would be something delicious and substantial on the menu. Her stomach growled and she shot an apologetic glance at Madame Elizabeth, who had somehow managed to pour Adele into a shimmering oyster-satin sheath of a gown that flared out in a fishtail around the ankles. A bit like one of the carp that lived in the lake at home, Meg thought inconsequentially.
    Adele hitched the low-cut top a little higher. ‘It’s very tight. I can hardly breathe.’
    Madame frowned. ‘It is meant to hug the figure, mademoiselle. Otherwise it might not remain in situ.’
    ‘It’s really lovely,’ Josie said enthusiastically. ‘That shade is very flattering for someone with your ivory complexion, Addie.’
    ‘Perhaps Mademoiselle would like to try the green silk organza, madame?’
    Thankfully from Meg’s point of view, the green organza received a thumbs down and the oyster satin was sent off to be wrapped in tissue paper by a bored-looking assistant.
    ‘I’ll take this one,’ Meg said in desperation as she tried on the third gown. By this time she was past caring. Number three was a sickly shade of pink like melted strawberry ice cream, but it was marginally better than the lilac chiffon with a skirt that consisted of frills from waist to ankle and made her look like a bell tent.
    ‘I don’t think so,’ Josie said, shaking her head. ‘Is that all you have in Meg’s size, madame?’
    ‘My clientele are usually ladies of a certain age and sophistication,’ Madame said, pursing her lips. ‘There is just one other, but I am not certain that Madame will approve of that either.’
    ‘Let me have this one,’ Meg begged. She felt light-headed and was certain she would faint if she did not eat something very soon. ‘Who’s going to look at me anyway?’ She hesitated, realising that she had said the wrong thing. ‘I mean, no one will give me a second look when Addie’s in the room.’
    Adele blushed and pulled a face. ‘That’s not true.’
    ‘We’ll see the last gown,’ Josie said firmly. ‘ThenI’m afraid we must hurry, madame, as we have a luncheon appointment.’
    Madame seized Meg’s arm in a vice-like grip, and her lips stretched over her teeth in a caricature of a smile. ‘Very well, madame. Come with me, mademoiselle. My assistant will look after you.’
    Bearing an armful of gold shot-silk taffeta, the young girl gave Meg a shy smile. ‘Perhaps you’d like to try this one?’
    ‘Oh, I love that colour,’ Meg said sincerely. She held her arms above her head and shivered with pleasure as the cool silky material embraced her flesh. It was a tight fit. And she had to hold her breath while the assistant struggled with the zip, but