The white and gold ribbons festooned the room making her happy, it matched the white lace well. She stood by the cake with its Royal Icing, a bouquet of paste lilies and icing swirls adorned the top.
Emily smiled Sonia had been to a lot of trouble in uncertain times too get hold of it, and it really made all the difference, she arranged the plates and the extravagant paper doilies, her guests were arriving from the church, each with a shining silver gift in tow, it was time to wake the guest of honour. Emily felt a hand twine itself in hers. Harry placed a light kiss on her cheek:
“Well Em, what do you think of all our hard work?”
“I love it, it’s a shame Mam couldn’t see this day, she’d have loved it too, he squeezed her hand again, trying to reassure her, he hated it when Em got sad, he’d spent a long time returning her missing smile.
“The war almost took everything we had, we had to begin again. ”
Emily looked into her husband’s eyes, feeling sure they could face anything together, their family, their friends, their café and their home upstairs was to be the sum of their new world.
“Go pour our guests drinks for the toast.”
She went upstairs to their bedroom where she found the guest of honour sat up, entranced by the rainbows cast by the sunlight on the far wall. For one second Emily’s smile showed no single drop of the loss her heart always carried through the accident of fate.
“Hello little one, Mammy’s here.” At the sound of her voice the plump child raised her hands, demanding flight.
“Up we come,” as she raised the lacy curly parcel, who demanded kisses, she rearranged the cap with its intricate cross stitch ad blue roses firmly upon the child’s head.
“There are people waiting for you little one.”
As the came down the stairs, the guests raised their glasses;
“Lillie!”
All laughter and smiles the child buried her face into her mother’s shoulder and back again with a smile, playing with her audience of well-wishers.
Taking the girl’s hand in hers Emily spoke seriously;
“Look how many people love you. Lillie Erica Lyndhurst. Welcome to the fold.”
Clara Lucea
Missed the last instalment of We Six? Find it here: https://theiristribune.co.uk/unhappy-notions/
