The jade and cinnamon-coloured silk sidesweep was a perfect fit for Constance O’Kelly. It softened her jawline and emphasized her best feature, her eyes. As Ellie had predicted, it toned perfectly with her jacket and dress. The material was of a high quality and expensive, the colour rich and textured, a jade turquoise with hints of peacock almost shimmering through it. This hue suited Constance’s skin, while the cinnamon twirls of covered spirals of wire gave the outfit a kick and made it stand out.
‘Oh, it’s absolutely gorgeous!’ Constance smiled, angling herself to the mirror to study the hat from every side. ‘It’s exactly what I wanted for the wedding.’
Ellie was relieved that the client was so satisfied with her work.
‘Thank you so much,’ said the older woman. ‘I’ll go off and have a cup of tea to celebrate.’
‘Have one here with me instead,’ suggested Ellie. ‘I’m just about to make one anyway.’
‘Are you sure it’s not too much trouble?’
‘The kettle is always on the go in this place. It’s one of the essential tools of the millinery trade,’ she admitted. ‘I have a steamer but I still find the kettle is great for steam and heat to shape and stretch the materials, and I get to enjoy a cup of tea as well.’
‘This is lovely,’ said Constance admiringly as she added a little milk and sugar to the pretty blue china cups that Ellie had invested in. ‘You are very like your mother, but I’m sure everyone tells you that.’
‘Yes,’ grinned Ellie, who was realizing day by day how much her mother had influenced her and encouraged her in certain traditions and in ways of appreciating the finer things of life. They had never been hugely wealthy but she seemed to remember always using good china and her mother creating a world of finesse and charm around them. Madeleine Matthews had a style of her own, which shaped her designs, the business, what she wore and how she decorated their home. Everything she collected or touched seemed to radiate that sense of who she was right up to the time she died.
‘You have created a little oasis here, right in the centre of the city. Such style and tranquillity amongst the hustle and bustle.’
‘I’m glad you like it. At first I was very nervous about doing up the shop,’ Ellie admitted. ‘I suppose getting rid of some of my mother’s things was difficult. But the shop needed a fresh look, a new beginning.’
‘Well, you have succeeded wonderfully, though it must be difficult taking those first steps and moving forward,’ mused Constance. ‘I find it such a hard thing to do.’
‘Are you all right, Mrs O’Kelly?’
‘Yes, I’m fine. It’s just with Sally’s wedding – it’s all so awkward. My husband and I are getting a divorce, you know. It hasn’t been pleasant, to say the least, and the pressure of the church and the wedding – I just don’t know how I’ll cope. He even wants to bring her to the wedding.’
‘Her?’
‘His new girlfriend!’
‘Oh,’ responded Ellie, feeling immediate sympathy for the middle-aged woman with her sad eyes. ‘Well, with that outfit and the hat you will look divine, I promise.’
‘It’s just so hard being on your own,’ admitted Constance, fiddling with her spoon and cup. ‘I know it sounds stupid but this is the first time I’ve ever lived on my own. There was always Shay and the children. Of course they’re grown up now and he’s gone to live with someone else.’
‘It must be hard for you,’ said Ellie gently. ‘My mother was also alone.’
‘Was she widowed?’
‘No. My father left when I was very young, in fact I barely remember him. But she was a wonderful mother and made everything we did together fun and magic!’
‘All the lonely people,’ sighed Constance.
‘My mother was lucky. She had this shop, her business.’
‘That’s what my children tell me,’ confided Constance, ‘that I should go and do something, study, get a job. The trouble is, I don’t know what.’
‘My mother always believed that opportunity appeared when you least expected it,’ offered Ellie, clearing away the tea things.
Constance O’Kelly got out her Visa card and paid, delighted with her purchase. The young milliner placed her hat carefully in the pretty striped hatbox.
Ellie Matthews was pleased to see that she had made another customer happy. It always did her heart good to know that she was making the right hat for the right person, and that a simple thing like creating a piece of millinery could bring so much joy to both the maker and the wearer.