Molly and the owner kissed each other fondly. ‘Caroline, this is Thea. I’ve brought her to see you because she needs something absolutely stunning. We’re … she’s opening an art gallery tomorrow.’

‘Oh! Is that the one I heard about on local radio this morning? With the new Irish artist? It sounds so exciting.’

‘I hope it will be,’ said Thea somewhat glumly. The enormity of what she’d taken on suddenly seemed a terrible mistake and now it would be a public mistake. Like the Millennium Dome, it would be a spectacular failure.

‘Of course it will be! With Molly on your side it’ll be smashing. Now, what do you feel comfortable wearing?’

‘Jeans.’

‘So, trousers, then.’

She shook her head. ‘No, I’ve got thighs.’

Caroline asked a lot of questions and then said, ‘Right. You two sit down and have a glass of wine, while I find a few for you to try on.’

‘She didn’t ask me what size I was,’ whispered Thea anxiously.

‘No need. She can tell at a glance. Most of the women who come in here have got personal trainers,’ Molly went on.

‘Personal trainers?’ Thea was awestruck. ‘Does that mean no one else can wear them? How lovely!’

Molly opened her mouth, and then closed it again. ‘Oh, you’re joking. Sorry.’

Thea wondered if it was the wine on an empty stomach, or whether she really looked as good as the mirror in front of her told her she did. She looked svelte, a word she thought she would never be able to apply to herself – not in a million years. ‘Crikey,’ she said.

The dress was black, strapless, short and close-fitting. But it was so well-cut and well-boned, so carefully, subtly ruched, that instead of feeling like a streetwalker, Thea felt like a minor film star on Oscar night.

‘That’s the one,’ said Caroline.

‘It’s fabulous!’ said Molly.

‘I bet it costs a fortune,’ said Thea glumly, ‘and I’m not going to have many opportunities to wear it. The cost per wear is going to be horrendous.’

‘Usually’ – Caroline poured more wine into Thea’s glass – ‘I’d agree with you totally about the cost per wear. This dress is never going to be truly cost-effective. But I always say that some occasions are worth more than others. After all, a wedding dress, which could cost several thousand, is only worn once. But for that particular occasion, it’s worth it.’

‘And this isn’t several thousand, after all,’ Molly argued.

‘And I’m not getting married, nor likely to be. So this could be the equivalent dress. Expensive but exquisite. How much is it, by the way?’