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Back The Dazzle of the Light Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. Praise for Georgina Clarke
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. Historical Note
  52. Acknowledgements
  53. Also by Georgina Clarke
  54. About the Author
  55. Copyright

The driver concentrates on the road and the route to Kensington, the last half-inch of a cigarette dangling from his lip. Harriet pays him no attention either. She is still standing outside the Angel with Ruby.

The girl’s coat and hat had been dark and plain. Brown, perhaps, or grey; she could not quite remember. But underneath the coat, when Ruby had grasped her arm, so concerned that she would be safe, Harriet had seen a flash of scarlet. Ruby had been wearing a red dress. And it must have been covered in spangles because it had glimmered under the streetlight. And red lips – she had painted her lips in such a daring shade, so that Harriet had been mesmerised by her mouth.

What had Ruby said to her? She tries to remember everything, savouring every detail of the conversation that had been curtailed too soon. Ruby had offered to show her around the club – she knew people there – and she liked her new hat and thought the hairstyle made her look fresh – no, alive.

She is alive. Her body is fizzing with an energy that has nothing to do with the glass of champagne she drank but feels like a million tiny bubbles rising inside her.

34

34

Monday morning

Harriet needs a new pair of gloves. She stares at the display in the shop window. Gloves of different hues are laid out in an arc, creating a rainbow effect that is rather pleasing to the eye. She has managed to lose her usual pair on Saturday – in the Angel nightclub, perhaps, or in the taxicab – and rather than retracing her steps and hunting for them, she will buy herself something new. The old ones had become a little worn, after all.

Now she must choose the style and shade.

She has returned to Soho on Monday morning instead of going directly to the offices of the Gazette. This is not her usual haunt for gloves, but she found that her feet brought her here again, and these are very pretty. The newspaper can wait.

Besides, she needs cheering up.

She rests a gloveless hand on her arm and the weight and warmth of it returns Ruby Mills to her thoughts – the fondness of her gesture, clasping Harriet’s arm like that outside the Angel nightclub. Ruby is the reason why she has returned to Soho, even if she would not like to admit it. Ruby – who had declared that she was often around here.