The Gown

Ann is wearing a gorgeous dress and makeup for a night out but feels like a fraud. Milly sent five large packages from Canada including good wool for the winter and beautiful blue and purple fabric. Miriam convinces Ann to make a dress for herself, and Ann agrees on the condition that Miriam makes one for herself. Milly writes a letter to Ann saying how different Canada is from England because there are no rations, and everything is cheaper and readily available. After Ann and Miriam make new dresses, they decide to celebrate Doris before her wedding. They go to the Astoria for dancing.

At the dance hall, the women find a table and get lemonade. At the next table, Ann notices an apparently rich and handsome army captain. He catches her eye and asks her to dance. Ann can’t believe it, but she dances and has a drink with him. His name is Jeremy Thickett-Milne. He asks Ann about Elizabeth’s dress, but she declines to reveal details. Jeremy gives her his card and insists she ring him for dinner. He returns Ann to her friends, and Ann feels like she is in a fairy tale, hardly believing that a rich man is interested in an ordinary girl from Barking.