The Gown

Miriam longs to make her grandmother’s chicken recipe, but she can’t find the ingredients in the English stores. When a Frenchwoman visits the workroom to talk to Miss Duley about the wedding gowns, Miriam asks her where to find a French grocer. After work, Miriam arranges things with Ann that she won’t do chores that weekend so she can get the ingredients, and Ann agrees to go to the butcher. At the French grocer, Miriam feels at home and manages to get all the ingredients she needs at a reasonable price.

Miriam finds the business card Walter gave her after rescuing her shoe a few weeks ago. She impulsively calls him and agrees to have lunch with him. On Miriam’s way to the restaurant, she sees a large crowd leaving a synagogue, and she is shocked to see so many Jews congregated. Miriam thinks about going in but can’t bring herself to reopen old wounds and hurries to meet Walter instead. At the restaurant, Miriam reveals she works for Hartnell but can’t say anything about her work. Walter respects her boundaries and promises not to ask about the royal wedding gown. Miriam admits she bought an issue of Picture Weekly and enjoyed it. They talk about their careers and the war, and Walter says he lost the woman he loved during the war. Miriam asks why he asked her out. Walter says it was because she didn’t panic when her shoe got caught, and he was drawn to her. After lunch, Walter asks Miriam to call him again and says his friends call him Kaz. Miriam asks if she can call him Walter instead, and he is pleased with that.

Heather arrives in England and checks into her hotel. She makes plans for the next day to find out more about Ann’s life. First, she will go to her old house, then Hartnell’s old offices, and lastly the Victoria and Albert Museum to see the Miriam Dassin exhibition. She wants to go to Buckingham Palace and see the queen’s wedding dress, but the tickets are sold out.

In the morning, Heather can’t find Ann’s address in Barking, so she goes to a local grocer who says that they knocked down a row of houses decades ago. Heather is disappointed that Ann’s house is no longer standing and decides not to go to Hartnell’s old offices because they are probably gone as well. At the museum, she finds that the Dassin exhibit has moved on. After looking through the museum, Heather returns to the help desk and explains her mission. The museum worker tells her that one of her professors, Dr. Friedman, is involved with the exhibit. She will reach out to him and ask him to help. Heather walks back to the hotel waiting for a message. After she takes a nap, she wakes to find a message from Dr. Friedman arranging a meeting for the next day.