‘You’ve started to learn your way around then?’ Tom laughs (sort of. It’s a bit wheezy this far into the journey) when I stick my tongue out at him.
‘You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?’
Tom pretends to mull it over before shaking his head. ‘Nope. Never.’
‘Great.’ We’ve reached the top of the stairs and Alice is already at our room, propping the door open.
‘Put her in my bed.’ She indicates the bed furthest from the door, which must be a bit of a kick in the teeth for Tom. ‘I’m just going to go and leave a note for Piers. I’ll only be a few minutes.’
Working together, Tom and I get Carolyn into bed, removing her shoes before placing the covers over her comatose body.
‘Thanks again.’ I collapse down onto the chair at the dressing table. If I’m exhausted, how must Tom be feeling right now? ‘I don’t know how we would have got her home without you.’
‘It’s fine, really.’ Tom gives a small shrug. ‘Just glad I could help out.’
Now it’s my turn to look surprised. A day ago, I would have bet good money on the fact that Tom would be the most reluctant helper in the pub.
‘Hey, don’t give me that look. We were good friends once, you know.’ He nods at the slumbering Carolyn, who’s started to snore softly.
‘I know, and I have photographic evidence.’ I grab the envelope of old photos. ‘Check out Alice’s hair in this one.’ I flick through the photos to find the Edwina Scissorhands photo, which cracks Tom up.
‘Ssh.’ I put a finger to my mouth and nod towards Carolyn, but even I can’t help giggling.
‘Jeez, look how skinny I am in this one.’ Tom has been looking through the photos, and he passes one to me now. It’s a group shot of Tom and the others, all sunbathing on the lawns behind the castle with the woods just visible in the distance. Tom, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, has a similar frame to my pal Twiggy.
‘How old were you?’
Tom squints as he calculates. ‘Must have been nineteen. It was the last summer we were all here together, just before…’
The necklace. Before the group was dismantled.
‘It’s a shame you all drifted apart. You look so close in these photos.’
‘We were.’ Tom hands the rest of the photos back to me. ‘Anyway, I’d better get going.’
I get up to see him to the door. ‘Lydia will be wondering where you’ve got to. Just tell her you’ve been out rescuing damsels in distress, again.’
Tom flashes a smile, but it doesn’t make the corners of his eyes crinkle. ‘Goodnight, Emily.’
‘Goodnight, Tom.’ I wait until he’s disappeared down the stairs before I close the door and get ready for bed.
I feel rotten the following morning. My skin is grey, my mouth is dry and tongue furry, and my hair looks like I’ve poured the contents of a well-used deep-fat fryer on top of it. But, as crap as I look and feel, I’m positively blooming compared to Carolyn, who looks like a walking – or rather limping – corpse. I have never seen anyone look so bad who isn’t hammering on death’s door. Not even Mum looked as bad as this during her ‘troubled periods’, as Great Aunt D referred to them.
Alice stretches next to me, almost catapulting me out of the bed. Once she’d returned from delivering the note to Piers, she’d made sure Carolyn was tucked up into her bed with Hubert before bunking in with me. It was a bit of a squeeze in my single bed, so I’d done my best to convince her to vacate it.
‘Don’t you want to be close to Carolyn?’ I’d masked the question with concern for Carolyn, when really I just wanted to retain the ability to sleep in some sort of comfort. ‘You know, just in case?’
In case of what I wasn’t sure, but I was in danger of falling unceremoniously from the bed and landing in a heap on the carpet. There were two in the bed and the little one said bog off back to your own bed, please.
‘No way,’ Alice had said, looking over her shoulder at me (I was the big spoon) as though I was as mad as a box of frogs. ‘I might wake up with sick all down my back and in my hair.’ She shuddered theatrically, but stopped suddenly. ‘Actually, thinking about it…’ She scrabbled from the bed and I smiled Cheshire Cat-like as I stretched out. But Alice didn’t become the little spoon to Carolyn’s big one. She didn’t squeeze herself in the neighbouring bed. Nope, she grabbed Hubert and climbed back into my bed.
‘Don’t want him turning into vomit bear,’ she said as she reached out to switch off the lamp.
So, it was three in the bed and nobody was bogging off.
‘Oh, God.’ There’s a groan from the neighbouring bed as Carolyn attempts to sit up. She doesn’t manage it and slumps back down. ‘How much did I have to drink last night?’
‘Too much,’ Alice says.
‘I feel horrid.’ There’s another groan. ‘What am I doing in here with you guys?’
Taking up Alice’s bed and forcing her to take up half of my tiny space, I reply silently, but know better than to pipe up. Alice and I are sitting up in bed like Bert and Ernie and I fear a swift elbowing if I say it out loud. Having a hangover is making me feel uncharitable. As does the fact Alice farts in her sleep. Loudly and frequently.
‘What do you remember from last night?’ Alice asks her. There’s a pause while Carolyn wracks her brain for details.
‘We went to the pub. Karaoke.’ There’s a giggle. ‘I was awful, but it was fun.’
‘Anything else?’ Alice asks. ‘Do you remember Tom carrying you back here?’
There’s that groan again, though it’s lower and longer this time. ‘He didn’t.’
Alice whips the covers off and slips out of bed. ‘He did, I’m afraid.’
Carolyn’s face disappears underneath her covers. Alice sits on her bed and peels them away. Jeez, Carolyn looks rough. I’m surprised Alice doesn’t yelp and shove the covers back over to hide the damage.
‘No,’ Carolyn groans.
Alice nods. I think she’s actually enjoying being the bearer of bad news. ‘Yes, it’s true. Just ask Emily.’
Carolyn shifts her gaze towards me, wincing at the pain the movement causes. ‘Emily? Is it true?’ She readjusts her features, widening her eyes and biting her bottom lip as she awaits the verdict. Unfortunately, I can’t give her the answer she’s so clearly hankering for.
‘Tom carried you home.’
Carolyn yelps and ducks her head back under the covers, which results in a groan of pain. Alice is in the process of trying to yank the covers off again – but is failing in the battle despite her sister’s delicate state – when there’s a knock at the door. Carolyn’s face appears in a flash, eyes wide again.
‘Do you think it’s Piers?’
I’m not sure if her eyes are popping with hope or fear this time.
‘Maybe.’ Alice hops off the bed and crosses the room, grabbing one of the robes embroidered with the castle’s logo and shoving her arms into its sleeves. ‘Only one way to find out.’
‘Wait!’ Carolyn bounds from the bed, grabbing Alice with one hand and covering her mouth with the other. She’s turned a scarily pale shade and I’m expecting her to make a dash for the loo, but she recovers and slowly lowers the hand. ‘What if it is Piers?’
Alice ties the robe at the waist, battling with Carolyn, who is still clinging to her arm. ‘Then you’ll say good morning and apologise for the state of your face. You seriously need to sort that out.’ Alice wafts a hand in the general direction of her sister’s face.
Carolyn whimpers. ‘Is it really that bad?’
‘Do you want me to be kind or truthful?’
Carolyn whimpers again. ‘Piers’ parents are arriving this morning. I can’t let them see me looking like…’ She stoops to check out her reflection in the dressing-table mirror. ‘Gah! Look at the state of me! I look like… Like…’
There are no words to describe what Carolyn looks like right now. She could be the poster girl for Boozy Britain right now. Don’t drin
k, kids.
Carolyn whimpers again and sinks onto the end of my bed, finally letting go of Alice and leaving her free to open the door.
‘Tom!’ Alice grins at us over her shoulder. ‘It’s only Tom.’ She turns back to our guest and invites him into the room. I grab my covers with one hand, tugging them up to my chin, and swipe Hubert off the pillow with the other. I may be wearing pyjamas covered in glittery unicorns, but sleeping with a teddy bear is a step too far.
‘Morning.’ Tom lifts his hand up in an awkward wave, his eyes avoiding the bed area. ‘I just thought I’d see how Carolyn is doing before I start work.’
‘Still living,’ Carolyn says, her hand reaching for her head. ‘Just about. I’ve got a mega hangover.’
‘I’m not surprised. You were pretty trashed.’ I’m sure I see the corners of Tom’s lips lifting, but he presses them together and adopts a serious face again.
‘I’m sorry you had to carry me back,’ Carolyn says.
‘Don’t worry about it.’ Tom perches on the end of the bed with Carolyn, resting a hand on her shoulder. ‘I’m used to lugging giant bags of compost around. Carrying you was a breeze in comparison.’
Carolyn seems to cheer up at the thought, a half-smile cracking through and brightening her pallor. ‘Really?’
Tom catches my eye and we both nearly crack up. I press my face into the covers, but Tom manages to soldier on.
‘Really. It was nothing. Anyway…’ I feel his weight shifting off the bed. ‘I just came to see how you are. I’ll get going now. Lots to do before the Big Day.’
‘You’ll have time for a bit of fun, though, won’t you?’ Carolyn asks. ‘We’re playing rounders this afternoon.’
Tom shakes his head, already backing towards the door. ‘I really am super busy.’
‘What about tonight?’ Carolyn asks. ‘We’re having a quiz in the parlour. Do you remember Grandpa’s quizzes? It was easier to win University Challenge than it was getting one of his questions right.’
Tom smiles, but quickly smooths it away. ‘Like I said, I’m really busy.’
‘Please join us.’ Carolyn’s voice is so small, so pleading, even my hardened heart starts to crack. I can’t help but think about the photos on the dressing table, the photos that display the happy little foursome. Whatever pushed them apart can be healed; surely enough time has passed by now.
‘I’ll see what I can do.’ Tom starts to move towards the door. ‘No promises though.’
Carolyn beams as though he’s offered her the world on a plate, but another knock at the door wipes it away in an instant.
‘Hello, you,’ Alice says, leaning over the threshold to kiss our guest on the cheek.
‘Hello, gorgeous. Is Emily here?’
I resist the urge to throw myself under the covers and hide. Although I made a pact with myself to pretend to be interested in Archie to get Little Miss Matchmaker off my back, it’s much more difficult to put into practice than I anticipated when I was a glass or four of wine down last night.
‘Emily, you have a visitor,’ Alice says in an uber-annoying sing-song voice.
I really don’t want to get out of bed in my glittery unicorn pyjamas, but equally I don’t want to have a conversation with Archie while I cower under the covers while our friends watch. So I force myself from the bed, snatching up the other robe and shoving it on as I scuttle towards the door.
‘Hi,’ I say while inwardly cringing about the state I must be in. If I feel like crap, there’s a high chance I look a million times worse. ‘Shall we chat out here?’
Archie looks over my shoulder, where Alice is earwigging at the door. ‘Maybe we should…’ He indicates down the corridor, where there is a narrow seat at the window. It’s still in the corridor, but at least it will afford us a little more privacy. I’d bet my life savings – which admittedly doesn’t amount to a great deal – on the fact Alice will be pressing her ear to the door as soon as it’s closed.
We both manage to perch on the window seat, which overlooks the side of the property and provides a gorgeous view of the village at the bottom of the hill.
‘I’m sorry I didn’t walk you home last night.’ Archie looks a bit sheepish as he takes my hand in his. ‘I’m afraid I was a little… cowardly. I thought you might make me get up and sing again, so I hid out in the loos for a while. By the time I found the courage to come out again, you’d gone.’
‘Oh, Archie, bless you.’ I feel bad that I badgered him to have a go at karaoke last night. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t realise I’d coerced you quite so much.’
‘It’s okay. It’s just…’ Archie looks down at his hand, which is still holding mine. ‘I don’t want to ever let you down.’
‘You haven’t, really.’ I extricate my hand from his grip and stand up, pulling my robe tighter around my body. This is all getting a bit too much. ‘But I need to go back to my room now. I need to work some magic and emerge looking vaguely human again.’
‘Will you have breakfast with me?’ Archie asks as we start to make our way along the corridor.
Despite feeling rough, my stomach grumbles at the thought of food. ‘Sure. I’ll meet you down there in fifteen minutes?’
Fifteen minutes should give me enough time to jump in the shower and change into something non-unicorn-patterned without leaving my stomach feeling totally abandoned.
‘Can’t wait.’ Archie leans across to kiss my cheek before we go our separate ways.
Chapter Twenty-One
I didn’t think it was possible, but Carolyn looks even worse when I step back into the room, her face deathly pale beneath last night’s streaked mascara.
‘Jeez, is she okay?’ I whisper the question at Alice, but Carolyn overhears.
‘I’m fine.’ She takes a shuddering breath and her hand reaches for her stomach. ‘Just feel a bit sick.’
Oh, no. She’s going to hurl. The very worst bit of a hangover, especially if you’re in hearing distance of the sufferer. This room feels suddenly too small, the bathroom too near. Ugh.
‘Piers is going to be so annoyed.’ Carolyn’s hand is still clutching her stomach. ‘His parents are arriving today and look at the state of me.’
Alice pulls her sister into a hug, stroking her hair like a dog. Tom is no longer in the room – and who can blame him? I’d backtrack out of here if I could get away with it, even in my unicorn pyjamas.
‘It’ll be fine. We’ll get you cleaned up and you can rest here for a bit until you’re feeling better. I’ll nip downstairs and bring you some food up when you’re ready to eat, okay?’
Carolyn nods, but her face crumples again almost immediately. ‘They said they were setting off early. They could be here at any minute. And I’m going to throw up.’
Carolyn suddenly leaps up off the bed and bolts for the bathroom. Alice looks at me, her brows down low, but if she’s looking at me for assistance, she’s barking up the wrong tree. I can’t deal with people puking. The thought of it is making me feel a bit queasy.
‘Alice?’ Carolyn’s voice is small and childlike. ‘Can you get Piers for me?’
‘Of course.’ Alice, still clad in her pyjamas and robe, pushes her feet into a pair of complimentary slippers, but I throw myself in front of the door before she can leave.
‘You can’t go. You can’t abandon me here with that.’ My eyes dart to the bathroom. I haven’t heard so much as a gag yet, but it’s surely only a matter of time.
‘That?’ Alice places her hands on her hips and quirks an eyebrow. ‘You mean my sister?’
Your sister who is about to vomit all over the place. You’d think I’d be accustomed to playing nurse after a childhood filled with looking after Mum, but I don’t possess an ounce of bedside manner.
‘I need to go. I’m supposed to be meeting Archie for breakfast.’ I turn to reach for the door handle, but Alice stops me. She’s smiling when I turn to face her. How can she smile at a time like this? The room is about erupt into the soundtrack of spew
and she looks like she’s about to burst into song.
‘Wow, you’re keen. I never thought I’d see the day Emily Atkinson was so keen to see a boy that she’d leave wearing her pyjamas.’ Gah! She’s right. I am still wearing my pyjamas. And if the Primark PJs weren’t enough, my greasy hair is sticking up all over the place and I’m pretty sure I didn’t remove my make-up before I went to bed last night. ‘I knew Archie would be perfect for you. Didn’t I tell you?’
‘You did.’ I push a smile on my face, hoping it looks dreamy and not psychotic. ‘And I’m supposed to be meeting him down in the dining room. It’s all arranged.’
‘I’ll pop in on my way back,’ Alice says. ‘Let him know you’ll be delayed. No offence, honey, but you need a shower before you go anywhere.’ She kisses me on the cheek to soften the blow before toddling on her way. I lower myself onto the stool in front of the dressing table, avoiding another glance at my ghastly appearance. Still, I know Alice is right. I need a bloody good scrub before I venture anywhere today. Hopefully Carolyn will stop hugging the toilet basin long enough for me to jump into the shower.
Finally, there’s a knock at the door and Piers arrives. I’m expecting him to be hopping mad – or at least grumble a bit at the state of his bride-to-be – but he’s full of concern as he hurries into the bathroom and crouches in front of Carolyn, pushing the curtain of strawberry-blonde hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ears. It must be love, because he doesn’t brush it back into place when he catches sight of her face.
‘I’m really sorry,’ Carolyn says in that small, childlike voice again. ‘I wanted this week to be perfect, but I’ve ruined it.’
‘You haven’t, darling. You’ve organised an amazing week. Everybody is having so much fun.’
‘But your parents are arriving any minute. Look at the state of me!’
‘It’ll be fine. I’ll take them out for brunch, take them for a walk around the village, whatever. Give you time to feel more like yourself.’
The Wedding that Changed Everything Page 15
