Meet Me at Willow Hall

by Carla Burgess

  ‘No, you don’t! You don’t get away that easily!’ She laughed. ‘You’re the perfect model for this dress and there’s a roomful of brides-to-be out there, so come on. You can be my model.’

  Whipping back the curtain, she beckoned me out. Elena was waiting patiently at the front of the stall as I padded barefoot towards her. I was aware of people stopping to look, but I kept my eyes on Elena. Her face lit up when she saw me and she covered her face with her hands before placing them over her heart. ‘Oh, isn’t it gorgeous? You just have to wear something like that. It’s so you.’

  ‘I do love it,’ I said, turning slightly so the skirt swished from side to side. The silk whispered around my bare legs and I flexed my toes self-consciously as people gathered around to watch.

  ‘And here we have a tea-length bridal gown in ivory silk,’ the sales assistant said to the crowd of onlookers. ‘This is from our vintage collection and is also available in white or oyster. If you’d just like to turn around, Rachel, and let everyone see the detailing on the back.’

  Obediently I turned while the sales assistant pointed out the pearl detailing on the buttons at the back of the dress. ‘I should get you to model some more really, shouldn’t I?’ she said to me cheerfully. ‘Well done! You can take a bow now.’

  Turning back round to face Elena, my smile froze on my face as I found myself looking into the bright-blue eyes of the man standing directly behind her.

  Running a hand through his dark-blond hair, Anthony Bascombe looked on in startled disbelief.

  ‘Rachel?’

  Chapter Two

  I couldn’t speak. All I could do was stand and stare at him in shocked silence, and all he did was stare back.

  My brain seemed to have shut down. I was dimly aware of the sales assistant talking about the dress, but she seemed very far away all of a sudden. Everything seemed to fade out, leaving just me and Anthony staring at each other beneath the twinkling lights of the marquee. I didn’t know what to do or say. And, seemingly, neither did he.

  ‘Oh, my God!’ Elena said in a shocked voice as she turned to see who I was staring at. ‘Anthony!’

  He seemed to gather himself then. Shaking his head slightly, he looked at Elena and switched on his smile. ‘Elena!’ Stepping forward, he kissed her on both cheeks. ‘How lovely to see you. And you, Rachel.’ His eyes returned to mine. ‘You look… you look…’ He indicated the bridal gown, his eyes travelling the length of my body down to my bare feet and back up to my eyes. ‘…Very well.’ He nodded slightly and took a deep breath in. ‘So, you’re getting married! Congratulations!’ Nodding again, he flashed the briefest of smiles. ‘Well, must dash. It’s good to see you.’

  And then he was gone, striding purposefully away through the crowded marquee. I stared after his retreating figure in heart-pounding disbelief.

  ‘How do you know him then?’ the sales assistant asked as she continued to fuss about with the back of the dress. ‘He owns the hall, doesn’t he? Very handsome man. Some of the girls were talking about him earlier. And his brother too. Nice-looking family. Great genes, obviously.’

  I couldn’t form the words to answer her question. Luckily, she was distracted by someone else asking to try on a bridal gown. I looked at Elena. She was staring at me in wide-eyed horror. ‘Are you okay?’ she murmured, stepping closer and taking my hand. ‘You’ve gone really pale.’

  ‘Errm, I err…’ I shook my head, unable to find any words. I was lightheaded and trembling all over.

  ‘Shall we take this dress off now, my lovely?’ said the sales assistant, steering me back towards the dressing room and starting to unbutton the back of the dress. ‘Oooh, are you cold? You’ve got goose bumps all over! If you give me a minute, I’ll get you the details for the bridesmaid dress in this style. You’ll have to order it online, but at least you’ll know the size now you’ve tried this one on. Here, step out and I’ll leave you to get dressed.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  She left me alone and I stood with my eyes closed, sucking in deep lungfuls of air and trying to calm my racing heart. I felt panicky and there was a deep ache in the pit of my stomach that seemed to be anger, despair and longing all rolled into one. Because no matter how many times I told people I was over him, that I hated him and never wanted to see him again as long as I lived, I knew none of that was true. I was a long way from getting over Anthony Bascombe, and his sudden appearance just now had proved that beyond a doubt.

  What did I do now? Just leave? Just walk away like it had never happened? I wasn’t sure I could do that. I needed to see him again. I needed to talk to him. I needed to know why he’d finished with me so abruptly.

  Dressing quickly, I took a moment to steady my breathing before going back out to Elena. She was chewing her fingernail and looking worried. ‘Do you want to go?’ she said, her dark eyes wide with concern. ‘We can go. I don’t mind.’

  I shook my head. ‘No. I’m fine.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ She raised her left eyebrow sceptically. ‘The lady’s given me the details for the bridesmaid dress so there’s nothing we really need to do now. We can go.’

  Taking a deep breath in, I shook my head again. ‘No, it’s okay. I’ve seen him now. It’s done.’

  ‘Well, I doubt we’ll see him again, anyway.’ Elena tucked her arm through mine. ‘He practically ran away.’

  I forced a smile and looked over at the flower stall. ‘Let’s have a look at the flowers. She might have some ideas I can use in the shop.’

  ‘You should start exhibiting at these wedding fairs. I told you that at the last one we went to.’

  ‘Yeah, I know.’ We paused next to the flower stall, but I was more interested in scanning the crowd for signs of Anthony than taking much notice of the flower designs.

  ‘You could send Bobbi if you didn’t want to do them yourself,’ Elena added, mistaking my distraction for disinterest.

  I laughed. ‘Maybe. Shall we go and sit down outside and have something to eat? I think they’re serving food from the back of the house.’ I led the way back out of the marquee. Small round tables had been placed on the lawn so guests could eat. I found one that was empty and sat down. Elena glanced around before taking the seat opposite me.

  ‘I can’t believe he was here!’ she hissed. ‘After everything we were saying in the car.’

  ‘I know.’ I opened my eyes wide and inhaled deeply. All around us, people chatted and laughed while sipping champagne, completely unaware that my life had just been thrown into turmoil. I was so stunned and confused, my head was spinning. But really, I had no right to be feeling this shocked. There was always a chance he’d be here. This was his family home, after all.

  And maybe, just maybe, part of me had hoped he would be.

  I’d often wondered how I would react if I saw him again. How many nights had I lain awake, missing him and wondering where he was and who he was with? Even while I was furious with him, I missed him. I cried myself to sleep, night after night, thinking about him and longing for him to come back to me. As weeks turned into months and it became clear he wasn’t going to change his mind and come back, I’d tied to convince myself that, even if he did, I wouldn’t want him. That my feelings had changed and I wouldn’t feel the same way about him. Too much time had passed and he’d hurt me so much I was bound to feel differently. The connection would be severed and there would be no attraction. It would be like looking at a stranger, and his blue eyes would no longer have any hold over me.

  But it hadn’t been like looking into the eyes of a stranger. I’d felt exactly the same way as I had twelve months ago. It was so strange to feel that same connection. How could I still be in love with him after all this time? What kind of masochist was I?

  Of course, he was still as handsome as ever. The high cheekbones and square jaw. The sparkling blue eyes and neatly cropped fair hair. But it wasn’t just about his looks. It was more than that. If it had been only that, his brother would have had the same effec
t on me – they looked so alike. As soon as I saw him, the good memories had come flooding back, overpowering the words in his letter.

  They were serving afternoon tea from the terrace at the back of the house. Elena went up to join the queue while I stayed at the table, trying to regain some control over my emotions. I wasn’t even hungry. My stomach had lurched so violently when I’d seen Anthony that it felt sore and bruised.

  ‘Rachel? Is that really you?’ Julian, Anthony’s brother, appeared next to our table, looking down at me in disbelief. ‘How wonderful to see you again. I just saw Anthony and he said he’d just seen you, and I had to come and find you and say hello. How are you?’

  ‘I’m fine. Thank you, Julian. How are you?’ Standing up, I kissed him on both cheeks. His broad, happy grin was so infectious that I found myself smiling back at him. He looked so happy to see me that I felt truly touched. He was such a lovely man.

  ‘Very well, thank you! Wow! This is wonderful! And you’re getting married, I believe? Congratulations! Do you have a date set yet?’

  Blinking rapidly, I opened my mouth to tell him I wasn’t getting married, just trying out the style of dress, but at that moment Elena arrived back at the table, abandoning her place in the queue.

  ‘You haven’t set a date yet, have you, Rachel? Hi, I’m Elena by the way.’ She reached out to shake Julian’s hand. ‘I’m getting married at the end of August, though.’

  ‘This coming August?’ Julian’s eyes lit up.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Do you have everything booked already?’

  ‘Yes, pretty much. All sorted really.’

  ‘Oh, lovely. Whereabouts are you getting married? Forgive me if that seems like a nosy question.’ He pressed the palm of his hand to his chest, looking embarrassed. ‘It’s just that this is our first foray into being a wedding venue, and I’m interested in hearing why people choose the places they do.’

  ‘Oh, well, it came down to cost in the end. We’ve been renovating a house so most of our money has gone on that. It made sense to get married at the local golf club to keep costs down.’

  ‘Oh, okay. Fair enough. What about you, Rachel? What will you be looking for when you choose your wedding venue?’

  My mouth dropped open. ‘Oh, I don’t know yet, really. Willow Hall is so beautiful, though.’

  ‘It certainly is. An ideal venue, I’d say. And Liz and I got married here, so I know it’s perfect. How about I give you the guided tour and we’ll see if I can tempt you into booking your wedding with us? After all, what better revenge than to get married at your ex-boyfriend’s family home?’ He winked at me and I laughed.

  ‘True.’ I felt my cheeks flush. What had I got myself into now? I wasn’t sure I could keep up the pretence of being engaged. I opened my mouth to tell him we really ought to be going home now, but Elena jumped in before I could get my words out.

  ‘We’d love to look round,’ she said eagerly, her eyes lighting up.

  ‘Great!’ Julian looked delighted. ‘Are you ready now?’

  ‘Yes!’ Elena said, before I could back out.

  ‘Great! Well, as you can see, we have the pavilion here laid out on the lawn,’ he said, gesturing to the marquee. ‘We call it the pavilion rather than the marquee because it’s a semi-permanent structure, with its own toilets and electricity supply. We can cater for up to one hundred and eighty guests in there, with space for a dance floor and a stage for a band or DJ. You’ve been in there already, haven’t you? What did you think?’

  ‘It was beautiful,’ Elena said. ‘Especially with all the lights on the ceiling.’

  ‘Yes, that’s our starry-night theme. Perfect for creating a romantic ambience. We’re really pleased with it.’

  ‘Do you conduct the civil ceremonies in there?’

  ‘No, we’re planning on holding them in the orangery or the library. Although only the orangery is ready at the moment. If you’d like to follow me, I’ll show you now.’ He led us to the end of the house where the orangery jutted out, surrounded by flowering shrubs. Crocuses flowered in the lawn, blue and yellow flowers poking up from the green grass. ‘It’s quite shady down here,’ he said, gesturing to the large oak tree nearby, ‘so it doesn’t get too hot in the midday sun. Ideal on a boiling hot summer’s day. Will you be having a civil ceremony or a church service, Elena?’

  ‘Church.’

  ‘And you, Rachel?’

  ‘Err, haven’t decided yet.’

  ‘Oh!’ Julian shot me a surprised glance. ‘You really are in the early stages of planning, aren’t you?’

  I laughed nervously. ‘What about you, Julian? Did you and Liz get married in here?’

  ‘No, we were married in the parish church, which is just down the road. You’ll have seen it when you turned into the drive. It’s a lovely church and we’ve had a word with the vicar, who seems quite open to marrying couples from out of the parish, so that’s also an option if you choose to book with us. So, what’s your fiancé’s name, Rachel?’

  I gulped, my mind immediately emptying of all possible names.

  ‘Jayjay,’ Elena said helpfully.

  ‘Jayjay?’ Julian turned to look at me, eyebrows raised. ‘Where did you meet?’

  ‘In my flower shop, The Birdcage,’ I said truthfully. I had met Jayjay in the shop, but only because he was Bobbi’s boyfriend. Bobbi worked in The Birdcage with me and had been seeing Jayjay for a couple of months now. They made a lovely couple, and Jayjay was cute but certainly not my type.

  ‘Lovely.’ Julian opened the door to the orangery and let us inside. It had been laid out as though ready for a wedding, with rows of beribboned chairs and an aisle left for the bride to walk down. ‘This can seat sixty guests, so obviously, if you wanted more guests, it would be best to choose to have the wedding in one of our other rooms, such as the library or the Great Hall when it’s finished.’

  ‘Great Hall? That sounds very grand.’

  Julian grimaced and then laughed self-consciously. ‘Well, it’s possibly not quite as grand as it sounds. We’re still in the process of restoring it. We’re nearly there, though, so by the time anyone books a wedding we’ll have it all back to its former glory.’

  ‘How many weddings have you booked so far?’

  ‘One today, so far that is. But that’s for next year and we were rather hoping we’d get someone booking for this year. Probably a bit of a long shot. Most people book their weddings at least a year in advance. But still, we live in hope. If we could get someone to book with us this summer, that would be a great start.’

  ‘You could advertise,’ I suggested. ‘There’s bound to be someone who’s left everything to the last minute.’

  ‘Liz suggested that. I’m not sure it’s the best idea, though. It makes us sound a bit desperate to be so public about it.’

  ‘Where is Liz, by the way? Is she here or is she at home with the kids?’ Julian and Liz had two children and lived up in Scotland. ‘How are they all?’

  ‘Oh, Liz is fine. But this is home now. We all live here.’

  ‘Here? Really?’

  ‘Yes. It all came to a head last year. After Anthony’s accident, we realised we couldn’t stay living so far away. It put a lot of things into perspective and made us all sit up and open our eyes.’

  I nodded. ‘How is he?’

  ‘He’s doing well. You saw him before, didn’t you?’

  ‘Yes. But we didn’t really speak.’

  ‘Oh, really?’ Julian looked surprised, as though he’d imagined Anthony and I having a good old chat. ‘Well, he’s fine, anyway. Recovering well. His accident made us see we’d been living our own separate lives, carrying on like it was fine to leave our mother here, managing this massive hall and twenty-two acres on her own. The more we visited, the more we realised Mother wasn’t coping quite as well as she claimed, and the old place was rather falling apart. So Liz and I moved back. We’re living in the east wing with Mother and Arthur.’

  ‘Arthur the
gardener?’ I interrupted, remembering a bit of gossip from the Christmas before last where Julian and Liz were speculating about him and Cath being in a relationship. Anthony had been appalled by the idea.

  Julian laughed. ‘Yes, we all live together now, like one big, happy family. It’s only temporary, though. Liz and I are renovating one of the houses on the estate to live in.’

  ‘Does Anthony live with you too?’

  ‘No, he’s moved into Arthur’s old cottage to be miserable on his own.’

  ‘He lives here, though? On the estate?’

  ‘Oh, yes!’ Julian looked surprised at the question. ‘Yes, we all live here now. Got to make a go of this place or else we’ll have to sell it.’

  ‘I kind of thought that was what Anthony wanted? He hates this place, doesn’t he?’

  Julian shrugged. ‘Hmm, well, we can’t sell while Mother’s still alive. It would kill her. Right, I’ll show you the Great Hall if you want to see it?’

  I glanced at Elena, who was looking eager and excited. ‘Oh, yes, please.’

  He led us into the house through a side door, and we walked through long, wood-panelled corridors with high ceilings and threadbare carpets. It was gloomy, and the air smelt musty and stale, as though this part of the house was rarely used. Julian stopped at the end of the corridor and opened a door on the left.

  ‘Here we are,’ he said cheerfully, as we stepped into darkness. He flicked a switch on the wall, but the room remained dark. ‘Oops! Just a moment. I’ll open one of these curtains and let some light in.’ We watched as he wrestled a long, dark drape to one side, releasing clouds of dust as he did so. It sparkled in the air as the light poured in, revealing a large, rectangular room with mystery humps of furniture hidden beneath dustsheets. As my eyes slowly adjusted to the light, I started to make out family portraits hanging on the walls.

  ‘Wow!’ Elena said, looking round, impressed. ‘This is a great room, isn’t it?’

  I turned a slow circle, taking in the sadly neglected room. It could be a great room, but right now it just made me feel sad. As a florist, I’d delivered many wedding flowers to venues like Willow Hall, and their rooms were all sparkling silverware and polished floors. It was sad to see this beautiful old house so uncared for and a shame they couldn’t have sorted it out before this wedding fair. A beautiful big room like this had the potential to convince people to have their wedding here. Especially a winter wedding. I imagined a roaring fire in the big fireplace at the end of the room, decorated with garlands of holly and mistletoe.