‘Well, that was lovely, wasn’t it?’ Mum said, sidling up to me afterwards and dabbing her eyes with a tissue. ‘I do love a good wedding.’
‘Don’t! You’ll start me off,’ I said, my throat aching with the effort of not crying. Mum passed me a tissue and I blew my nose surreptitiously behind her back. Anthony appeared behind me and slipped a hand round my waist.
‘Hello, hello,’ he said, kissing my mum and then me. ‘May I say how beautiful you’re both looking today?’
‘You may!’ Mum said, laughing merrily. ‘Although I fear you mean Rachel more than me.’
‘Not at all. Like mother like daughter. Although you look more like sisters today.’
Mum laughed. ‘Well, someone’s feeling silver-tongued! And may I say how very handsome you’re looking, too, Anthony? Although there’s nothing unusual in that.’
‘Mother! Don’t flatter him so much. His head is big enough as it is!’ I placed a hand on his chest and he drew me close. Mum melted away and he bent down to kiss me.
‘Christ, you look gorgeous,’ he murmured against my lips. ‘It feels like ages since I saw you. I missed you.’
‘I know. Me too.’
‘Err, excuse me! Don’t be smudging her make-up, please. We have photos to get through first.’ Elena came and grabbed my hand, tugging me towards the group of people lining up by the church steps. ‘Come on, group one first with everyone in front of the church.’
The photographs seemed to last for ever. After the group photos had been taken, most of the guests started to leave to drive up to the hall. Anthony disappeared too, saying he didn’t want to leave everything to Julian and Liz. Elena and Daniel had more photos in the churchyard and beneath the lychgate before travelling up to the hall.
There were more photographs in the grounds of Willow Hall and, despite having had very little to do with how wonderful the house and grounds looked, I was immensely proud of it all. Elena and Daniel had one last photo in front of the car and then we were free to go.
I went to find Anthony, who was sitting with my parents at their table in the pavilion. It looked magical, with the tables all laid out and the fairy lights sparkling in the roof, and I looked around in awe.
‘Hello! Are you having fun?’ Mum turned to look at me as I stood by the table.
‘Yes. Although my face aches from smiling so much.’ I placed my bouquet on the table and sat down on Anthony’s lap as his hand snaked around the back of my legs. Turning, I kissed him full on the lips and wrapped an arm around his neck. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Yes, I’m fine.’ He smiled at me, showing his lovely white teeth. ‘Feeling a bit guilty about not being much help to everyone in the kitchen, but they’ve already rejected my offers of assistance.’
‘I’m sure everything’s under control, and the caterers will be doing most of it now.’ I looked around at the tables full of happy, smiling guests. ‘I think it’s gone really well so far.’
‘We haven’t even eaten yet. Nor had the speeches.’
‘Don’t be so negative.’ I kissed his cheek. ‘Willow Hall is bound to be a success as a wedding venue. It’s perfect!’
A man wearing a pink shirt and tie had set up a tripod and camera at the side of the pavilion. ‘Who’s that?’ I murmured. ‘He’s not the same photographer as before.’
‘No.’ Anthony peered round me to look. ‘He’s from Country Weddings magazine. He’s doing a glossy double-page spread, apparently. Elena and Daniel have agreed to it, don’t worry. There’s also meant to be a bloke taking a video for our website. I hope he does a good job. Last time I saw him he was in the kitchen chatting up one of the waitresses.’
I laid my head on his shoulder. ‘I’m sad I can’t sit by you at the meal.’
‘Well, that’s just not good enough.’ He squeezed my waist, his eyes sparkling with amusement. ‘I’m going to move my chair so I’m sitting next to you at the top table.’
‘Are you now?’ I giggled, imagining Elena’s face if her seating plan got changed. ‘Well, you are the owner, I suppose.’
‘Exactly. What the owner wants, the owner gets.’
‘Ooh! Masterful! And what does the owner want?’
‘You.’ He pressed his lips against mine, making my head spin.
‘Do you two mind!’ Mum’s voice cut through the air. ‘There are other people in the room, you know. Not just you two.’
‘Sorry!’ I stood up and smiled, feeling slightly embarrassed when I realised it wasn’t just my parents sitting with us, but Elena’s brother and her aunt and uncle too. ‘I suppose I’d better take my seat.’
‘Okay.’ Anthony squeezed my hand and winked. ‘But remember, I’ll be watching you like a hawk to make sure you’re not flirting with the best man.’
‘Who? Zach?’ I glanced over at Daniel’s best man. He was the lead singer in the band Daniel played guitar in. Zach was lovely, but a bit off-the-wall, and a surprising choice for a best man, I thought. Still, he was looking quite tidy today in his suit, with his hair all neatly cut. The last time I’d seen him, he’d been sporting a man-bun and was headbanging on stage. ‘Zach’s lovely, but not my type, I’m afraid.’
‘Glad to hear it.’
‘Besides, he’s sitting at the opposite end of the table to me. I’m next to Daniel’s father.’
I took my seat at the top table. Virtually everyone except Elena and Daniel were sitting down and the room was full of chatter and laughter. I noted with satisfaction that my table decorations of pink peonies and white roses still looked beautiful and fresh.
Julian stepped in and cleared his throat. He looked nervous to be acting as the toastmaster, and the microphone in his hand was shaking, but his voice was strong as he announced the arrival of Elena and Daniel.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, would you please give a very warm welcome to our bride and groom, using their married name for the very first time: Mr and Mrs Daniel and Elena Moore.’
The room erupted in a storm of cheering, clapping and camera flashes as Elena and Daniel appeared through the doorway. Music boomed through the speaker system and, laughing, they made their way hand in hand to the top table. The crystals on the bodice of her dress sparkled and she looked so beautiful and happy that I felt tears sting my eyes once more. I couldn’t believe my best friend was married, and to the boy she’d been in love with at school. It was like a fairy tale.
Anthony caught my eye across the room and smiled. Would we get our fairy-tale ending? I wondered.
‘I guess it will be you next,’ Rosa said, leaning past Daniel’s father, after Elena and Daniel sat down.
‘I wouldn’t bank on it, Rosa,’ I laughed. ‘It’s very early days yet.’
‘But that is the chap you were with last year, isn’t it?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well, then, there must be something special between you if you’ve got back together. It certainly looks like it anyway.’
I looked over at Anthony to find he was still watching me, smiling. My heart swelled with love as our eyes locked and held.
‘I didn’t think I was going to like this,’ Daniel’s father said to me as he spooned up his tomato and roasted sweet pepper soup.
‘Don’t you usually like soup?’ I asked politely.
‘No, I meant the venue. I was looking forward to having the wedding at our golf club, not this fancy-pants hall. But I have to admit, it is lovely.’
‘You’re staying over tonight, aren’t you?’
‘Yes, we’ve got a room in the hall. It’s lovely. Got great views over the hills. One of my friends has a daughter who just got engaged. I’m going to recommend this place to him.’
‘Excellent!’
A warm feeling settled in my stomach. I felt like everything was going to work out fine, after all. Willow Hall’s wedding business would be a success, my flower business would thrive, and Anthony and I would live happily ever after. Just like Elena and Daniel.
Once the main course of slow-cooked con
fit of duck with honey-glazed parsnips and fondant potatoes had been consumed, and the dessert plates had been collected, the waitresses served tea and coffee before topping up everyone’s glasses for the toasts. Elena’s father looked nervous as he got to his feet to propose a toast to Elena and Daniel. He then went on to say what a lovely girl Elena was and what a lucky man Daniel was.
‘Seriously, though,’ he went on, when everybody laughed, ‘they make a wonderful couple. Daniel’s a great young man and I know he’ll look after my little girl as they make their way through life together.’
Daniel stood up, looking slightly red in the face. He thanked his father-in-law and began, ‘On behalf of my wife and I…’ at which everyone clapped and cheered. Elena caught his hand and kissed it. He talked about how much he loved Elena and how he’d fancied her at school but never had the guts to ask her out, and everyone oohed and aahed. Rosa dabbed her eyes on a napkin.
Zach looked nervous as he got to his feet to do his best man speech. He kept one hand in his pocket as he regaled us with funny stories of Daniel’s antics in the band and told us what a good man he was, and how many times he’d come to Zach’s aid.
After the speeches, Elena and Daniel cut the cake. Cath had made a hexagonal three-tier cake like the one Elena had originally wanted, and the result looked amazing. I hoped the photographer for the magazine would take a nice close-up photo of it to promote Cath’s work.
Daniel’s band was playing at the evening reception. They had an extra guitarist so Daniel didn’t have to play all night, and while they brought in their instruments, microphones and amps, the rest of the guests went outside to enjoy the early evening sunshine. To my horror, Elena announced she was going to throw her bouquet for all the unmarried girls in the room. Please, no! I knew she was going to target me, and I couldn’t face the humiliation of catching the bouquet and having everybody looking at me and saying ‘Ooh, you next!’
I didn’t think it was fair on Anthony either.
‘Come on, Rachel,’ Elena called to me as the rest of her female friends and relatives started lining up excitedly on the green lawn, ready to catch the bouquet. Screwing up my face, I shook my head, but Elena was already on her way over to me, determined to make me join in. My heels sank into the grass as she grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the group of women. Thinking I really should have talked to her about this before the wedding, I found myself standing next to two of Daniel’s teenage cousins, who were already pushing each other out of the way, determined to be the one to catch it.
‘I’m going to catch it!’
‘No, I’m going to catch it!’
‘No, I’m going to catch it!’
Elena turned her back and, holding the bouquet in both hands, lobbed it backwards over her head and into the gaggle of girls. I took a step sideways to avoid the wild, two-headed beast that Daniel’s cousins had suddenly become. It was quite amazing how high they managed to leap into the air but the bouquet sailed over both pairs of outstretched hands. Elena had never been the best at judging distances, and had chucked the bouquet with such force that it sailed in a high arc over all the girls and hit Anthony on the side of the head with a dull thwack.
He looked up at the sky, as if wondering what in the world had hit him, and then down at the ground, where the bouquet lay on the grass. Completely oblivious of what was going on, he had been innocently crossing the grass to get to the hall. All the girls and several onlookers roared with laughter, but I could only stand and look on in horror.
Poor Anthony!
Luckily, he saw the funny side. ‘Has somebody lost something?’ he called, stooping to pick up the bouquet. Some of the petals had been damaged and were now lying in the grass.
‘Are you okay?’ I asked, hurrying across to him. ‘Did it hurt? I’m so sorry.’
‘You didn’t throw it, did you?’ he laughed.
‘No!’
‘Well, then.’ He took me in his arms and kissed me while all the onlookers clapped and cheered.
‘Talk about stealing the limelight!’ Elena laughed as she made her way towards us. ‘Sorry, Anthony! I wasn’t aiming for you, I swear.’
‘No harm done.’ He handed her back her bouquet and she gazed forlornly at the broken flowers as he walked away.
‘Oh, look!’ she said.
‘Well, that’s what happens if you chuck it about!’
She pulled a sad face. ‘Sorry, Rachel.’
‘It’s okay.’ I hugged her, feeling the stiff skirt of her beautiful gown pressing against my legs. ‘It’s been a beautiful day, hasn’t it? Are you enjoying yourself?’
‘Yes, it’s amazing.’ She hugged me again tightly. ‘And we have you to thank for all this.’
‘Me? I don’t think so!’
‘Yes, we do. If you hadn’t wanted to have a nose around Willow Hall, we would never have attended that wedding fair. And if Anthony hadn’t been in love with you, he would never have tried so hard to convince us to change the venue to here.’
‘No, it wasn’t like that at all!’
‘It was.’ Elena looked around at the hall and the pavilion and the surrounding countryside. ‘This place is so beautiful. You’re going to be so happy here.’ She squeezed my hand and moved away as an elderly aunt came over to speak to her.
Mum and Dad were standing nearby watching the children chase each other noisily around on the grass. The girls were doing handstands, the skirts of their pretty dresses up around their ears.
‘I remember you doing that,’ Mum told me.
‘Good job I’m not doing it now.’
She laughed. ‘I had no idea Elena had so many young relatives.’
‘I think they’re mostly related to Daniel. He’s got a big family.’
‘It’s nice to have children around,’ Mum said wistfully. ‘They make everything so much happier.’
Dad’s lip curled, and I laughed at him.
‘I wish we’d had more, but it never happened,’ Mum went on sadly.
‘Why, aren’t I enough for you?’ I quipped.
‘Of course you are, but it would have been lovely to have had more, that’s all. I hope you and Anthony have lots of babies.’
‘Oh, listen!’ I said, as Zach’s voice made an announcement. ‘Elena and Daniel are having their first dance. Come on.’
We went back into the pavilion and joined the other guests watching Elena and Daniel on the dance floor. They were swaying in each other’s arms while the band played a gentle Bryan Adams track. I felt Anthony’s arms sneak around my waist and he kissed my neck.
‘I was wondering where you’d gone,’ I murmured, leaning back against him.
‘I just went to see how everything was going in the hall.’
‘How is everyone? Frazzled or relaxed?’
‘Surprisingly relaxed, actually. The caterers have been excellent, and everything ran like clockwork. They’re just gearing up for the evening buffet now.’ He kissed the side of my face again. ‘Do we get to have a dance now too?’
‘Perhaps.’ I caught his eye and smiled.
We waited until some other couples joined the dancing before we took to the floor. Anthony held me close against him, looking deep into my eyes as we danced. I put my hand on the side of his face, stroking his cheek with my thumb, and he caught my hand and kissed my palm. The music changed to something faster, but Anthony still held me close as people jigged around us. I laid my head on his chest, thinking that life didn’t get much better than this. What could be better than dancing with a wonderful man, in beautiful surroundings, at my best friend’s wedding?
Chapter Thirteen
We danced for a bit longer, then went outside to get some air. The sun was setting over the rolling hills, turning them pink, then blue, then purple. We leaned against the fence to watch.
‘It’s so perfect here,’ I said dreamily. ‘This is the best wedding venue ever! Did I tell you that Daniel’s father is going to recommend this place to his friend? His daughter’
s getting married.’
Anthony didn’t respond and I glanced over at him to check he was listening. He was rubbing his chest, his face creased with pain. ‘Anthony?’
‘I’m fine,’ he gasped. ‘It’s just indigestion.’
Fear shot through me. Was it really just indigestion, or was it his heart? I looked back towards the house. ‘Can you walk?’
‘Of course I can walk!’ He tried to laugh to soften the sharpness of his words but ended up sucking in air as the pain overwhelmed him. ‘I’ll be all right in a minute.’
There was no way this was just indigestion. I looked around for help but everyone was inside the pavilion, dancing to the band. What should I do? Leave him and run back to the house? Make him walk with me? I didn’t even have my phone with me. I put my arm around him. ‘Let’s go to the house.’
He shook his head. ‘No. Everyone will fuss. It will pass in a minute.’
I felt like the sky, the fields, the pavilion, the house were all revolving around us, with just Anthony and me stuck in the middle. Just as I was starting to panic, Julian emerged from the kitchen door and I screamed his name across the garden. He took one look and started running, pulling his phone from his pocket before he reached us.
‘You all right, old chap?’ He gripped his brother’s shoulder with one hand, holding his phone to his ear with the other.
‘I’m fine. It’s passing now. It’s going.’
‘Good. Hello?’ Julian said, into the phone. ‘Ambulance, please. Yes, he’s conscious and he’s breathing, but he has severe chest pains and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.’ He reeled off the address to the hall.
‘I don’t want an ambulance.’ Anthony spoke through gritted teeth.
Meet Me at Willow Hall Page 19
