“That would be lovely, Mum, thank you.” Kate felt a lump forming in her throat, and reached up to capture her hand. “I love you, both of you, and I’m sorry I upset you yesterday.”
“Don’t be silly, darling. It’s fine.” Helen squeezed her hand. “You just relax, and give Jenny a ring about tomorrow.”
****
Kate stretched out in the bath and let the warmth soothe her aching limbs. She had filled the water with bubbles, and they were threatening to overflow and take over the bathroom. She rested her head against the end of the bath and closed her eyes.
She had texted Jenny earlier and organised for her to come back with them after the rehearsal. Jenny had been very keen, and Kate was wondering just how much she could tell her about the ill-fated trip to Dartmoor. If it hadn’t been for the bruises, it would have begun to seem like a dream rather than a real event, and Kate found herself having a hard job remembering all the details.
Except for the kiss. There was no way she could ever forget that kiss. She had never experienced anything like that before, and if she married Richard she never would again. But she still had to marry Richard. Of course she had to marry him. She couldn’t bear the thought of how many people she would be letting down if she cried off now.
Better that she married him for now and sorted it out later. That’s what she’d have to do. It didn’t have to be for ever.
She gently rubbed the bubbles over her body, noting just how painful her ribs were. She peered down through the water at the massive bruise that extended from just below her armpit almost to her waist. At least that would be covered by her dress. But her shoulder and arm wouldn’t. That was a problem that really needed addressing. She was going to have to let Jenny into the secret of the bruises and enlist her help. They would need to be very creative if they were going to find some way of covering them up.
She sighed and slid further down into the bath. And of course Richard would see all the bruises on Saturday night. But that was something she really didn’t want to think about just now. In fact she didn’t really want to think about it at all.
She stood up and reached for a towel. It was only eight o’clock, but she was going to go straight to bed after this. Her mother had made a lovely pizza for her tea—not as good as the one Sam had made, of course—the bath had gone some way to relaxing her, and she felt she might actually sleep. Hopefully things would seem less messed up in the morning, although at the moment she couldn’t see how. She stepped out of the bath and began to dry herself carefully. She had really messed up this time, and it was all her own fault. She had given in to her emotions when she should have stayed strong. There was no way she was going to let her mess ruin the day. She had to go through with it, no matter what.
She slipped into her pyjamas and padded back to the bedroom. Her bed was turned down, ready for her, and the curtains were closed despite the fact that it was still sunny outside. Thankfully she slid under the duvet and lay back on the pillows. That felt so good. Glancing over to her left, she saw her phone, still plugged in to charge. She picked it up and stared at it for a moment, then made a decision and wrote a quick text.
Are you all right? Did you see a doctor?
She pressed Send and watched until it said it was delivered. Texting Sam was the last thing she should have done, and was probably another one of those Very Bad Ideas she seemed to keep having, but she couldn’t help worrying about him and just needed to know he was all right. He probably wouldn’t reply anyway, although he had messaged her earlier to let her know he had put his SIM card in an old phone, so she could still contact him if she needed.
She put the phone back on her bedside table and snuggled down under the covers, taking care not to lie on her left side. She closed her eyes and was just beginning to doze when a bleep from her phone jerked her fully awake again. Reaching for it, she pulled it under the cover and read the text.
I’m fine. Yes, Mum sent me to docs. No concussion. Hope your bruises are not too bad. x
Kate read the message three times, then carefully laid the phone back on the table. He was all right. And he had put a kiss.
Chapter 18
Friday 24th July
“Kate! Granny’s here. Are you up yet?”
At the sound of her mother’s voice, Kate pulled the quilt up to her chin and sighed. She really would have to get up now. She’d been awake for over an hour but had been putting off the evil moment of actually getting up and facing the rest of the world. Her long sleep had been beset with dreams about cars, deer, rain, weddings, and kissing, and in one particularly bizarre one, she had been riding a deer across a moor in the rain, pursued by Richard and Sam, both driving Land Rovers. She knew in the dream that whichever one reached her first she would have to marry, and so as not to have that decision made for her, she forced the deer to jump across a river to avoid them. That had been the point at which she had woken up, sweating profusely, her sheets in a tangle.
Wearily she swung her legs out of bed and sat up. “Won’t be long, Mum,” she called. “Just getting dressed.”
“Well, hurry up. We’re going over to the hotel in a few minutes, to check everything’s ready.”
“Okay.” Kate stood up and stretched. She still felt very stiff and achy, and her bruises were even more painful than the day before. She pulled off her pyjamas, left them in a heap on the floor, and stood in front of the long mirror to inspect them. To her horror, the ones on her shoulder and arm were even deeper purple, but now with a yellowish tinge around the outside. They were going to be very difficult to hide. She turned to look at her side and leg and sighed. They were all beginning to turn yellow, and each one was very sore to touch. She certainly wouldn’t be wearing jeans again today, or a skirt.
With a mental promise to herself that she would have a shower when they got back from the hotel, she pulled on some underwear, then opened her cupboard and surveyed the contents. It looked to be another lovely sunny day, so she needed to find something to wear that didn’t draw attention. Wearing long sleeves was going to be bad enough, but sweatpants were definitely out. She rummaged for a moment, then pulled out a pair of light brown combat-type trousers. They were made of a thin cotton material and were fairly baggy, so she pulled them on and checked herself in the mirror. They’d have to do. She teamed them with a white vest top and a green checked shirt, left open. Most of her flat shoes looked completely wrong with the trousers, and it was far too hot for Converse, so she completed the outfit with a pair of leather flip-flops.
She quickly straightened her hair, put on enough makeup to cover the bags under her eyes, added some jewellery, and made her way downstairs.
“Granny.”
Her grandmother was in the hallway talking to Helen, and she turned as Kate descended the stairs.
“There she is, the blushing bride to be.” She stepped forward and gave Kate a hug as she reached the bottom. “You look tired. Are you not sleeping well?”
“Not really. I had some weird dreams last night.” Kate smiled at her, and tried not to wince as her grandmother squeezed her ribs. “Your hair looks nice, Granny. Makes you look like Joan Baez.”
“Thank you, my dear.” Marion Granger smiled and patted her newly styled and dyed short dark hair. “Must look my best for your big day.”
“Are you ready, then, Kate?” Helen was by the front door. “I told the hotel we’d go at eleven.”
“Is Peter not coming?” Marion glanced around for her son.
“No, Marion, he had to go in to work this morning. This is more women’s work anyway. Come on, we’ll take my car.”
Kate followed them out into the sunshine, immediately finding she was too hot in her trousers and long-sleeved shirt, and climbed into the back of Helen’s Fiat. The car was even hotter, and she wound the window down in the hope of engendering a breeze.
As they drove through the middle of the village, she found her eyes drawn to the Harlequin’s Arms, where she could see Sam’s Land Rover sit
ting outside, apparently deposited there after being towed back by his father. Her stomach churned slightly, and she sank down in her seat as they passed.
The hotel was about half a mile from the centre of the village, just down the road from the church, and Helen drew up in the car park and turned off the engine.
“Hopefully we won’t have to do anything this morning,” she said, undoing her seatbelt and opening the door. “But we just need to check everything is there.”
Kate slid out of the back and closed the door behind her, then followed her mother and grandmother into the imposing ivy-covered building that was going to be the venue for her wedding reception. She tried to imagine walking through the door with Richard on her arm, as Mr. and Mrs. Cresswell, and she very nearly turned and ran.
She felt a huge lump form in her throat, her heart began to beat faster, and she paused in the entrance hall and steadied herself against a table. She needed to get a grip. Now was not the time for a panic attack. She had to go through with this, mostly for the sake of the two women in front of her. And her father. And of course Richard.
“Kate, keep up, darling. We need you to approve the decorations.”
Taking a deep breath, Kate caught up with them and walked into the huge room that was to serve as both dining room for the wedding breakfast and later as a ballroom for the dance in the evening. It was already set out with white tableclothed tables, the chairs decorated with white chair covers and pale blue ribbons to match the bridesmaids’ dresses. Helen glanced around with approval.
“This all looks very nice. I think this is how we said we wanted it, isn’t it, Kate?”
Kate shrugged. “I guess. It looks fine.” She was beginning to feel sick and badly needed to get back out into the fresh air.
“Really, Kate, show some more interest. It is your wedding,” Helen chided with a frown. “Now we just need to see the cake, the table decorations, and the favours, and then we can probably go back.” She led the way to a side room, where the four-tier square cake was currently residing, surrounded by the homemade wedding favours that she and Kate had spent hours making a few weeks earlier. “Ah, yes, that all looks fine too. Isn’t the cake splendid, Marion?” Helen turned to her mother-in-law. “My friend Jane, in the village, made it for us.”
“It’s lovely, Helen.” Marion inspected the cake, with its mass of blue and mauve sugar flowers cascading down the tiers, and the silver horseshoe topper. “Very impressive. Kate, are you all right? You look very pale.”
Kate shook her head. “Not really, Granny. I feel a bit sick, actually. I think I’ll go back outside to get some air, if that’s all right.”
Helen glanced at her sharply and nodded. “On you go, darling. We’ll be out in a moment. I just need to find out where they’ve put the table decorations. By the way, I don’t think you dressed very wisely this morning, Kate. Those clothes look a bit heavy for a day like this.”
Kate made her way back out to the car and leant against it with her eyes closed. She was well aware that her behaviour was probably making her mother even more convinced she was pregnant, but she really couldn’t help it. She felt on the edge of panic, her bruises were all hurting, and instead of being excited for the following day, she had an overwhelming feeling of doom. That was no way to go into a marriage, but she could see no other option.
She pressed her hands over her eyes and uttered a long shuddering sigh. She had to talk to someone, and she supposed that someone would need to be Jen. She would make her feel better. She pulled her phone out of her pocket. It was still only eleven thirty. Jen wouldn’t be over until four for the rehearsal. She would need to find some way of getting through the rest of the day until then, and avoid too much conversation with her mother or grandmother. Even her father wasn’t at home to be her ally.
“Kate, do you still feel sick?” Helen appeared at her side and put a hand on her arm.
“No, I’m okay now.” Kate mustered a smile. “It’s just the heat, I expect.”
“Hmmm.” Helen looked at her closely. “If you say so. Come on, then, let’s get back home and have a cuppa. And you can take those silly trousers off. Far too hot for today.”
They drove back to the house in silence, and Kate followed her mother and grandmother to the kitchen. Helen immediately filled the kettle, and Marion sat down at the table.
“Do go and get changed, Kate.” Helen glanced over her shoulder at her. “You’ll feel much better if you’re cooler. Would you like tea?”
“Okay.” Kate shrugged. “If you like. And cake too, please.”
She turned and started slowly up the stairs. They were insisting she change her clothes. That was a bit of a problem. She opened her cupboard again and stared at the contents. As far as she could see, her only other option was a long multi-coloured Indian cotton skirt she had bought during her hippy phase, which had lasted all of two weeks in the summer after she left school. She pulled it out and held it up against her. It came down just far enough to cover the bruises on her ankle bone, so she stripped off the trousers and slipped it on.
She looked in the mirror. Of course it didn’t go with the green checked shirt, so she pulled that off too and tossed it onto the bed. The only long-sleeved top that worked with it was a white peasant blouse, so she pulled that on over her vest top. She looked in the mirror and grimaced. She looked ridiculous and not at all like herself. But it did look more summery, so it would hopefully keep her mother quiet.
Rummaging in her handbag, she pulled out a card of Paracetamol and popped two in her mouth, washing them down with a gulp of rather stale water from beside her bed, then made her way back downstairs.
Helen and Marion had moved into the conservatory and had the door to the garden open. Helen looked up as Kate entered.
“Ah, that’s better, darling. You look much cooler. I don’t think I’ve seen that skirt before.”
“It’s very old.” Kate sat down in a wicker chair. “I never usually wear it.”
Marion looked over at her. “It reminds me of the sort of things we used to wear in the sixties,” she said with a reminiscent smile.
Kate looked at her grandmother in surprise. “Were you a hippy, Granny?” she asked with a smile.
Marion took a sip of her tea. “I think we all were for a while. It was the summer of ’67, the Summer of Love they called it. Your father was just five, and I spent the summer hanging out at festivals and took him with me. It was a lovely time.”
Helen stared at her. “Marion! I never knew any of that. What about Douglas? Did he go to the festivals too?”
Marion looked slightly guilty. “He had to go to work. I was a stay-at-home mum, as they call them now, so I was able to spend the whole summer doing what I liked. We very nearly fell out over it, actually. I was rather selfish back then.”
Kate looked at her with a new respect. Her grandmother had hidden depths. “That sounds such fun. Did Dad enjoy it?”
“I doubt he remembers much about it.” Marion gave a cheeky grin. “In fact, I rather hope he doesn’t! I did a few things that summer that not many people know about. I think he might be a little shocked if he knew what his very respectable mother got up to.”
“Granny!” Kate giggled and curled her legs up under her with a wince of pain. “Why are you telling us now?”
“Well, a lot of time has gone by, Douglas is dead now so can’t be hurt by it, and at seventy-five I reckon I can get away with having an interesting past.” She looked keenly at Kate. “Are you all right, Kate? You looked like you were in pain.”
“I’m fine.” Kate wriggled into a more comfortable position. “Just got a little bruise on my hip.”
“Good job it’s only on your hip,” Helen said. “That will be well covered by your dress. How did you do that?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Kate tossed her head impatiently. “I think I bumped into a table or something. Now back to Granny…what on earth did you get up to that Granddad wouldn’t have liked?”
&
nbsp; Marion sighed. “Oh, nothing much by today’s standards, I suppose. It’s just that he was rather a respectable man—you know, he worked in a bank—and I think he was rather embarrassed that his wife was going round draped in flowers and hanging out with hippies. I married too young, I think. I was only just twenty-two when Peter was born. I felt very trapped and not really ready to settle down, and 1967 was about letting my hair down and being young again. Douglas was nearly ten years older than me, of course, and he just didn’t understand it. He was of a different generation, really.”
“Granny, I never knew any of this!” Kate was enthralled. “Did you do anything really naughty?”
“Kate! Really.” Helen frowned. “I’m not sure you should ask that.”
“It’s fine.” Marion chuckled. “I’ve started telling you, so you may as well hear it all. Nowadays I doubt you’d think much of it, but I smoked dope a fair bit. Never at home, of course, but I was rather naïve and didn’t realise how much my clothes smelled of it. So Douglas found out, and that was when we had the really big row.” She sighed. “I’m really not sure we were suited at all. These days, I wouldn’t have married him. I would have gone off travelling while I was still young.” She glanced over at Kate and looked as though she was about to speak, then changed her mind. “My rebel phase only really lasted for that summer, but it was a summer to remember. I’m very glad it happened.”
“Wow, that’s really weird, Granny!” Kate was watching her with awe. “I had no idea you were so interesting. I’m sorry.”
“No reason why you would have. I don’t usually talk about it.”
“Well, I must say I’m very surprised, Marion.” Helen got to her feet. “We’ve always thought you seemed so respectable.”
“I am now. Have been for years. Once that summer was over, I conformed to what Douglas wanted me to be. We were happy enough, and I had Peter, of course, but I often wondered…” She tailed off and stared out into the garden.
“Right. I’m going to make some cakes for later.” Helen stroked Kate’s hair as she passed. “You look a bit pale, darling. Are you still feeling sick?”
Breaking All the Rules Page 21
