Confetti at the Cornish Café
Page 28
‘We’re taking over from Ben and Lily. We’re getting married – well, joined together. Handfasted.’
Jez shakes his head in disbelief but smiles. Nina and Shamia do their best goldfish impressions while the other staff look at each other in confusion. Then they all burst into applause and we’re engulfed in hugs and kisses and questions until my ears ring and my head spins.
‘Nice one, mate,’ says Jez, slapping Cal on the back.
Nina laughs and hugs me. ‘About time.’
‘You two are dark horses!’ Shamia says, almost dancing in delight.
‘And so,’ Cal says as we finally make our escape from the congratulations at Demelza’s, ‘all we have to do now is make an announcement to the guests. Are you ready? Because there really is no going back from this and I don’t want Boris flying off and ruining the moment again.’
I laugh. ‘I think we’d better leave Boris out of this one.’
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
The sun is slowly sinking as we stand at the top of the wedding glade, waiting for our cue from Neil. Cal’s hand tightens in mine. I’m still wearing my new blue dress, but I swapped my shoes for a pair of glittery flats. Tamsin retouched my make-up and I’m carrying the posy of Cornish flowers that was meant for Lily. Hazel made up a corsage that she and Tamsin fixed in my hair. As for Cal, he scrubbed up OK too. He’s in a crisp white shirt and his black jeans, with a casual jacket with a corsage to match mine.
‘Calvin and Demelza, would you like to join me for the ceremony?’ Neil says in a booming voice. I can almost feel Cal’s laughter at Neil’s solemn announcement of our full names and I’m sure I’m going to get the giggles. Although it’s not legal, this is meant to be a serious commitment and it feels like it, but I’m bubbling over with a silly, dream-like happiness that I can’t keep a lid on.
‘Are you ready?’ Cal whispers.
‘Oh, go on then.’ I glance over my shoulder. ‘Come on, boy.’
Mitch jumps to his paws and wags his tail. I’m sure he thinks he’s going for a walk so I hope he won’t be disappointed when he has to sit quietly with Nina while Cal and I do our stuff.
There are lots of ‘aws’ and I’m aware of phone screens glowing as we walk down the ‘aisle’ to the altar, but I’m sure most of them are for Mitch, who looks dapper in his tux scarf, as arranged by Lily.
A surprising number of Lily and Ben’s guests have stayed on to see us tie the knot, and they’re all smiling at me. It’s almost too much. Too much attention. Too much happiness. Too much emotion. If I dare to think for a second about the people who are missing, of my mum, I’ll never make it through the ceremony.
Cal draws me closer. ‘Look.’
‘Oh. Oh wow. Is that Sheila? And the Reverend Beverley – and Max with some of the flood families? How did they get here?’
‘Polly called them. They didn’t need asking twice.’
And now we reach the front rows where Polly, Rachel and her parents, my dad and Robyn and Andi are sitting, with Freya, quiet as a mouse, in her buggy. She’s not asleep, though. I can see her tiny hand grasping at the air as if she’s trying to reach for the twinkly lights strung over the wedding bower. It’s still bright outside, of course, but the fairy lights have been lit. On the other side, Tamsin, Isla and Luke smile at us.
‘Where’s Kit?’ I ask.
‘Here.’
Kit steps out from behind the shadows of the willow arch.
‘I’m the best man,’ he says. I glance from Cal to Kit in astonishment. ‘Or rather a slightly better man than any of us expected.’ He pats his pocket. ‘I’ve got the rings.’
‘What rings?’ I ask.
Cal winks. ‘Don’t get too excited.’
Too late for that, I think.
‘Are you ready?’ Neil says in a low, ever-so-slightly-annoyed voice.
Cal takes my hand and we share one final glance. He smiles and in one voice we both say, ‘We are.’
‘So, dear friends, we gather together – again – on this glorious Cornish evening to celebrate the joining of Calvin and Demelza.’
Fairy lights twinkle in the trees and the sound of drums and singing hum from the tepee, which glows like a giant lantern as twilight falls on Kilhallon. Many of the guests from both weddings are still partying inside. We answered the pleas for a first dance despite our protests and stayed a while to party with our friends and family. Now we’ve slipped outside into the dusk. Moths buzz in the shafts of light from the tepee and the air smells of wedding flowers and dewy grass and fresh spring leaves.
‘Shall we go down to the cafe and say our goodnights?’ Cal asks, standing beside me, looking down on the fairy-tale grotto in front of us.
‘Goodnights? It’s not even fully dark yet.’
His voice is low. ‘Yes, but the Hot Vampire can’t wait to get you back to his lair.’
‘Is that a threat or a promise?’
Cal’s hand rests lightly on my bottom, curving around my cheek through the slinky dress. ‘Both,’ he says and then kisses me. Goosebumps pop out on my bare arms but it isn’t the chill evening air that makes me shiver.
Hand in hand, we pick our way through the twilight down to the cafe, which is glimmering against the evening sky, lit by strings of lanterns. The sky in the far west is still painted in orange, rose and lilac though the sun has long gone. A handful of guests, friends and strangers, are sipping cocktails in the chill-out zone and a few couples are dancing on the terrace to the strains of the distant band.
Tamsin rests her face on Kit’s shoulder and he leans forward, his eyes closed. Neil has his arms around Polly’s waist, chatting to her as they sway to the music. She’s laughing at something he says and then I hear her exclaim, ‘No, go on with you,’ before laughing at him again. Isla and Luke are at a table near the door to the cafe. Luke is draping a wrap around Isla’s shoulders while one of our staff brings her a cup of tea. They’ve worked so hard today, my amazing team. I feel a lump rise to my throat when I think of all I owe them, and our friends.
There are nods and smiles as we join the dancers and hold each other, moving slowly as the music drifts across the terrace. Behind the low chatter and the distant music, I can hear the crash of the waves breaking on the rocks below the cafe.
‘So, Demelza, how does it feel to be a handfasted woman?’
‘I didn’t think it’d feel any different to being a non-handfasted one. But I do feel different.’
‘In what way?’
‘Weird. As if I’m in another universe. As if all of this from the moment you walked into that cafe was a surreal dream and I’m going to wake up in that shop doorway and find none of it ever happened.’
‘I think you’ll find that was the plot of Dallas,’ he says. ‘And you are different. We’ve both got the rings to prove it.’
He holds up his left hand, which features a silver skull-and-cross-bones with ruby red eyes that glint in the glow of the fairy lights.
The giggles erupt again, like they did when we were presented with the rings on a cushion by Kit. Then tears when I saw my ring.
I twirl the gold band around. ‘I can’t believe you found my mum’s wedding ring.’
‘I asked your dad if there was anything “old” you might like to have today and your dad went to fetch it from the cottage when he collected Freya. He said you kept it in your room at home but left it behind when you walked out.’
‘It broke my heart to leave it but I knew I couldn’t keep it safe when I was moving about. It was always slightly too big for me and anyone could have taken it and that would have finished me off.’
‘We can get it made smaller or you can have a brand new one. I was worried you might be upset.’
‘No, I want this one. You should keep yours too. Where did you get it?’
‘From Robyn, of course. It’s one of her best sellers on her online jewellery store.’
He laughs and our friends look at us.
‘So, what now?’ I ask him.
‘I want to help too. We could hold fundraising events at the cafe for a start. It seems a trivial thing to do set against all the terrible things going on around us. We’re protected in our bubble here. It’s hardly as if baking can save the world. But we can try.’
Cal kisses me. ‘My mother used to say that anything done with love and kindness can make a small difference. This life is, as they say, a bittersweet symphony. Bitterness is in ready supply, so we need to create and spread as much of the sweet as we can to get us through. Which leads me on to you.’ He raises his eyebrows. ‘It’s been a very long day, and I think it’s time we went to bed.’
I feign a yawn, even though sleep is the last thing on my mind and my whole body pops and fizzes with anticipation. ‘Can you stay awake?’ I tease.
‘I might manage to. After all, it sort of is our wedding night and maybe one day soon we’ll have a real wedding night and who knows, perhaps a little family of our own.’
I gasp. ‘Wow. I love Freya but I’m not quite ready for one of my own. Yet.’
Cal pulls me closer. ‘You can have all the time you want,’ he says softly. ‘But the sooner we start practising, the better.’ The final sliver of sun slips below the horizon. As we stand under the cafe awning, everything I ever wanted – and will ever want – is reflected in his eyes.
THE END
RECIPES
You’ll notice there are cocktails mentioned in this book. Here are a couple of our favourites, which should be suitable for consolation as well as celebration.
Pousse Rapière (a.k.a. The Rapier’s Thrust)
This is possibly our household’s favourite cocktail. It was first made for us by two friends, Duncan and Claire. They got it from their friends in France. I like to think it’s called a Rapier’s Thrust because this cocktail delivers a real coup de grace – you’ll probably only need one, although you’ll definitely want more.
Ingredients
1 x 25ml measure of Armagnac
1 x 25ml measure of orange syrup – You must use orange syrup for this, not juice or squash. You need the concentrated sweetness of the syrup. You used to only be able to get it from French supermarkets in those funny ‘tin’ bottles but you can now get it from most coffee shops and some supermarkets – Monin make it, for example. We buy ours from Caffè Nero.
Chilled sparkling white wine – Prosecco, Cava, sparkling burgundy are fine. If you’re a movie star, use the best possible champagne, darling.
Method
Pour the orange syrup in a flute glass and add the Armagnac. Top up with the sparkling wine. Salut!
Sea Breeze
Alcohol is not a healthy option but the healthiest cocktail surely has to be the Sea Breeze. It’s got to be one of your five a day, for sure. Leaving out the vodka, of course, and replacing it with ginger beer, makes it a refreshing non-alcoholic cooler.
Ingredients
1 x 25ml measure vodka
50ml cranberry juice
50ml grapefruit juice
lime wedge
ice cubes
Method
Mix the vodka and juices together in a tumbler, add ice and the lime wedge. Enjoy.
Lemon Pots
I know Lily said she wanted clean eating and healthy, yummy treats at the wedding but Demi had slightly different ideas. This treat is yummy but definitely not healthy. The recipe was given to me by the author Veronica Henry and is the quickest, easiest pud ever. You don’t need much of it so serve in small pots or ramekin dishes with the prettiest biccies you can find.
Ingredients
juice and grated rind of 3 lemons
1 pint/600ml carton of single or whipping cream
150g caster sugar
To serve – posh biscuits (Bonne Maman langues de chat or continental-style biscuits from Aldi or Lidl. Waitrose also do some very pretty lavender-flavoured heart-shaped shortbread if you’re feeling flush)
a few raspberries or blueberries if you want to be healthy
Method
Add the sugar, lemon rind and cream to a saucepan and cook over a low heat until at simmering point. Keep stirring for a few minutes until it starts to thicken.
Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Stir the lemon juice into the lukewarm cream and sugar mixture.
Pour the lemon cream into the pots and leave it to set in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight if you can.
Serve with the biscuits and a few berries if desired.
Cheat’s Lime & Mascarpone Cheesecakes
Another simple recipe that’s a favourite with the family of a friend of mine. Thanks to Caroline for sharing her version of the recipe. You can make the cheesecake in one loose-bottomed metal tin but it looks and tastes great in around six individual ramekin dishes.
Ingredients
2 x 250g tubs of mascarpone cheese
200g ginger biscuits
50g butter
40g icing sugar
2 limes – juice and grated zest
dark chocolate or a Cadbury Flake
Method
Crush the ginger biscuits and melt the butter and stir together.
Press the buttery biscuit mixture into the bottom of your ramekin dishes and chill for around 30 minutes.
Mix the mascarpone with the icing sugar, lime zest and juice in a bowl and beat well.
Top the chilled biscuit bases with the lime/mascarpone mixture. It should reach around three-quarters of the way up, depending on the size of the ramekins.
Chill the cheesecakes for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Decorate with whatever takes your fancy, e.g. grated chocolate, chocolate curls or a crushed Cadbury Flake. (You can eat the Flake if there’s any left over!)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Sometimes writing a book turns out to be almost as much of a journey for the author as the characters. When I started the series, I’d no idea where it would lead me. I have to thank Elley Westbrook and Elaine Lawson of the charity, People in Motion, for giving me insight into the possible journey of Esme and her family. I genuinely could not have written this novel without their advice. Hazel Shaw, event florist extraordinaire, Poldark superfan and creative director of Eden Blooms has also been an invaluable source of advice, not only on flowers but on the planning of a wedding in general.
I’ve been lucky enough to have not one, but three fantastic Avon editors helping me in the production of this book at various stages. So I want to thank Eloise Wood, Natasha Harding and Rachel Faulkner-Willcocks for all their expert help across the whole Cornish Cafe series. It’s been a privilege and a pleasure to work with them and the entire Avon team, including Helen Huthwaite, Helena Sheffield, Louis Patel, Phoebe Morgan and Joanne Gledhill.
My agent, Broo Doherty, has been an inspiration and support for over ten years now and we’re still going strong. Thank you, dear Broo.
I also couldn’t have got where I have or stayed the course this long without my author friends Nell Dixon and Liz Hanbury, and my best mate, Janice Hume, who also happens to be a fantastic bookseller.
My family have been my rock, sharing in my triumphs and disasters, so much love goes to my parents, to Charles and to The Youths, Charlotte and James.
Finally, this book is dedicated to my husband, John. We celebrated thirty years of marriage in April and he’s still in the acknowledgements. I think that’s a pretty good achievement. In the words of Steve Ovett, ILY xx
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About the Author
Phillipa Ashley writes warm, funny romantic fiction for a variety of world-famous international publishers.
After studying English at Oxford, she worked as a copywriter and journalist. Her first novel, Decent Exposure, won the RNA New Writers Award and was made into a TV movie called 12 Men of Christmas starring Kristin Chenoweth and Josh Hopkins. As Pippa Croft, she also wrote the Oxford Blue series – The First Time We Met, The Second Time I Saw You and Third Time Lucky.
Phillipa lives in a Staffordshire village and has an engineer husband and scientist daughter who indulge her arty whims. She runs a holiday-let business in the Lake District, but a big part of her heart belongs to Cornwall. She visits the county several times a year for ‘research purposes’, an arduous task that involves sampling cream teas, swimming in wild Cornish coves and following actors around film shoots in a camper van. Her hobbies include watching Poldark, Earl Grey tea, Prosecco-tasting and falling off surf boards in front of RNLI lifeguards.
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
Christmas at the Cornish Cafe
Summer at the Cornish Cafe
It Happened One Night
Miranda’s Mount
Fever Cure
It Should Have Been Me
Just Say Yes
Wish You Were Here
Decent Exposure
About the Publisher
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