by Karen Swan
A black nylon carpet flecked with silver bristled beneath their feet, the pale lilac walls adorned with crystal-studded tiaras hanging from plastic hooks.
A woman with a perm – ‘A perm!’ Suzy mouthed in delight – jumped up from a silver rococo desk in the far corner, where she’d been reading Hello! magazine. She smiled at the disparate band of women, trying to ascertain which one of them was the bride.
‘Welcome,’ the woman smiled.
‘Hi,’ Suzy said, grabbing Gem by the shoulders and positioning her in front of their group. ‘My cousin Gem, here – she’s getting married.’
‘Oh! Many, many congratulations!’ the woman cried, as though the revelation was a completely unexpected surprise to her, her enthusiasm managing to override even Gem’s.
‘Ah, thanks so much. That’s really nice of you,’ Gem said, shaking her hand enthusiastically.
The woman looked up at Gem from under her lashes. ‘Might I possibly ask to see the ring?’
Cassie knew this wasn’t so much a bonding exercise as a chance to get proof there was actually a wedding in the offing. Suzy had told her lots of boutiques used it to stop hordes of girls just coming in and trying on the dresses. No ring? Not getting in.
‘You might,’ Gem laughed, proffering her hand and showing off a ring with a brightly striated caramel stone.
‘What is that?’ Suzy asked, peering at it with an incredulous look.
‘Tiger’s eye. It represents the grounding energy of the earth – that’s Laird – and the elevating energy of the sun – that’s me,’ Gem said, her eyes fixed dreamily on the stone.
Cassie felt bad that she and Suzy hadn’t asked to see her ring till now – to have done so could have been misinterpreted as approval or encouragement, but still, standing here in a bridal boutique about to try on dresses, it felt a little mean.
Suzy tutted sympathetically. ‘He spent a month’s salary on that, did he? Hmm, well, I suppose surfing’s never going to bring in a reliable income.’
Gem appeared not to hear her. ‘It’s what it represents that I love, you know?’ she said to the woman.
‘Which is why you can’t go wrong with diamonds,’ Suzy said firmly. ‘They’re popular for a reason. They represent eternity and you’ll have them forever. They’re indestructible. Not like these . . . fashion stones,’ Suzy frowned. ‘Still, maybe he can upgrade in a few years, when he’s had more of a chance to establish his career.’
Suzy cast Cassie a wink as she turned away.
‘I think it’s dead original,’ the woman said, nodding as though the ring had unlocked the secret of Gem’s soul, her eyes running up and down Gem’s tiny but perfect figure in her cobalt-blue harem pants, aqua vest and flip-flops. ‘And I’m guessing you’ll want something equally unique for your dress too.’
‘Of course,’ Gem grinned with wide eyes.
‘Well, before we go any further, let me just start by telling you that I am Paula.’ The woman raised a hand to her heart, lest anyone should be in any doubt as to whom she was referring. ‘And this afternoon I want you to think of me as your fairy godmother. Your wish is my command.’
Gem clapped her hands together excitedly and Amber trotted her feet on the spot again like a frisky filly. Cassie looked from one to the other, wondering if it was some sort of synchronized routine they’d devised, like footballers celebrating a goal.
Paula raised a finger in the air. ‘And I have a feeling your first wish is for some champagne. Am I right?’
‘Oh my God, yes!’ Amber cried, drilling her heels as fast into the floor as a woodpecker’s beak into a tree. ‘We had Purdey’s last night. I am desperate for some Krug.’
Paula looked at her quizzically for a moment and Cassie could see her trying to place Amber’s face – there was no doubt this tall, willowy creature with smoky eyes and tight knees inhabited another world – but in the next instant Paula had tossed her head and the query out of her mind and disappeared to a back room, returning moments later with a bottle of Tesco’s prosecco and five glasses.
Cassie looked around the room anxiously, feeling increasingly claustrophobic and wishing she’d been more forceful with Suzy as she’d cajoled her into coming along and ‘helping’ her with Gem. For one thing, she had brought down a book from London that she had had lying on her bedside table for months – Henry hadn’t once given her a moment to get to it – and she wouldn’t have minded a few hours just to herself. For another, it was hardly tactful of Suzy to make her spend an afternoon here, given that the thorny issue of marriage was the source of all her woes.
Her eyes flitted lightly, warily, over the gazar ruffles and plissé silk details that edged out of the racks, and she stopped as she caught sight of a sleeve threaded with seed pearls. She walked over and brushed it through her fingers, remembering the excitement she’d felt trying on her wedding dress for the first time – it had been in the Harrods bridal suite, her mother sitting opposite on a huge silk chaise and waiting for the moment she stepped out of the vast changing room, looking like a princess in ivory duchesse satin with a smooth bodice and globe pearls sewn along the scooped neckline and bracelet sleeves. Her mother had cried as the salesgirl had carefully draped the veil over her face, placing a bouquet of silk roses in her hands for effect – Cassie had too.
But they’d also both cried as she rang her mother from a hotel room at Heathrow, ten years later, to tell her that the marriage was over – and why.
She thought of Wiz, no doubt patronizing the smartest boutique in Edinburgh, her dress bespoke and triumphal, more suited to a coronation than a wedding. It was happening this Saturday – eleven o’clock in the chapel on the estate. Cassie still hadn’t talked to Suzy about it, and she had made Kelly promise not to tell Suzy she knew: as far as Suzy was aware, Cassie had no idea Gil was getting remarried. Cassie wasn’t sure why she didn’t want her to know she knew – possibly because she’d make her talk about it, dragging up the past again when all she wanted was to let the earth beneath her feet settle, and to let new shoots grow. And what really was there to say? Their love had died a long time ago now and she had moved on with Henry, she really had. Gil’s upcoming wedding was just the turning of the lock on that door to her old life; that was all. Her hand dropped down and she moved away from the racks towards the centre of the room again, where Paula was handing out the drinks.
‘So,’ Paula said, ‘have you seen anything specific, or are we just going to work our way through the stock?’
‘Work our way through the stock!’ Amber cried, punching the air and making Gem laugh. Cassie was almost a hundred per cent sure that Amber had, at school, been a cheerleader.
‘Come on, then, ladies,’ Paula said, leading the charge and taking them over to the first closet of dresses. ‘Now, these are what I call my Bo Peeps – full hoops, puffy sleeves, lots of gathers, very traditional, so they’ll never date and they flatter every body type. No one has a fat day in one of these.’
‘Was she looking at me?’ Suzy mouthed to Cassie in indignation as they moved on to the next alcove.
‘And in here we have what I call the Goddess range – long, sculptural columns, usually strapless, but there’s one or two with asymmetric detailing if that takes your fancy. They’re generally much plainer, for the more contemporary bride.’ She pronounced ‘contemporary’ slowly and in a half-whisper, as though it was an unusual and foreign concept that had to be tolerated occasionally.
They took in every ‘theme’ in the shop, Paula cherry-picking what she thought would most ‘favour’ Gem’s ‘diminutive frame’ and ‘idiosyncratic style’.
‘And what were you planning to do with your hair? Any thoughts on up or down or . . . in,’ she asked Gem, pointing to her cornrows as they walked towards the dressing room, a bundle of dresses piled atop her arms. ‘It might be hard to get a tiara on with them – that’s all I’m thinking.’
‘I’m not really a tiara type of person, Paula, if I’m honest, although I wouldn’t be
averse to a floral wreath. Something living and pure. My fiancé’s really into nature and animals and stuff. He’s a surfer. I keep telling him he should go pro . . .’
They disappeared round the curtain and Cassie and Suzy slumped on the hot-pink velveteen Victorian three-way love seat that resembled a clover leaf, so that their backs were angled towards each other.
‘Cheers,’ Suzy murmured, pouring them each another glass of prosecco.
Amber hovered by the Goddess alcove, clearly unsure where to stand now that her friend and ally had disappeared.
‘Another drink, Amber?’ Suzy asked after a moment.
Amber came over with a grateful smile, perching awkwardly on the third seat so that she wouldn’t be sitting back to back with Cassie.
‘Cheers,’ Cassie said with a determined smile, and they all took a sip of their drinks. ‘Did you see anything you liked?’
‘Loads of things,’ Amber sighed. ‘I mean, I wasn’t sure when we first got here. This place is hardly . . . Well, it’s not Milan, let’s be honest. But actually . . .’ She nodded approvingly, lowering her voice. ‘Paula may have no taste in interiors, but she knows her wedding dresses. There are some beauties hiding away in there.’
‘Ha! You would say that. You could make anything look good,’ Suzy said, peering into her glass.
‘Oh, you’re so sweet,’ Amber smiled. ‘I guess it’s more that I just love fashion. I kind of understand the energy the designers want to express in their clothes, you know? I love it all – high, low and everything in between.’ She drained her glass. ‘I’m going to be the worst when the time comes to choosing for me.’
‘Really?’ Suzy levered up an eyebrow. ‘D’you think Luke’s going to propose, then?’
‘Oh, well, I wouldn’t—’ Amber demurred coyly.
‘He’s so going to propose!’ Gem gasped, overhearing their conversation and popping her head round the curtain.
‘Gem!’ Amber squealed, laughing as she playfully swatted the air between her and Gem.
‘You’ve got to tell them.’
‘They won’t get it!’
‘They will. They were young once too, you know. Just tell them, Ambs!’
Amber gave an exaggerated sigh as Cassie and Suzy swapped horrified stares. Had . . . had Gem said they were old? ‘Well, it’s not . . . I mean, it’s not a conventional . . .’ Amber ran out of words, as if fretting about how to explain it. She leaned in closer. ‘I guess the thing you have to understand is, our world isn’t like everyone else’s – fashion is, like, a whole other planet. So if Luke was going to propose, he wouldn’t choose something standard like a solitaire.’
‘I’m not with you,’ Suzy said, a baffled expression on her face.
‘What she’s trying – and failing – to say,’ Gem laughed, across the room, ‘is that she found a Love bracelet in his bag when she was looking for something the other day.’
‘What’s a Love bracelet?’ Cassie asked, her voice weirdly scratchy and her question confirming Gem and Amber’s opinion of the two of them as out of touch, past it, over.
‘Cartier. Solid gold and it comes with a special little tool, like a screwdriver, to get it on or off. It’s like a chastity belt but for the wrist, basically. A signal of surrendering yourself completely to the other person. What better way to show your commitment to someone? It’s modern and dead sexy, I reckon.’ Gem winked. ‘Luke’s got amazing style. He’d never do a diamond either.’ And she disappeared into the changing room again, leaving Suzy staring back at her, agape.
‘I bet you looked amazing in your wedding dress, didn’t you?’ Amber asked, sipping her drink and angling her knees towards Suzy. ‘You and Archie make such a good couple. I want Luke and me to be like you when we’re older.’
Suzy took a moment to respond. So many inadvertent insults, so little time. ‘I had to go with pretty much the first dress that fitted . . . Wide back,’ she muttered.
‘I bet you’re just saying that,’ Amber said generously as Cassie peered at her over the rim of her glass and resolved to get up early to cycle to Trebetherick and Google ‘Cartier Love bracelets’ on her iPhone first thing tomorrow.
Suzy realized everyone’s glasses were empty. ‘Any more?’ she asked the others, holding out the bottle.
They all accepted, Suzy filling the glasses almost to the brim just as the curtain whooshed open and Gem stepped out in a snow-white silk dress with spaghetti straps and a low scooped back. It had been cut on the cross with a small kick hem, and tiny covered buttons ran down the back seam, along her spine and over her bottom. The simplicity of it highlighted her figure to perfection, and even with the cornrows in, there was no doubt that this was it. This was ‘the Dress’.
Amber jumped up with a small shriek as Gem did a neat turn, her hands up to her mouth in mute exhilaration, her eyes shining as brightly as fire embers.
‘I do not bloody believe it,’ Suzy whispered under her breath, without moving her lips. ‘The first freaking dress? Are you kidding me?’
Cassie realized Suzy’s glass was tipping prosecco over her lap and righted it for her.
‘So what do you think, ladies?’ Paula asked, with righteous pride, fawning around Gem, smoothing seams and flattening straps as she went.
‘Paula, you are her fairy godmother!’ Amber cried, taking her by the shoulders and bending down to hug her excitedly. ‘I never would have guessed you had it in you!’
A look of puzzlement crossed Paula’s face as she too wondered whether this was a compliment or not.
‘What do you think, ladies?’ she asked, looking at Suzy and Cassie on the couch.
‘Well, I’m . . .’ Suzy began, rising and making a stately procession around Gem, before blowing out dramatically through her cheeks. ‘I’ll be honest . . . I’m not sure.’ She held her hands up. ‘I mean, don’t get me wrong. It’s a beautiful dress and Gem looks stunning in it. But then Gem would look stunning in a bin bag, and is it really . . . ? Well, is it really you?’ She addressed the question directly to Gem.
Gem’s face fell and she turned to look at herself in the mirror again, making tiny twists one way and then the other as she tried to grasp Suzy’s point.
‘I mean, that’s just my opinion. Maybe I’m wrong. What do you think, Cass?’ Suzy asked, beckoning for Cassie to back her up. ‘Cruel to be kind,’ she whispered. ‘Cruel to be kind.’
‘Um . . .’ Cassie dithered. Gem did look utterly spectacular in the dress. What could she possibly say? ‘I think I probably agree with you, Suze? Gem looks glorious, but . . . maybe not very . . . relaxed?’ Everyone’s eyes swivelled from Cassie back to Gem in consideration. ‘I guess it’s just not a look I associate with Gem. It’s all a bit buttony and sleek.’
‘Buttony,’ Paula echoed.
Cassie desperately threw out her hands like she was framing plumes of steam. She felt so mean saying these things when in truth Gem was a vision of bridal perfection in the dress. ‘She’s much freer, in my mind.’
‘Freer,’ Paula echoed again with a contradictory nod and a look of puzzlement.
‘Suzy’s a really big wedding planner in London,’ Gem said to her as Paula fiddled with the straps again, as though their placement an inch to the left would change everything. ‘She dresses brides all the time. All these socialites.’
‘Oh,’ Paula said, her face falling as she bit her lip, giving one last tug on the back seam. ‘Well, hey! It is only the first dress you’ve tried on. There’s plenty more to go, right? We can always come back to this if you want to, Gem.’
‘Brilliant. Thanks, Paula.’
Both gave brave smiles.
‘But first . . .’ Paula said, running off to the back room again and reappearing with another bottle of budget bubbles. ‘We can’t have anyone getting thirsty, now can we?’
‘Hey, you know Amber’s getting married soon too?’ Suzy said suddenly.
Paula screeched to a halt, almost leaving tyre marks on the carpet. ‘You’re not!’ she
breathed.
‘Oh, but—’ Amber protested.
‘Oh my goodness, yes! You should totally try on some dresses!’ Gem squealed. ‘We can do it together.’
Cassie looked between them all in utter bewilderment. Hadn’t Amber just said that he hadn’t proposed yet? And that was even if he was planning on proposing. After all, who proposed with a bracelet? There was modern and then there was downright ridiculous!
‘See what I did there?’ Suzy said under her breath as she turned away to face Cassie. ‘We’ll put all the spotlight on Amber and take it off Gem. We can’t afford to have her finding another dress – finding the dress is always the biggest obstacle. I was banking on at least a month of delays on that alone, but she’s going to look good in everything. Trust me.’
‘Oh, I do,’ Cassie murmured, trying not to move her lips.
‘I do this for a living. I know these things.’
‘I know, I know,’ Cassie breathed, smiling as Gem looked over.
‘Oh my God! And Cassie as well!’ Gem said, pointing to her.
‘What?’ Cassie’s voice dropped an octave as Amber and Paula looked at her too. Paula looked like she might spontaneously combust. Three brides in one group?
‘Cassie’s engaged to my cousin.’
‘No, wait!’ Cassie said, her hands straight up in protest. ‘I don’t even have a date set yet.’
‘Nor do we!’ Amber trilled, hopping on the spot again.
‘Well, actually, gals . . .’ Gem said, in a coy voice that prompted them all to turn back and find her chewing, cartoon-style, on her knuckles.
‘Oh, good God, no,’ Suzy said loudly, already a step ahead.
‘I kept trying to tell you the other night – I ran into Father Williams the other day at St Enodoc’s. I stopped in there because obviously I know him from when he . . .’ Her expression changed. ‘When he buried Mum and Dad.’
