Spring Blossoms at Mill Grange by Jenny Kane (a court of thorns and roses ebook free txt) 📗

‘What?’

‘Sue never turned up. Tom’s gone to fetch him.’

‘Gone to Tiverton? But the wedding’s in an hour.’ Thea went pale as she sat on the side of the bed, then instantly got up again. ‘Damn, these are difficult to sit in.’

‘I wish he hadn’t gone.’ Helen headed to the window, wishing she could see Tom and Dylan running across the lawn. ‘Tom could drive past Sue and not notice, or they might not even be there because…’ Helen’s voice broke, her words sticking in her throat.

Thea’s face clouded as her friend pushed a tear away, smudging the mascara they’d only just applied. ‘Helen?’

Helen dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. ‘I promised I wouldn’t say. Tom’s so cut up about it, although he’s pretending he isn’t. Dylan doesn’t even know yet.’

‘Doesn’t know what?’

‘Sue has a new partner. They’re moving to Australia.’

‘Oh my God!’ Thea stared at her friend in horror. ‘Poor Tom.’ Speechless for a moment, Thea whispered, ‘Bert and Mabel will be devastated.’

‘There’s a lot of that going on.’

‘I’m so sorry, Helen.’ Thea glanced at her watch. ‘Sue didn’t say they were leaving today did she?’

‘She said September. But…’

‘Right.’ Thea sucked her lip, feeling the lipstick she’d applied dissolving. ‘Won’t they need visas and stuff? Have they got those sorted?’

Helen spun round, ‘No. No they haven’t, so they can’t have just gone. I’m so silly. I just panicked, I… So where are they?’

Thea checked the time. ‘Well, whatever Sue’s doing, we have an hour before the ceremony, and half an hour before pre-wedding photographs outside.’

Helen checked her phone. There were no messages. ‘Do we tell Tina and Sam that their ring bearer and possibly their usher might not be coming?’

‘I don’t know.’ Thea lifted her lipstick off the side. ‘But I do know we don’t have long to get every trace of worry off our faces, retouch our damaged makeup, and get outside.’

*

Having shown both the photographer and the registrar the way to the walled garden, Mabel stood with Sybil at the entrance to the reception marquee. The women nodded in mutual satisfaction. A few of the village guests had arrived, and were milling around the grounds, muttering murmurs of appreciation.

The glasses, some prefilled with Bucks Fizz, champagne or orange juice sat on a table ready for the guests to sip pre and post ceremony, shone in the late morning sunshine. Two large jugs of ice water waited next to a huge variety of platters, laden with scones, tucked under cotton clothes, ready to be revealed once the guests were seated at the reception.

‘There are forty tubs of clotted cream in the fridge, and glass bowls of jam are waiting on trays in the kitchen.’ Sybil spoke with the confidence of a good job already well done. ‘As soon as they say “I do”, I’ll slip away and get everything uncovered.’

Mabel held up her clipboard. Only three boxes were left to tick. ‘What time are your waitresses getting here to help?’

‘Twelve.’ Sybil held up a teaspoon to make sure it was polished to perfection. ‘They are going to dish out the butter. Not something I want to do yet, as this sunshine will melt it too fast.’

Placing a tick next to ‘Food and Drink’, Mabel smiled. ‘Just Bert to arrive with Dylan, and the men and bridesmaid’s pre-wedding photographs to do, and we’re almost there.’ She handed the clipboard to Sybil. ‘I’m trusting you with this now. I need to fetch Tina.’

‘Shouldn’t Bert do that?’ Sybil took the clipboard, understanding the trust involved and the seriousness with which Mabel took such things.

‘Normally yes, but we agreed there were too many stairs for him at the moment. His breath still isn’t quite right. He’ll meet Tina in the drawing room, before we kick off.’

As Mabel moved towards the manor, Sybil called out, ‘I didn’t say, you look amazing Mabel. The Queen herself would envy that purple.’

*

Lord Malvern stood next to his son, a look of pride on his face that Sam had never dreamed he’d see directed at him.

‘Good choice, son.’ Charles straightened his own jacket as Sam brushed down his. ‘Tina will be as proud of you, as are your mother and I.’

‘Thank you.’ Sam stared in the mirror. He’d almost cut off his ponytail as an extra wedding present for Tina, but at the last minute, he’d simply tucked it inside his collar.

‘Almost time to go over the top.’ Folding his handkerchief into his top pocket, Charles headed to the door. ‘I promised your mother I’d make sure Mr Hastings was alright. Check his speech over and that sort of thing.’

‘You can call him Bert, Father, and don’t worry, he won’t say anything inappropriate. Mabel would kill him if he did, plus Dylan will be with him, so it’ll be family friendly.’

‘And the rings are safe?’

‘Shaun has them. He’ll pass them to Dylan, who will pass them to me on the registrar’s say so.’

‘All systems go then.’ Charles tugged his pocket watch from his waistcoat pocket. ‘By my reckoning, we should be getting outside. Pre wedding photographs with the best man, usher and pageboy are in ten minutes.’

*

Tina lifted the photograph of her parents off the table by the bed and held it to her chest. Her friends were wonderful, but that didn’t mean she didn’t wish life had been different. One twist of fate, due to one careless driver, and suddenly she’d had no parents.

‘I think you’d like Sam.’ She spoke to her mum and dad, smoothing a finger around their glass covered faces. ‘He’d have liked you too.’

As the door behind her opened, Tina placed the photograph on the dressing table.

Mabel followed the direction of Tina’s gaze. ‘They look fine people.’

‘They were.’ Tina didn’t look round. ‘I know it’s daft, but I wanted them with me as I got ready, so I brought the picture through from my room.’

‘Not daft at all. Why don’t we take them with us?’