‘I’m sure not,’ said Lindy. ‘Just don’t go for white net or it could all be a bit
Giselle
. And get her to choose ASAP!’
‘Brilliant!’ said Rachel. ‘Moving on? What else did you have to tell us about?’
‘Oh yes, worse than the dresses really,’ said Beth. ‘Mum and Helena are coming down here tomorrow. They’ll stay until the wedding. I did point out it’s unusual to stay near the wedding venue that long, but they said it was different, I lived here and there were timing issues. They wanted to be on the spot.’
Rachel gulped. ‘Where are they planning to stay?’
‘It’s OK, not with you. I told them they couldn’t and Mum realised you haven’t got room for them both. Sukey’s got two rooms they could use if one of them had a bit of an overhaul. I’m going to give it a coat of paint when I can and make sure they’re basically serviceable, but it would be wonderful if you could do the finishing touches, Rachel. You know my mother’s requirements. Helena’s not quite so bad, I don’t think.’
Rachel scribbled and then sighed, sounding very happy. ‘I’d love to! And if you need help with the decorating I’ll make time. Then is it just a case of detailing and good bedlinen? Actually, I’ll have a look myself after this.’
‘Brilliant, thank you so much.’ Beth looked at her list. ‘OK, so when they arrive, Mum wants to meet all the suppliers.’
‘Oh God, just thought!’ said Lindy. ‘Are you doing the cake, Beth?’
‘Thank goodness, no,’ said Beth. ‘Can you imagine? Wedding cakes are stressful enough to do – they’re so centre stage – but doing one for my mother? Me? The black sheep?’ She shuddered and took a sip of water. ‘Mum has chosen a posh shop in London to do it. It’ll cost the same as a good second-hand car.’
‘Blimey,’ said Lindy. ‘So who are the other people your mother wants to see?’
‘The caterer, florist, Lindy, of course. She’s organising her choir to come, so that’s OK. The caterer is the most important.’ Beth checked her list for things she might have forgotten.
‘That’s Belinda,’ said Rachel. ‘Raff’s mum. The caterer, I mean.’
‘Did you blush when you said Raff or did I imagine it?’ said Lindy.
‘I may have blushed. Just a little bit,’ said Rachel, blushing a lot now.
‘So did you and he …’ Lindy persisted. ‘I wouldn’t mention it but Mum said she’d seen Raff’s van outside your house really quite early in the morning.’
Rachel blushed some more. ‘If you’re asking if we’ve slept together,’ she said, ‘then yes we have. I didn’t want to say anything about it in case it all went wrong. But yes, it was amazing. But of course it’s very early days. Do we know what sort of food Vivien is going for?’
Lindy was obviously disappointed. ‘Of course, if you don’t want to tell us …’
‘It’s not that!’ said Rachel. ‘But this is a business meeting and we’ve got lots we need to get through.’ She was still a bit fluttery in spite of her statement.
‘But it was OK?’ asked Beth.
Rachel nodded. ‘More than OK, but we do need to stay focused!’
Beth studied her friend. There was a girl in love or she didn’t know the signs. Rachel was finding it very hard to think about anyone or anything except the man in her heart and was struggling extra hard to do it. She recognised the symptoms because she felt she was beginning to feel like that about Finn. It didn’t seem to matter that she’d only just met him, really, but she couldn’t stop thinking about him. He’d been in the pub a few times and she was pretty sure he was interested, but could she be sure?
Rachel wrote something in her Emma Bridgewater, although Beth wondered if she was actually just doodling, so she didn’t need to look up for a few seconds. ‘But I’ll go with Vivien to the meeting. I think she’ll be bowled over.’
‘Who, Mum or Raff’s Mum?’ said Beth.
‘Vivien. Belinda is the real deal.’
‘It’s hard to think of Raff as remotely posh,’ said Lindy. ‘Obviously I’ve met his mum and we all know about her but Raff never seems like her son, somehow.’
‘He’s a rough diamond,’ said Rachel.
‘And are you the one to polish him up?’ asked Beth.
‘No,’ said Rachel, a happy smile forcing itself past her work-focused façade. ‘I love him just as he is.’
There was a pause and then a wistful sigh. ‘Oh, bless,’ said Beth. ‘Rachel’s got a bit of rough.’
‘He’s not rough,’ said Rachel. The smile was broader now. ‘He’s very gentle.’
‘Oh God, you two!’ said Lindy. ‘Now it’s me who thinks we should get on with this meeting. I’ve got to pick Billy up soon.’
‘Next on the list is flowers,’ said Beth. ‘Is that you, Lindy?’
‘No! Not me! I don’t do formal flower-arranging, in church. Besides, I won’t have time.’ Lindy took a breath. ‘I’ll get Mum on to it. She knows all the WI and the Flower Guild. That’ll be OK.’
Beth wasn’t convinced. ‘You know Mum will want stunning flower arrangements? A few chrysanths in a bit of oasis won’t do, you know.’
‘Don’t worry!’ said Lindy, possibly a little offended. ‘There is a lot of talent among those women. They do demonstrations and some of them have done the flowers for Gloucester Cathedral!’
‘Oh, Lindy, I’m sorry!’ Beth was mortified. ‘You know what my mother’s like – I think I might be getting like her. It’s probably catching.’
‘Weddings do make everyone a little crazy,’ said Rachel. ‘I read that on the internet. It’s absolutely true.’
‘I know,’ said Beth. ‘But it’s not supposed to affect the wedding planners!’
Lindy laughed. ‘Don’t worry about it. I do understand.’
Beth sighed and looked back at her list. ‘I don’t think there’s anything else Mum expects us to do.’ She looked up. ‘I’ll just ask Sukey if Rachel and I can have a look at the rooms. So if you need to get off, Lindy, you can.’
‘Thank you,’ said Lindy. ‘And please let me know about the dresses as soon as you can. They will be fairly quick to do but I’ll need to order the leotards and the tulle, once we know what colours we need.’ She paused. ‘You’re sure it wouldn’t be easier to just go to a shop and buy bridesmaids’ dresses?’
‘It might be, but the chances of finding anything anyone likes within the budget is nil,’ said Beth.
‘Oh, OK,’ said Lindy, and kissed both girls goodbye.
A few minutes later, Sukey was minding the pub and Beth was showing Rachel the accommodation. ‘So, what do you think?’
Rachel was examining the biggest bedroom, which had an en-suite. ‘Basically, as you say, it’s fine. It would benefit from a coat of paint.’
‘If I don’t have to do it to your amazingly high standards, I’ll do that. What colour, do you think?’
‘We’ve got some paint left over from the hall,’ said Rachel.
‘So, white then, is it?’
‘Just for reasons of economy, Beth!’ said Rachel defensively. ‘We can add colour with the bits and pieces. I’ve got decorative thermos flasks for fresh milk, some lovely containers for cotton wool and things for the bathroom. Has Sukey got kettles? Does she know not to have packets of butter and jam for breakfast?’
‘You know what?’ said Beth. ‘I think you should tell her about those things, not me. You know she’s only rented the odd room out to men who aren’t fussy. Angus was no trouble. But having my mum and sister will be a much bigger deal. You can explain how it should be done.’ She made a face. ‘And she might not do it again however lovely it all looks when we’re done.’
Later, Beth overheard Rachel saying, ‘You know what’s a really nice touch? A bottle of lavender oil next to the bed to help people sleep …’
Beth was disappointed she couldn’t hear Sukey’s reply.
Finn had told Beth after the quiz that he might not be around for a bit. She felt heartened by the fact that he’d told her his plans, and not just taken off. He had a lot to do getting his band together and so would be travelling quite a bit. She rather envied him. Beth had an unaddressed streak of wanderlust and although she was loving life in the village, there was a big world out there she had hardly seen.
Thus, she was very surprised to see Finn and two other men come in just before she was due to finish her shift.
‘You know what they say about bad pennies,’ he said, kissing her cheek. ‘But the guys want to check out the venue. They’re not convinced a village hall is the place for the relaunch. Although they liked that idea better than the pub.’
‘Do you boys want a drink first?’ said Beth.
Sukey appeared. ‘They want a key,’ she said. ‘Finn rang ahead. Why don’t you go with them, Beth? Make sure they don’t wreck the joint.’
‘Because I’m working?’ suggested Beth, who did want to go but felt guilty knocking off early.
‘You go,’ said Sukey. ‘I’ll take over here. We’re doing the bar for the gig so find a nice position for us – not too near the loos. It should be good for us.’
Beth took the key and led the way. She felt incredibly pleased to be with Finn again. She knew she ought to curb her feelings but she just couldn’t. He was so nice to her – so polite. He had introduced her to the band as if she was someone important, not just the barmaid.
‘I know we wanted somewhere small for our first gig together,’ said Seamus, one of the members of the band. ‘But nice as this is, isn’t it a bit too much off the beaten track? Will we get an audience?’
Beth, who was checking chair numbers up the other end of the hall, listened attentively.
‘I think we will,’ said Finn. ‘I’ve got to know some of the locals, who’ll make sure we do get people through the doors.’ He paused and looked in her direction. Beth was too far away to read his expression but she could see he was smiling. ‘Besides, there’s a record producer/agent in the area who could be really useful. This guy Raff who I met, he knows him and will bring him along if he’s free. It could be really good for us.’ He paused. ‘We don’t really want anyone who will still think of us as a boy band. We’d be new to this guy.’ He sighed. ‘As long as we’re good enough, that is. Otherwise it would be a major embarrassment.’
‘C’mon man! We will be. That’d be sweet. Who is he?’
Beth went back to counting, glad that he was so enthusiastic about the hall. And there would be a good audience for them. She and Sukey, and probably Raff too, would make sure of it.
After the band had finished their inspection Finn came up to her. ‘Hey, Beth! Would you mind taking the key back? We’ve got to get off.’
‘That should be fine,’ said Beth, feeling inexplicably hurt.
‘I really wish I had time to see a bit more of you,’ Finn went on, making Beth pray he hadn’t seen she’d been upset. ‘When we’ve done our first gig together and it looks like it might work out, I want to really get to know you. At the moment I’m always flying in and out. But it will get easier.’
Beth shrugged. She didn’t know what to say.
Then he put his hand on her cheek. ‘You’re sweet, Beth. Please don’t run away until I have time to pay you proper attention.’
Looking forward to a plate of pasta and some gentle telly, prior to a very early start on the decorating in the morning, Beth was less than thrilled to hear Skype singing its merry tune indicating her sister wanted to speak to her. And why wouldn’t Helena get to grips with Facetime? Still, maybe now wasn’t the time to teach her how.
She connected and saw her sister was crying, looking utterly distraught. ‘Oh God, Beth!’ she sobbed. ‘It’s all awful. There are no nice wedding dresses I can have now. They all have to be made specially and there’s no time. Mum will go mad. I’ll have to walk down the aisle in a bin liner! And I daren’t tell Mum! She’ll go off on one. You know what she’s like.’
‘Don’t panic. I’m sure there’s a solution.’
‘You don’t know what you’re talking about! Have you tried to buy a wedding dress with only ten days till the wedding?’
‘No, and I know it’s hard – very hard – but really, don’t panic. There will be a solution.’ She didn’t point out that it was Helena’s own fault for not getting round to it sooner.
‘What?’
God, her sister was maddening sometimes. But Beth tried to make allowances for her hormones and wedding-itis that, according to Rachel, affected every bride to some extent. ‘I don’t know off the top of my head, Hels, but trust me, there is one.’
‘It’s all very well for you to say that, you’re not getting married. And you’re not pregnant.’
Deliberately not reminding her sister that she’d known she was getting married for quite a while and suggesting she should have done something about a dress sooner, she said, ‘I’ll ring Lindy. I might be able to go and see her and you can have a chat on Skype and see if she’s got any ideas.’ She wondered if in fact, she should have nagged her sister into doing it earlier, but buying a dress was the bride’s job, surely?
‘Do you think she will?’
‘Yes. She’s already had a brilliant idea for the bridesmaids’ dresses. She’ll be able to explain better than me.’
‘Oh thanks, Beth! I feel better now. I did buy a really gorgeous basque though. It’s beautiful. Quite expensive but it’ll make me look amazing. And I could just try it on and take it away. I didn’t have to wait six months to have it made.’
‘I can see that would be reassuring. What did Mum say about not being able to buy a dress?’
Helena didn’t say anything; she just picked at her nail.
‘Oh my God, she doesn’t know! I cannot believe she let you go wedding-dress shopping on your own!’ For once, Beth wished her overbearing mother had been even more overbearing.
‘She would have done only I didn’t tell her. I wanted to sort out what I wanted on my own first, before she started having opinions.’
Beth sighed. ‘I do get that. Listen, I’ll just have something to eat and then Skype you from Lindy’s.’
An hour later, having rung beforehand, Beth knocked on Lindy’s door. Half an hour after that – Helena’s Skyping never went to schedule – Lindy and Beth were in front of the computer.
‘OK,’ said Lindy, having been given – in colourful language accompanied by tears – a reprise of the fact that it was apparently impossible to buy a wedding dress in the time available. ‘You need a wedding dress.’
‘I could source something from the internet, second-hand, eBay, I’m sure I could,’ said Beth, who felt Helena was being embarrassingly bridal.
‘I’m not having a second-hand wedding dress! OK!’ Helena was shrieking now.