A Vintage Wedding (42 page)

‘Oh, for God’s sake!’ said Edward. ‘You’ve turned the boy into a complete baby.’

Lindy cleared her throat and looked out of the window. This was not the time to tell her children’s father that it was not her fault they lacked a role model. And as she had the thought she realised that perhaps it wasn’t entirely his, either.

She found she was extraordinarily embarrassed to see Angus again. There had been some texts, sweet ones, but seeing him in the flesh reminded her of the time they slept together. Would Edward be able to tell what had gone on? She blushed at the horror of it. It wasn’t helped by the fact that the children had suddenly glued themselves to her.

‘Hello!’ she said gaily, trying to pretend that the situation wasn’t incredibly awkward.

‘Hi, guys!’ said Angus cheerfully.

But the boys weren’t yet up for cheerfulness. ‘Hello, Uncle Angus,’ they whispered.

Edward gave them an irritated look. ‘Do you want a drink or anything? I’ve got special drinks in.’

Lindy remembered she hadn’t mentioned not giving them things with too much sugar in – it would make them so hyper. But now was not the time. Fortunately, the boys shook their heads.

‘Maybe Daddy would show you round a bit?’ she suggested, trying to push them forward but unable to detach them.

‘That’s a good idea!’ said Angus.

‘Yes,’ said Edward. ‘Come and look at the tree house we’ve made for you!’

As they all trooped off, the boys at last attached to their father and not her, Lindy realised that Angus must have done most of the work on the tree house. Edward hadn’t really been in the country long enough for much chopping and sawing.

The boys ran ahead with Edward and Lindy followed with Angus. She needed to ask her big favour.

‘Angus?’ she began tentatively.

‘Lindy? Are you all right?’ He was concerned, possibly because she sounded worried.

‘Yes. I’m fine. I just need to ask you a favour and it’s a big one.’

‘Anything you need, ever, just ask.’

‘You’re so kind. But this isn’t for me personally. It’s a Vintage Weddings thing.’

‘I assume you don’t suddenly need an architectural report on a wedding gazebo?’

She laughed. ‘No. Something much more prosaic!’

‘So?’

‘We need a field. And you have a flat one.’

‘I have, but why do you want it? Not that you can’t have it – of course you can, even though there’s currently a tree house on it – but why?’

Lindy explained about the change of venue and the marquee. ‘So can we rent it? I insist on your getting paid.’

‘If you think it’s suitable, of course you can. But it might need some clearing up first, apart from possibly moving the tree house.’

They hadn’t reached the tree house yet but Lindy could hear her boys, who obviously had. ‘That will be dreadful. When you’ve gone to so much trouble to build it for them.’

‘Well, it is quite near the edge of the field. It might be all right. Do we have a marquee?’

She liked the ‘we’. ‘We do. Raff is sorting it. It might need to turn up quite soon.’

‘Well, let’s see if we need to start dismantling the tree house.’

They reached the tree house and Lindy saw that it was in the far corner, well away from the gate and so it could be left intact. The field was fairly level and as the marquee would probably have a floor, any little humps and bumps wouldn’t matter. It was also large, and so had plenty of room for parking.

What was less good was the number of small ash seedlings and patches of brambles, which might be too large to be concealed under the floor.

‘Do you suppose they’d be able to put a marquee up on top of those saplings and bushes?’ she asked.

‘I don’t know. I would imagine the bushes wouldn’t be a problem but the trees might be.’

‘It’s a lovely spot though,’ said Lindy. ‘Imagine a proper summer wedding here …’

Angus laughed softly.

Edward had left the boys clambering in the tree house and joined them.

‘I think we’ll probably need to get rid of all the little trees,’ said Angus.

‘Why?’ said Edward. ‘Seems a bit unnecessary!’

‘We need to put up a marquee in this field. By Friday. For a wedding,’ said Lindy.

‘Really? Good God! Why didn’t you tell me? Congratulations! At least you won’t have to change your name, Lindy-Lou’

‘Very funny,’ said Angus, having glanced at Lindy.

‘It’s not actually us getting married,’ she said, keeping her tone light.

‘Not this time,’ said Angus.

‘What?’ said Edward.

‘Joking!’ said Angus.

Edward scowled.

‘I’m part of a wedding company,’ said Lindy, trying to cover the slight awkwardness between the brothers. ‘I know I told you. We’re arranging a wedding for this lovely woman.’

‘When is the wedding?’

‘This Friday.’

‘You’ve left it a bit bloody late, haven’t you?’

Eventually Lindy left her children with their father and walked back towards the house with Angus.

‘Does he always call you Lindy-Lou?’ he asked when they were out of earshot.

‘Only when he wants to put me down.’

‘I’ll never call you Lindy-Lou then.’

Without stopping to think, Lindy said, ‘It would be all right if you did it!’ Then she shut her mouth and looked into the bushes as they went along the path. Angus said nothing.

They reached Angus’s makeshift kitchen – which seemed a bit less makeshift than when she’d last seen it – and Lindy braced herself to ask Angus for a lift home. It had been arranged that he would take her but for some reason she didn’t want to leave.

Just as she was steeling herself to do it, her phone rang. It was Rachel. Raff and the marquee man were in the area and wanted to check out the site. Lindy could get a lift back with Raff.

After they had all tramped over the field, sucking their, teeth they eventually said, ‘No probs. Our flooring will go over most of this. We’ll be here tomorrow.’

Although she didn’t say anything, Edward being well in earshot, Lindy did realise how terribly short notice it all was. Maybe that was why she still had a bad feeling that was almost physical.

Yet being with Raff was always cheering. She sat up beside him in the truck and realised he was one of those people who would always find a solution, make things work or know a bloke who could. He was so perfect for Rachel. She was all organised and efficient with her ever-present notebook and he was ‘make it up as you go along’. They complemented each other.

‘Is the marquee going to be expensive, Raff?’ she asked.

He inclined his head. ‘Well, it’s mates’ rates, and it’s too early for the main wedding season so the marquee’s there doing nothing, but Mike will have to put a lot of guys on the job to get it up and running. So yeah, it will be pricey.’

Lindy swallowed. ‘Well, the bride’s mother will have to pay.’

‘Not her fault she can’t have the hall, though, is it? Even if she did book the church for the wrong day, or whatever.’

Lindy adjusted her good opinion of Raff. He was capable of saying worrying things. ‘No, but it is Beth’s fault, and Vivien obviously wouldn’t expect her to pay. Or us, so I think it’ll be all right.’

‘I’ll tell you what Rachel said—’

‘Oh, do!’

‘She thinks that Vivien will actually secretly prefer the marquee to the hall because it’ll look posher. The hall is quaint and we like it but it isn’t grand. A marquee can look grand.’

‘Oh, God bless Rachel. I feel better about it now.’

‘She’s a good girl, Rachel,’ said Raff.

Lindy looked at him with satisfaction. She’d been cross with her mother for matchmaking but she could see how very satisfying it was – if it worked.

She thought about Beth. She’d obviously fallen hard for Finn – or why would she go to such enormous, inconvenient lengths so his band could be heard by an agent, or manager, or whoever the man was? She just hoped Finn wouldn’t let her down. Realistically, the odds that he wouldn’t weren’t great.

It seemed that Lindy had only just sorted out the house, feeling a bit tearful in the boys’ bedroom seeing a couple of toys that had been left behind in the rush to get packed, when the phone rang. Oh, please let it be Rachel or Beth, suggesting they come over with a bottle of wine, or even that they go to the pub. For once she didn’t need a babysitter.

She answered the phone with a smile on her face. It was Angus.

‘I’m afraid there’s been an accident. It’s Ned. Nothing life-threatening but I think he should go to A and E.’

Lindy’s mouth went instantly dry. ‘What happened?’ She was surprised and relieved to hear herself sound quite calm.

‘He fell off the tree house.’

Lindy swallowed. This was no time to rage against tree houses, even if they were dangerous. ‘Did he hit his head?’

‘No, it’s his arm. I think it’s broken. I’ve rung Sarah. She’s coming to be with Billy, who needs someone. Edward is … well—’

Lindy interrupted Angus’s struggle to describe his brother’s emotions. ‘So have you rung anyone – a doctor? An ambulance?’

‘Yes. We’ve rung the ambulance service but decided it’ll be quicker to take him in by car. I’ll pick you up on the way.’

‘Doesn’t he need someone else in the car with him while you drive?’

‘He’s being really brave. He knows that his father has to stay with Billy until Sarah arrives. It’s not a long journey, after all.’

‘Angus, would it be possible for you to wait until Mum gets there? I just don’t …’ Could she say she didn’t trust her three-year-old with his father, even for half an hour or so? It wasn’t that she didn’t think he’d keep Billy safe, but he might not keep him reassured.

‘Yup. If you’d prefer that. Sarah is quite nearby, luckily. She’ll be here in about fifteen minutes.’

‘I’ll wait here then.’

‘It will be all right, Lindy. Trust me. Horrible for now but not dangerous in the long-term.’

Lindy suddenly wanted to cry. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered, hoping he couldn’t hear the tears.

In the end it was twenty-five minutes before they arrived. Lindy’s house had never been so clean and tidy. She didn’t want to ring anyone so her phone wouldn’t be blocked if Angus or her mother needed to get through to her. So she cleaned, dusted, hoovered, pulled out the sofa and discovered an entire plastic army and a packet of biscuits’ worth of crumbs. She was just about to start wiping down the skirting boards when the doorbell rang.

She rushed past Angus with a brief apology to get to the car. She pulled open the back door.

‘I’m fine, Mum, really,’ said Ned.

He didn’t look fine. He looked green, as if he might be sick at any moment. Lindy got in next to him and then got out again. ‘I’ll fetch a bucket,’ she said. As she ran she realised that the front seat had been occupied. Edward was there too. It wasn’t unreasonable, Lindy realised, but it was an extra complication when she really didn’t need it.

‘Your mother is there with Billy, so I came to give Ned support,’ said Edward when she returned with the bucket. ‘Really I think it would be better if I took him. My girlfriend’s a teacher and she says kids’re much better if they haven’t got their mothers with them. You have to remember with children it’s important not to make too much fuss, she says. It only makes it worse. Angus insisted on fetching you. Said you’d arranged it.’

‘Thank you, Angus!’ said Lindy, squeezing in next to Ned. Annoyingly, Edward’s teacher girlfriend was right about the too much fuss, but it was up to her to decide what was too much and what was just the right amount.

When they set off Angus said, ‘We haven’t given him anything to eat or drink in case they have to operate.’

‘Right,’ said Lindy, concentrating on sounding calm for Ned’s sake.

‘They won’t have to operate!’ said Edward. ‘He’s just fallen out of a tree house. Children have accidents all the time. There’s really no need for this. His arm is probably just bruised.’

Angus ignored him. ‘They’re not busy at A and E. Sarah knows one of the sisters on duty and she said we’ll be fine if we come now.’

‘One of the joys of living near a small town,’ said Lindy. ‘A and E isn’t the nightmare it is in bigger places.’

She was glad it was getting dark in the back of the car so no one, especially Ned, could see how worried she was in spite of her calm tones. She breathed slowly in and out and found it did help. She squeezed the little hand in hers. ‘It’s going to be OK, Neddy, really it is.’

‘Of course it is!’ said Edward. ‘You’re making a fuss, Lindy!’

Lindy could see Ned’s face was screwed up, whether with pain or the effort of not crying she couldn’t tell. ‘It’s all right to cry,’ she whispered, hoping his father wouldn’t hear. ‘If you want to. It might help.’

There was a loud exhale of breath from the front passenger seat.

‘What might help,’ said Angus sotto voce to his brother, ‘would be if you shut up and let Lindy cope with Ned. She knows how to handle him far better than you do.’

‘I’m so glad you’re here, Mum,’ whispered Ned, clutching her hand. ‘Is it really all right not to be brave?’

Cursing her ex-husband with every cell of her body, Lindy said, ‘Yes, darling. You don’t have to be anything if you don’t want to be.’