Читать книгу Meet Me at Willow Hall: A perfectly charming romance for 2019! - Carla Burgess - Страница 8

I couldn’t speak. All I could do was stand and stare at him in shocked silence, and all he did was stare back.

My brain seemed to have shut down. I was dimly aware of the sales assistant talking about the dress, but she seemed very far away all of a sudden. Everything seemed to fade out, leaving just me and Anthony staring at each other beneath the twinkling lights of the marquee. I didn’t know what to do or say. And, seemingly, neither did he.

‘Oh, my God!’ Elena said in a shocked voice as she turned to see who I was staring at. ‘Anthony!’

He seemed to gather himself then. Shaking his head slightly, he looked at Elena and switched on his smile. ‘Elena!’ Stepping forward, he kissed her on both cheeks. ‘How lovely to see you. And you, Rachel.’ His eyes returned to mine. ‘You look… you look…’ He indicated the bridal gown, his eyes travelling the length of my body down to my bare feet and back up to my eyes. ‘…Very well.’ He nodded slightly and took a deep breath in. ‘So, you’re getting married! Congratulations!’ Nodding again, he flashed the briefest of smiles. ‘Well, must dash. It’s good to see you.’

And then he was gone, striding purposefully away through the crowded marquee. I stared after his retreating figure in heart-pounding disbelief.

‘How do you know him then?’ the sales assistant asked as she continued to fuss about with the back of the dress. ‘He owns the hall, doesn’t he? Very handsome man. Some of the girls were talking about him earlier. And his brother too. Nice-looking family. Great genes, obviously.’

I couldn’t form the words to answer her question. Luckily, she was distracted by someone else asking to try on a bridal gown. I looked at Elena. She was staring at me in wide-eyed horror. ‘Are you okay?’ she murmured, stepping closer and taking my hand. ‘You’ve gone really pale.’

‘Errm, I err…’ I shook my head, unable to find any words. I was lightheaded and trembling all over.

‘Shall we take this dress off now, my lovely?’ said the sales assistant, steering me back towards the dressing room and starting to unbutton the back of the dress. ‘Oooh, are you cold? You’ve got goose bumps all over! If you give me a minute, I’ll get you the details for the bridesmaid dress in this style. You’ll have to order it online, but at least you’ll know the size now you’ve tried this one on. Here, step out and I’ll leave you to get dressed.’

‘Thank you.’

She left me alone and I stood with my eyes closed, sucking in deep lungfuls of air and trying to calm my racing heart. I felt panicky and there was a deep ache in the pit of my stomach that seemed to be anger, despair and longing all rolled into one. Because no matter how many times I told people I was over him, that I hated him and never wanted to see him again as long as I lived, I knew none of that was true. I was a long way from getting over Anthony Bascombe, and his sudden appearance just now had proved that beyond a doubt.

What did I do now? Just leave? Just walk away like it had never happened? I wasn’t sure I could do that. I needed to see him again. I needed to talk to him. I needed to know why he’d finished with me so abruptly.

Dressing quickly, I took a moment to steady my breathing before going back out to Elena. She was chewing her fingernail and looking worried. ‘Do you want to go?’ she said, her dark eyes wide with concern. ‘We can go. I don’t mind.’

I shook my head. ‘No. I’m fine.’

‘Are you sure?’ She raised her left eyebrow sceptically. ‘The lady’s given me the details for the bridesmaid dress so there’s nothing we really need to do now. We can go.’

Taking a deep breath in, I shook my head again. ‘No, it’s okay. I’ve seen him now. It’s done.’

‘Well, I doubt we’ll see him again, anyway.’ Elena tucked her arm through mine. ‘He practically ran away.’

I forced a smile and looked over at the flower stall. ‘Let’s have a look at the flowers. She might have some ideas I can use in the shop.’

‘You should start exhibiting at these wedding fairs. I told you that at the last one we went to.’

‘Yeah, I know.’ We paused next to the flower stall, but I was more interested in scanning the crowd for signs of Anthony than taking much notice of the flower designs.

‘You could send Bobbi if you didn’t want to do them yourself,’ Elena added, mistaking my distraction for disinterest.

I laughed. ‘Maybe. Shall we go and sit down outside and have something to eat? I think they’re serving food from the back of the house.’ I led the way back out of the marquee. Small round tables had been placed on the lawn so guests could eat. I found one that was empty and sat down. Elena glanced around before taking the seat opposite me.

‘I can’t believe he was here!’ she hissed. ‘After everything we were saying in the car.’

‘I know.’ I opened my eyes wide and inhaled deeply. All around us, people chatted and laughed while sipping champagne, completely unaware that my life had just been thrown into turmoil. I was so stunned and confused, my head was spinning. But really, I had no right to be feeling this shocked. There was always a chance he’d be here. This was his family home, after all.

And maybe, just maybe, part of me had hoped he would be.

I’d often wondered how I would react if I saw him again. How many nights had I lain awake, missing him and wondering where he was and who he was with? Even while I was furious with him, I missed him. I cried myself to sleep, night after night, thinking about him and longing for him to come back to me. As weeks turned into months and it became clear he wasn’t going to change his mind and come back, I’d tied to convince myself that, even if he did, I wouldn’t want him. That my feelings had changed and I wouldn’t feel the same way about him. Too much time had passed and he’d hurt me so much I was bound to feel differently. The connection would be severed and there would be no attraction. It would be like looking at a stranger, and his blue eyes would no longer have any hold over me.

But it hadn’t been like looking into the eyes of a stranger. I’d felt exactly the same way as I had twelve months ago. It was so strange to feel that same connection. How could I still be in love with him after all this time? What kind of masochist was I?

Of course, he was still as handsome as ever. The high cheekbones and square jaw. The sparkling blue eyes and neatly cropped fair hair. But it wasn’t just about his looks. It was more than that. If it had been only that, his brother would have had the same effect on me – they looked so alike. As soon as I saw him, the good memories had come flooding back, overpowering the words in his letter.

They were serving afternoon tea from the terrace at the back of the house. Elena went up to join the queue while I stayed at the table, trying to regain some control over my emotions. I wasn’t even hungry. My stomach had lurched so violently when I’d seen Anthony that it felt sore and bruised.

‘Rachel? Is that really you?’ Julian, Anthony’s brother, appeared next to our table, looking down at me in disbelief. ‘How wonderful to see you again. I just saw Anthony and he said he’d just seen you, and I had to come and find you and say hello. How are you?’

‘I’m fine. Thank you, Julian. How are you?’ Standing up, I kissed him on both cheeks. His broad, happy grin was so infectious that I found myself smiling back at him. He looked so happy to see me that I felt truly touched. He was such a lovely man.

‘Very well, thank you! Wow! This is wonderful! And you’re getting married, I believe? Congratulations! Do you have a date set yet?’

Blinking rapidly, I opened my mouth to tell him I wasn’t getting married, just trying out the style of dress, but at that moment Elena arrived back at the table, abandoning her place in the queue.

‘You haven’t set a date yet, have you, Rachel? Hi, I’m Elena by the way.’ She reached out to shake Julian’s hand. ‘I’m getting married at the end of August, though.’

‘This coming August?’ Julian’s eyes lit up.

‘Yes.’

‘Do you have everything booked already?’

‘Yes, pretty much. All sorted really.’

‘Oh, lovely. Whereabouts are you getting married? Forgive me if that seems like a nosy question.’ He pressed the palm of his hand to his chest, looking embarrassed. ‘It’s just that this is our first foray into being a wedding venue, and I’m interested in hearing why people choose the places they do.’

‘Oh, well, it came down to cost in the end. We’ve been renovating a house so most of our money has gone on that. It made sense to get married at the local golf club to keep costs down.’

‘Oh, okay. Fair enough. What about you, Rachel? What will you be looking for when you choose your wedding venue?’

My mouth dropped open. ‘Oh, I don’t know yet, really. Willow Hall is so beautiful, though.’

‘It certainly is. An ideal venue, I’d say. And Liz and I got married here, so I know it’s perfect. How about I give you the guided tour and we’ll see if I can tempt you into booking your wedding with us? After all, what better revenge than to get married at your ex-boyfriend’s family home?’ He winked at me and I laughed.

‘True.’ I felt my cheeks flush. What had I got myself into now? I wasn’t sure I could keep up the pretence of being engaged. I opened my mouth to tell him we really ought to be going home now, but Elena jumped in before I could get my words out.

‘We’d love to look round,’ she said eagerly, her eyes lighting up.

‘Great!’ Julian looked delighted. ‘Are you ready now?’

‘Yes!’ Elena said, before I could back out.

‘Great! Well, as you can see, we have the pavilion here laid out on the lawn,’ he said, gesturing to the marquee. ‘We call it the pavilion rather than the marquee because it’s a semi-permanent structure, with its own toilets and electricity supply. We can cater for up to one hundred and eighty guests in there, with space for a dance floor and a stage for a band or DJ. You’ve been in there already, haven’t you? What did you think?’

‘It was beautiful,’ Elena said. ‘Especially with all the lights on the ceiling.’

‘Yes, that’s our starry-night theme. Perfect for creating a romantic ambience. We’re really pleased with it.’

‘Do you conduct the civil ceremonies in there?’

‘No, we’re planning on holding them in the orangery or the library. Although only the orangery is ready at the moment. If you’d like to follow me, I’ll show you now.’ He led us to the end of the house where the orangery jutted out, surrounded by flowering shrubs. Crocuses flowered in the lawn, blue and yellow flowers poking up from the green grass. ‘It’s quite shady down here,’ he said, gesturing to the large oak tree nearby, ‘so it doesn’t get too hot in the midday sun. Ideal on a boiling hot summer’s day. Will you be having a civil ceremony or a church service, Elena?’

‘Church.’

‘And you, Rachel?’

‘Err, haven’t decided yet.’

‘Oh!’ Julian shot me a surprised glance. ‘You really are in the early stages of planning, aren’t you?’

I laughed nervously. ‘What about you, Julian? Did you and Liz get married in here?’

‘No, we were married in the parish church, which is just down the road. You’ll have seen it when you turned into the drive. It’s a lovely church and we’ve had a word with the vicar, who seems quite open to marrying couples from out of the parish, so that’s also an option if you choose to book with us. So, what’s your fiancé’s name, Rachel?’

I gulped, my mind immediately emptying of all possible names.

‘Jayjay,’ Elena said helpfully.

‘Jayjay?’ Julian turned to look at me, eyebrows raised. ‘Where did you meet?’

‘In my flower shop, The Birdcage,’ I said truthfully. I had met Jayjay in the shop, but only because he was Bobbi’s boyfriend. Bobbi worked in The Birdcage with me and had been seeing Jayjay for a couple of months now. They made a lovely couple, and Jayjay was cute but certainly not my type.

‘Lovely.’ Julian opened the door to the orangery and let us inside. It had been laid out as though ready for a wedding, with rows of beribboned chairs and an aisle left for the bride to walk down. ‘This can seat sixty guests, so obviously, if you wanted more guests, it would be best to choose to have the wedding in one of our other rooms, such as the library or the Great Hall when it’s finished.’

‘Great Hall? That sounds very grand.’

Julian grimaced and then laughed self-consciously. ‘Well, it’s possibly not quite as grand as it sounds. We’re still in the process of restoring it. We’re nearly there, though, so by the time anyone books a wedding we’ll have it all back to its former glory.’

‘How many weddings have you booked so far?’

‘One today, so far that is. But that’s for next year and we were rather hoping we’d get someone booking for this year. Probably a bit of a long shot. Most people book their weddings at least a year in advance. But still, we live in hope. If we could get someone to book with us this summer, that would be a great start.’

‘You could advertise,’ I suggested. ‘There’s bound to be someone who’s left everything to the last minute.’

‘Liz suggested that. I’m not sure it’s the best idea, though. It makes us sound a bit desperate to be so public about it.’

‘Where is Liz, by the way? Is she here or is she at home with the kids?’ Julian and Liz had two children and lived up in Scotland. ‘How are they all?’

‘Oh, Liz is fine. But this is home now. We all live here.’

‘Here? Really?’

‘Yes. It all came to a head last year. After Anthony’s accident, we realised we couldn’t stay living so far away. It put a lot of things into perspective and made us all sit up and open our eyes.’

I nodded. ‘How is he?’

‘He’s doing well. You saw him before, didn’t you?’

‘Yes. But we didn’t really speak.’

‘Oh, really?’ Julian looked surprised, as though he’d imagined Anthony and I having a good old chat. ‘Well, he’s fine, anyway. Recovering well. His accident made us see we’d been living our own separate lives, carrying on like it was fine to leave our mother here, managing this massive hall and twenty-two acres on her own. The more we visited, the more we realised Mother wasn’t coping quite as well as she claimed, and the old place was rather falling apart. So Liz and I moved back. We’re living in the east wing with Mother and Arthur.’

‘Arthur the gardener?’ I interrupted, remembering a bit of gossip from the Christmas before last where Julian and Liz were speculating about him and Cath being in a relationship. Anthony had been appalled by the idea.

Julian laughed. ‘Yes, we all live together now, like one big, happy family. It’s only temporary, though. Liz and I are renovating one of the houses on the estate to live in.’

‘Does Anthony live with you too?’

‘No, he’s moved into Arthur’s old cottage to be miserable on his own.’

‘He lives here, though? On the estate?’

‘Oh, yes!’ Julian looked surprised at the question. ‘Yes, we all live here now. Got to make a go of this place or else we’ll have to sell it.’

‘I kind of thought that was what Anthony wanted? He hates this place, doesn’t he?’

Julian shrugged. ‘Hmm, well, we can’t sell while Mother’s still alive. It would kill her. Right, I’ll show you the Great Hall if you want to see it?’

I glanced at Elena, who was looking eager and excited. ‘Oh, yes, please.’

He led us into the house through a side door, and we walked through long, wood-panelled corridors with high ceilings and threadbare carpets. It was gloomy, and the air smelt musty and stale, as though this part of the house was rarely used. Julian stopped at the end of the corridor and opened a door on the left.

‘Here we are,’ he said cheerfully, as we stepped into darkness. He flicked a switch on the wall, but the room remained dark. ‘Oops! Just a moment. I’ll open one of these curtains and let some light in.’ We watched as he wrestled a long, dark drape to one side, releasing clouds of dust as he did so. It sparkled in the air as the light poured in, revealing a large, rectangular room with mystery humps of furniture hidden beneath dustsheets. As my eyes slowly adjusted to the light, I started to make out family portraits hanging on the walls.

‘Wow!’ Elena said, looking round, impressed. ‘This is a great room, isn’t it?’

I turned a slow circle, taking in the sadly neglected room. It could be a great room, but right now it just made me feel sad. As a florist, I’d delivered many wedding flowers to venues like Willow Hall, and their rooms were all sparkling silverware and polished floors. It was sad to see this beautiful old house so uncared for and a shame they couldn’t have sorted it out before this wedding fair. A beautiful big room like this had the potential to convince people to have their wedding here. Especially a winter wedding. I imagined a roaring fire in the big fireplace at the end of the room, decorated with garlands of holly and mistletoe.

‘What will you be offering this room for? Wedding breakfasts?’

‘Yes. Well, eventually, anyway. It’s not ready, as you can see. This is next on our list.’

‘It’s a pity you couldn’t get it ready for today. A lot of people would have liked to have seen it,’ I said, staring up at a huge oil painting of a man riding a horse. It looked like it had been painted centuries ago, but with the bright-blue eyes and chiselled features the man’s resemblance to Anthony and Julian was uncanny. I was just about to say something about it when the door swung open and Anthony stalked in.

‘Ah, here you are,’ he said to his brother. ‘What are you doing in here? I thought we weren’t showing anybody in here today.’

‘I know, but I’m trying to convince Elena that she wants to get married here this summer.’

Anthony pulled a face and glanced disdainfully around the room. ‘By showing her this horrible, creepy room?’

‘It’s beautiful!’ Elena said, spinning round as though she were a Disney princess. ‘You can really see the possibilities this place has.’

‘It would be great for a winter wedding,’ I said, pleased when my voice didn’t squeak or tremble with nerves. I took a few steps forward, feeling awkward, and clasped my shaking hands behind my back.

‘I suppose so,’ Anthony said, stiffly. ‘We haven’t used this room for years and years, have we, Jules?’

‘No. I can barely remember using it, to be honest. I expect that’s because I’m younger than you by a good few years, though, isn’t that right, Anthony?’ He grinned cheekily at his brother and Anthony laughed.

‘Only by three years. Let’s not exaggerate.’

Julian chuckled. ‘Apparently we used to have family parties in here at Christmastime. It’s a bit big really for general family use, don’t you think? I think we’d all lose each other.’

Anthony shivered slightly. ‘It gives me the creeps.’

‘That’s because it’s so dark. If you pulled open the curtains and uncovered the furniture it would be lovely. Especially with a big Christmas tree and roaring fire.’

Anthony dipped his head. ‘If you like that sort of thing.’

I felt guilty then. I knew very well that Anthony hated Christmas because his father had died at Christmastime when he was fourteen. The last thing he needed was me trying to make his childhood home look like a scene from a Christmas card.

‘Well, even a bit of sunlight would make all the difference. Just look at these amazing family portraits. Do you know who they all are? This one looks just like you two.’

Julian laughed. ‘Yes, that’s our great-grandfather. He made his fortune in the shipping business.’

‘Oh, really? So you’re not dukes or earls or whatever?’

‘No. We don’t have titles.’

‘Thank God,’ Anthony muttered. ‘So are you having a winter wedding, Rachel?’ he asked.

‘I… no, we don’t have a date yet.’

Anthony looked surprised. ‘And yet you’re trying on wedding dresses?’

I blushed. ‘We’re here for Elena today. I was looking for a bridesmaid dress but they didn’t have any in that style.’

Elena shot me a look as if to say I should be making up loads of wedding details, but I ignored her. I didn’t want to get involved in some elaborate lie. I was uncomfortable enough about the Jayjay thing as it was.

‘But I thought you had everything sorted already, Elena?’ Julian said. ‘Are you addicted to wedding fairs or something?’

‘Pretty much!’ Elena laughed. ‘We have everything except Rachel’s dress, but I think we’ve got that sorted now, thanks to today. Besides, Rachel’s only just got engaged. It’s all about my wedding right now. We’ll think about Rachel’s after my honeymoon.’ She laughed to show she was joking.

Anthony smiled. ‘How is Daniel? Well, I hope?’

‘He’s great, thanks!’ Elena beamed. ‘We’ve moved into our house together and it’s lovely.’

‘Oh, it’s finished then? That’s great!’

‘Yes, just a few bits here and there to finish off, but it’s wonderful to be in our own house at last.’

‘Excellent! Give him my best wishes. I always liked Daniel.’

‘He liked you too. He was gutted when you and Rachel broke up.’

I felt my cheeks flare and Anthony looked away, obviously uncomfortable with the subject. Julian laughed and slapped his brother on the arm.

‘If you and Daniel had such a bromance going, you should have no trouble persuading him to get married here instead of his local golf club.’

Anthony shrugged. ‘Are you actually thinking about it, Elena? Would you move your wedding to here?’

‘I’d love to but I’m not sure how practical it would be. It’s a bit late to reorganise everything now. All the invitations have gone out and it’s a bit cheeky to change the venue on the guests, especially when it’s an hour away.’

‘It’s your wedding,’ Anthony said. ‘You should be able to get married wherever you like.’

‘Well, I doubt we’d be able to afford it anyway. A place like this must cost a fortune!’

‘Not if we do you a deal,’ Julian said. ‘How about you get married here this summer and be our first marriage. If you agree to be photographed and videoed for our website and perhaps featured in a magazine, we could offer the venue for free.’

‘For free?’ Elena blinked at him in amazement. ‘Why would you do that?’

‘To get publicity, of course. We’re just starting out and we’re pretty desperate to get this up and running. Honestly, you’d be helping us enormously. You’d need to pay for catering and your flowers and stuff like that, but we wouldn’t charge for the use of the hall.’

My mouth fell open in disbelief. It was an unbelievably generous offer, and I almost wished I really did have a fiancé so I could be their first wedding. It was ironic that my commitment-phobic ex-boyfriend’s family home was now the wedding venue of my dreams.

Elena laughed. ‘Wow! That’s a good offer.’

Julian’s eyes lit up. ‘What would you lose? Your deposit? I bet it would still work out cheaper in the long run.’

Elena grew serious again, chewing her lip. ‘It’s still a bit far for all my guests, though.’

‘It’s only an hour from Chester!’ Anthony said over his shoulder. ‘Besides, they could stay over. We have plenty of rooms in the hall and we’re converting the stable block into accommodation.’

‘Would it be ready in time, though?’ I looked pointedly around the dusty hall. ‘Elena’s wedding is only four months away. That’s a lot of work.’

‘It will be finished by then,’ Julian said. ‘We’re looking at the beginning of July for completion so it would fit nicely with an August wedding. So, as long as you don’t want to get married in this room here, Elena, you’ll be all set.’

‘How many guests can you accommodate? Surely not eighty?’

‘Not at the moment, but there are a couple of good guesthouses in the village, so I’m sure between us we could manage.’ Julian looked across at Anthony. ‘Our holiday cottages can accommodate four families of five and we also have four double bedrooms within the hall itself, on top of the honeymoon suite. I can show you that now if you’d like to follow me.’ Julian led us towards a door at the opposite end of the room and into a wide, oak-panelled hallway. A large staircase with an intricately carved banister wound its way upwards. Elena and I followed him up to the first floor, with Anthony walking slowly behind us. It felt like all my senses were attuned to him: the thud of his footsteps on the stairs, the squeak of his hand on the polished wooden banister, the sound of his breathing. It made the hairs on the back of my neck prickle and my pulse race.

The day had taken on a surreal quality. After all this time, how could this be? How could I be walking up the stairs with Anthony? My brain couldn’t process it properly and I kept thinking I must be dreaming.

We reached the first floor and Julian led us along a red-carpeted corridor flanked by doors leading to different bedrooms. ‘Okay,’ he said, when we got to the door at the end. ‘This is the honeymoon suite, and it’s the room Liz and I stayed in on the night of our wedding. This was one of Liz’s first projects so it’s looking pretty good in here.’ The door swung open with a creak to reveal a beautiful cream-panelled bedroom with a king-sized bed. Gold jacquard curtains hung at the huge window, which had sweeping views of the rolling hills and woodland surrounding the hall. ‘As you can see, it’s rather nice. There are tea- and coffee-making facilities on the dresser, and a lovely en-suite bathroom.’

‘Ooh, it’s lovely!’ Elena wandered in, looking around her in delight. She seemed entranced by everything she saw and I wondered if there was any possibility that Daniel would agree to move their wedding to Willow Hall. It was clear she loved it and I hoped she wasn’t going to be disappointed if he said no. His dad’s golf club had never been her first choice of venue.

Crossing to the window, I looked out at the view.

‘Yes, Liz designed it all. She wouldn’t let me or Anthony near it. I don’t think she trusts us with the design side.’ Julian laughed as he opened a door next to the bed. ‘Take a look at the en suite. It’s got a roll-top bath!’

‘Very nice!’ Elena said, following him into the bathroom, leaving me and Anthony in the main bedroom. I stayed by the window, staring out at the view with my back to Anthony. Even though I couldn’t see him, I could feel his eyes on me. I rubbed the back of my neck. The atmosphere grew hotter and heavier with each minute Elena and Julian were out of the room. They seemed to be taking their time. I could hear them discussing the gold taps and the fluffiness of the towels. Hurry up, for heaven’s sake!

‘Do you like the view?’ Anthony’s voice came from just behind me, making me jump. I hadn’t realised he was quite so close. I half-turned before quickly facing the window again, my heart thumping.

‘Oh! Yes. Yes, it’s really lovely,’ I said, far too heartily. ‘The whole place is beautiful. You’re so lucky to live here!’

He laughed and I felt his warm breath on my neck. My knees trembled and I shut my eyes, trying to block him out. ‘There was a time I wouldn’t have agreed,’ he said. ‘But the old place has grown on me over the past year. It’s quite nice to be back.’

‘It’s great that you and Julian are back to make a go of things,’ I said, surprised my voice sounded relatively normal when I felt so breathless.

‘Yes, well, it was time I grew up and faced up to my responsibilities. I suppose I have the accident to thank for that.’

I nodded. I didn’t feel like thanking the accident for anything. As far as I knew, we might still have been together now if it hadn’t been for the accident. But perhaps that was another thing he was grateful for. He never had wanted a long-term relationship.

Elena and Julian emerged from the en suite, still discussing the fixtures and fittings. ‘Where have you booked to stay on the night of your wedding?’ he asked her. ‘A local hotel?’

‘No, we’re just going home after the night-do,’ she said, slightly glumly.

‘You can’t just go home after you get married!’ Anthony protested. ‘What an anticlimax! It’s supposed to be the most romantic, most memorable day of your life, Elena!’

I turned to look at him in surprise. Since when did he care where people spent their wedding night? Was it just a sales pitch? A new angle to convince Elena to move her wedding?

Elena shrugged. ‘It will still be a memorable day. We’ll be really tired anyway, so I don’t suppose it will matter. Besides, we’re going on honeymoon the following day.’

‘Where are you going?’ Julian asked.

‘Portugal.’

‘Lovely. We went to Portugal on holiday the year before last. Where are you staying?’

Elena began talking about her honeymoon plans but I was so focused on Anthony’s presence that I was unable to follow what she said. Every cell in my body seemed to be straining towards him, like flowers to the sun. I wasn’t sure why I found him so attractive after all this time. I’d spent most of this past year feeling angry with him, so why should seeing him again have such an effect on me? I turned back to the window and stared out at the distant hills and the blue, blue sky. I kept getting wafts of his aftershave, subtly competing with the new-paint smell of the bedroom. I pressed my fingertips to the windowsill, my nails whitening with the pressure.

‘Do you have a room where the bride and bridesmaids can get ready beforehand too?’ Elena asked.

‘Oh, yes, we’re preparing that at the moment. It’s just down the corridor. Follow me.’

I turned to follow, only to find myself nose to collar with Anthony.

‘Sorry!’ I blurted, backing away instantly.

‘My fault. I was just trying to catch a glimpse of something in the garden below. So sorry.’ He stood back to let me pass and I scuttled away, cheeks glowing like distress flares. Oh, God, please let this be over soon, I prayed. It was too awkward and intense.

The bridal suite, as they called it, was a large cream room, similar to the honeymoon suite, but with a huge dressing table and pewter-framed mirror. I tried my best to focus on what Julian was saying, but my nerves were shredded. The only thing I cared about was the fact that Anthony was leaning casually against the doorframe like some kind of male model.

‘Ooh, I like the window seat!’ Elena said, pressing her hand into the cushion, which was still covered in plastic.

‘Yes, Liz said it’s a good photo-opportunity.’

‘Oooh!’ Elena spun round enthusiastically. ‘And we could stay over the night before? Rachel and I?’

I swallowed. Was Elena really considering moving her wedding to Willow Hall?

‘Of course!’ Julian answered. ‘Guests could stay too. And the groom, of course. Although you’d have to be careful to keep out of sight of him before the wedding.’

‘Guest accommodation wouldn’t be free, though,’ Anthony put in with a glance at his brother. ‘Although we would offer it at a reduced rate.’

Elena nodded. ‘Well, I think you’ve given me plenty to think about. I’ll have to talk to Daniel about it, obviously. I’m not sure… it’s the golf club where his dad goes, you see, so he might not want to change.’

‘Well, bring him down and we can convince him. Otherwise, it’s down to you, Rachel.’ Julian turned his blue eyes on me and smiled. ‘You’ve got us excited now and we’re counting on one of you to have your wedding with us here this year.’

‘No pressure then!’ I laughed nervously and turned quickly away from Anthony’s gaze. ‘Someone might well book with you today and you won’t need us at all.’

‘I doubt it. Most of them are locals who’ve only come to have a good old look around. They don’t really approve of our new venture. They think it will cause too much traffic in the village.’

‘I bet the owners of the guesthouse will be happy. And the pub.’

Julian wrinkled his nose and looked at Anthony. ‘You’d think so, but they’re a bit sceptical. I think most of the villagers think we’re going to fail and sell up anyway. But we’re determined to prove them wrong, aren’t we, Anthony?’

‘We are.’ Anthony inclined his head and looked down at his shiny black shoes.

Julian led us back down the stairs and out of the front door and along a shady gravel path towards the stable block. He kept up a stream of cheerful chatter the whole way, while Elena walked beside him, laughing and looking around her excitedly. It was a relief to be outside. I felt like I could breathe again.

‘I’m sorry if I seemed rude when I saw you earlier,’ Anthony said in a low voice as he fell into step beside me. ‘It was just such a shock to see you.’

‘Oh, no, you weren’t rude at all!’ I glanced up at him in surprise. ‘It was certainly a shock. I didn’t expect to see you either.’ I swallowed nervously and touched the back of my hair to check it wasn’t falling down. Should I apologise for turning up unannounced on his territory? At least I’d known there was a slight possibility he might be here. To him it must have seemed like I’d fallen from the sky. Still, he appeared to be over his shock now and looked quite relaxed, whereas I still felt raw and emotional.

‘No, well, I suppose you wouldn’t have expected me of all people to be at a wedding fair, even if it was on my property!’ He gave a rueful laugh. ‘I must admit it wasn’t my first choice of business. I was thinking more along the lines of conference facilities and countryside pursuits. You know, clay pigeon shooting or paintballing. Maybe even a golf course.’ He sighed longingly and I laughed.

‘Why didn’t you go for those then?’

‘Julian and Liz can be pretty persuasive when they get going. They managed to convince me weddings would be lucrative and probably the least labour-intensive of all the options. I’m not sure I believe that. I think it’s just a line they fed me to get me to agree to it all, and now I’m up to my armpits in wedding paraphernalia!’

‘Oh, dear! Is it that bad?’

He laughed. ‘It hasn’t been so far. It’s been quite satisfying getting the old place looking good again, and Mother’s happy to have us back.’

I nodded, unable to think of a suitable reply. We’d reached the end of the path now anyway, which had delivered us into the square courtyard of the stable block. Arranged in a U-shape, it was built in the same soft red brick as the house and had been converted into four nice-looking cottages.

‘Ooh, these look nice!’ Elena said enthusiastically.

‘Yes, and they’ll definitely be ready for August,’ Julian said. ‘Unfortunately, I don’t have the key or I’d show you inside, but you can see through the window that they’re pretty roomy. The roof was high enough for us to put in a mezzanine floor so there are three bedrooms. One to the side and two in the roof. See, plenty of room for your guests. Well, some of them, at least.’

‘Oh, yes! They’re great!’ Elena pressed her nose to the newly glazed window of the first cottage while I stood looking around. The stables looked very grand and I wondered how often they were used when Anthony and Julian were children. Anthony had never mentioned a love of horses or anything like that. But even with the stable doors removed and replaced with windows and proper wooden doors, you could see this had once been an impressive stable block. I imagined all the staff that would have been employed here; the grooms preparing the horses to be ridden by the lady of the manor. The amount of history in this place blew my mind.

‘Did you have horses when you were growing up?’ I asked.

‘No. Just a couple of fat Shetlands when we were small, but they weren’t kept in here. It’s been used for storage for years.’ Anthony stood with his hands on his hips, his blue shirt pulling tight at his shoulders. ‘This is the bit I’ve enjoyed. Renovating buildings that have been doing nothing for years.’

‘Overseeing it, you mean.’ Julian laughed. ‘It’s not like you did any of the work yourself.’

‘Well, no. But I was involved in the planning.’ He turned, his foot scraping on the gravel, and I retrieved my sunglasses from my bag and put them on. Despite the tall surrounding trees, the courtyard was a real suntrap and I had to squint in the bright sunshine. Elena put her head back, tipping her face up to the sun.

‘It’s so lovely here. I think I could stay for ever.’

Julian laughed. ‘It’s the obvious choice for your wedding then, isn’t it? Come on, you know you want to.’

Elena smiled. ‘I know I want to, but it’s not just about what I want. I’ll check with Daniel and let you know.’

‘Okay.’ Julian shrugged. ‘Well, I’ve done my best. You can vouch for me, can’t you, Anthony? That means I won’t get in trouble with my wife.’

Elena laughed. ‘When will you need to know by?’

Julian shrugged. ‘As soon as possible really. How about you, Rachel? Do you think you’d be able to convince Jayjay to get married here this year?’

‘Err, no, I don’t think so.’

‘Oh, really?’ Julian’s face dropped. ‘Don’t you like it?’

‘Of course I like it! It’s beautiful. But…’ I glanced at Elena and she shook her head slightly. ‘It’s complicated.’

‘Okay. Well, take a business card each and just give us a call if you change your minds. Perhaps you could bring Daniel for a visit, Elena? Just give me a call and let me know when you’d like to come.’

He took a small pile of business cards from his breast pocket and handed one to me and one to Elena. Willow Hall was embossed in gold script across the top and, underneath, both Anthony and Julian’s mobile telephone numbers were included. I stared at Anthony’s number for a second before putting it in my handbag.

‘Great! Thanks! Well, I guess we’d better get going then.’ Elena checked her watch. ‘Thank you for showing us round. It’s been wonderful.’

‘It’s our pleasure. Lovely to meet you, Elena. And to see you again, Rachel.’ Julian smiled. ‘Right, I suppose I’d better get back to the pavilion and see if anyone wants to book a wedding!’

Anthony nodded. ‘I’ll be along in a minute. I’ll walk Rachel and Elena back to their car.’

‘Great! Bye, ladies.’ Julian kissed us both before walking off with a wave. We watched him go before turning back towards the shady path. Anthony walked between us, looking thoughtfully at the floor.

‘Julian’s very enthusiastic, isn’t he?’ Elena said. ‘He’s a natural born salesman.’

‘I don’t know about that. He’s a solicitor, really.’ Anthony laughed. ‘He’s determined to make this work, though. We both are. He’s just better at it than I am.’

‘Oh, I don’t know. You did all right.’ Elena smiled at him. ‘How are you, anyway? Are you fully recovered from the car crash?’

‘Yes. I’m fine now, thank you.’

‘Back at work? Busy being a detective.’

He nodded. ‘Yes. I went back after Christmas.’

‘Only after Christmas? Wow! That’s a long time off.’

‘Yes. I’m okay now, though.’ He shrugged. ‘I had lots of physio to get me walking again. I still limp if I get tired but I’m lucky really.’

‘Are you back driving?’

‘Oh, yes. I work in Manchester so I have to.’

‘Still? Can’t you get transferred somewhere closer?’

‘It’s okay. You get used to it. Ah, here’s the car park,’ he said as the path grew lighter. ‘Well, it’s lovely to see you both again.’ He stopped walking and looked at us both. ‘I hope we’ll see you again soon, but if not, good luck with your weddings.’

‘Thank you.’

He bent to kiss Elena before turning to me. It was the briefest of kisses. A faint brush of his lips against my cheek, a warm hand on my arm, and it was over. For one fleeting moment, our eyes caught and my heart jolted as though an electric current had passed through me. But I was already turning to go, saying goodbye, thanking him for his time. I didn’t even look back over my shoulder as I walked over to Elena’s car, my jaw rigid.

‘Well, that was nice,’ Elena said as she opened up the car. The warm air inside seemed to warp and pulsate as I lowered myself into the passenger seat.

‘Blimey, it’s hot in here!’ I fanned myself with my hand and blew a strand of hair from in front of my face. ‘I don’t want to close the door.’

‘I know, it’s boiling. I’ll get the air con going. That should sort it.’ She closed her door and started the engine. ‘Are you all right? That must have been a bit of a shock for you.’

‘You could say that,’ I said, wrapping the seatbelt around me. ‘That will teach me to go snooping around ex-boyfriends’ stately homes.’

Elena laughed. ‘He didn’t seem to mind, though. I think he was quite pleased to see you. Look, he’s still watching.’

‘Hmm.’ It hadn’t escaped my notice that Anthony was still standing where we’d left him, watching us go. He raised a hand as the car moved off and Elena and I waved back. Even at this distance, his eyes seemed to rest on mine. Goose bumps sprang up on my arms and the blood fizzed in my veins.

‘I can’t believe how beautiful Willow Hall is,’ Elena said as we drove out of the car park and down the drive. ‘Ohhhh, I’d love to get married there.’

‘Do you think Daniel would go for it, though?’ I said, doubtfully. ‘I mean, you’ve got everything organised already. Wouldn’t it be stressful to change everything?’

Elena shrugged. ‘I don’t think it would be a huge problem in terms of organising everything, but I’ll have to discuss it with Daniel and our parents. How do you feel about it? Would you mind if I got married there?’

‘I don’t mind at all. Why should I? You know I’ll be there, whatever, and we’ll sort getting the flowers here somehow. It shouldn’t be a problem.’

‘Yes, but what about the Anthony situation?’

‘What about it? I’ve seen him now. The worst part is over.’ I looked out of the window, trying to pretend I was unaffected by the afternoon.

‘How did you feel seeing him again? I mean, I know it was a shock when you first saw him, but how did you feel walking round the house with him? Did it feel awkward?’

‘Errr… well… Not awkward, exactly. It was more surreal than anything else.’

‘I kept thinking maybe I should tell him off for treating you so badly, but he was so pleasant today it was hard to summon up any negative feelings towards him at all. Especially with Julian there too.’

‘Of course.’ I shrugged. ‘It wasn’t like he treated me badly when we were together. I was just hurt when he didn’t want to be with me any more, but that’s his right. And like you say, he was perfectly polite and civil today. It wouldn’t have been right to be rude to him. I mean, a whole year has passed since then. What’s done is done. There’s no point dwelling on the past, is there?’

‘No, of course not. Especially as you’re engaged now.’ She looked over at me with a sly smile. I rolled my eyes at her.

‘I wish you hadn’t said that, Elena,’ I said indignantly. ‘Or rather, I wish I hadn’t gone along with it! I feel bad for lying. Especially about Bobbi’s boyfriend.’

Elena laughed wickedly. ‘Don’t be daft. He’s never going to know, is he?’

It was like a slap. The thought of Anthony never finding out I wasn’t engaged depressed me immeasurably, but Elena was right; he probably never would know I’d lied. ‘Oh. Well, I suppose not.’ I stared out of the window at the passing fields, my throat aching with the effort of not crying.

‘What?’ Elena looked across at me in surprise. ‘What’s wrong? Have I upset you?’

‘No!’

‘What then? Surely you want him to think you’ve moved on and are happy with someone else? You don’t want him to think you’re pining for him, do you?’

‘Of course not, but… I don’t know. I suppose the fact that he won’t ever find out means I won’t see him again. It just underlines the fact that I’m not part of his life and he’s not part of mine.’

Elena blinked at me before looking back at the road. ‘But he hasn’t been part of your life for the past year.’

I sniffed and rummaged in my bag for a tissue. ‘I know. I’m just being silly. Ignore me.’

‘Do you still have feelings for Anthony?’

‘Of course I still have feelings for Anthony. Wasn’t it blatantly obvious?’

‘Oh, Rachel, not at all! You held it together beautifully.’

‘Really? I was a bag of nerves.’

‘Well, it didn’t show. You were composed and gracious. The perfect lady, in fact. He’s mad to have finished with you. I bet he realised that too. I bet he’s kicking himself right now, if he wasn’t already. What was he talking to you about on the way to the stable yard?’

‘Nothing much. He just apologised for being so shocked when he first saw me, that’s all.’

Elena laughed. ‘It must have been a surprise. Especially with you in a bridal gown.’

‘I know.’ I smiled and played with my tissue, stretching the fragile soft paper over my fingertip.

‘So, would it make it better or worse if we moved the wedding to Willow Hall?’

‘Either is fine. Honestly, it makes no difference either way. It’s over. I know it’s over and I just need to get over him. Who knows, maybe it will be easier now I’ve seen him. I know where he is, I know what he’s doing, I know that he’s well…’

Elena laughed. ‘That sounds like a line from some stalker thriller… I know where he is…’

‘You know what I mean,’ I chuckled. ‘He’s doing okay. I just need to move on and leave him behind.’

Elena nodded but didn’t look convinced. I wasn’t convinced myself. The further we got from Willow Hall, the more I wanted to go back. The hollow feeling in my stomach seemed to grow and grow until I felt sick. Everything felt wrong and out of place and, beneath it all, I had a renewed conviction that I really did belong with Anthony.

The problem was, he thought he didn’t belong with me.