Happy Birthday, Mr Darcy (8 page)

‘No, no!’ Warwick said, pushing his notepad away from him and giving Dan his full attention.

‘Don’t worry, I’m not wearing this to the wedding,’ Dan said, motioning to his black T-shirt and blue jeans.

‘It’s a bit early to change, isn’t it?’ Warwick said.

‘A few hours yet,’ Dan nodded.

‘Thought I’d get some writing in.’

‘Really?’ Dan said in surprise. ‘You can do that on a day like today?’

‘It’s funny but days like today are often when I can write my best.’

‘Wow,’ Dan said. ‘I couldn’t do a thing on our wedding day except pace up and down and take Biscuit for half a dozen walks.’

Warwick grinned. ‘Plus I’ve got this crazy deadline to meet.’

‘Ah,’ Dan said and then he frowned. ‘You’re not going to be writing on your honeymoon, are you?’

Warwick laughed. ‘Probably! But that’s okay, Katherine will most likely want to get some work in too.’

Dan shook his head. ‘I’m glad I’m not an arty type like you guys. It must be impossible to switch off.’

‘Pretty much,’ Warwick said. ‘But that’s part of the fun too – you see inspiration everywhere you go. The only problem is finding time to capture it all.’

Dame Pamela had hired a team of hairdressers and beauticians to take care of Katherine, Robyn and herself and they were busy at work at Horseshoe Cottage. Katherine’s hair had been washed and blow-dried and a girl was now working her magic with the hot wand, making her long dark locks look smooth and shiny. Both she and Robyn were wearing their hair loose with white ribbons and rosebuds threaded through.

The bride and her maid of honour had already had their hands massaged with almond oil, their nails had been shaped and painted with clear varnish and there was somebody now at work on their feet and toes.

‘This feels wonderfully decadent,’ Robyn said. ‘I’d forgotten what it feels like to be pampered like this. I guess motherhood focuses the attention away from oneself.’

‘So, who’s looking after Cassandra today?’

‘There’s a lovely lady from the next village who’s a childminder. She’s taken Cassie along to her home today. She’s got a little girl of her own called Belle and Cassie and Belle adore each other.’

‘Are you missing her?’ Katherine dared to ask.

‘Like crazy!’ Robyn said. ‘But I have to admit that this is rather nice.’

Katherine smiled at the sight of her maid of honour who had her right foot in the pedicurist’s hand whilst her long blonde hair was being brushed by somebody else.

‘I wonder how the men are getting on,’ Robyn said. ‘Do you think they’re dressed by now?’

‘If I know Warwick, he’ll probably leave it until the very last minute,’ Katherine said.

The clock in the hallway at Purley slowly ticked the minutes away. The florists were misting the floral displays with water. Two huge urns filled with stargazer lilies had been placed in the library at the top of the aisle and pink and white roses tumbled and spilled from vases on the mantelpiece and windowsills. 

The marquee was filled with flowers too and tall white candle displays surrounded by roses had been placed at the centre of each table. Silver and glass sparkled against the white tablecloths and blue and white ribbons and balloons hung above the area where the bride and groom and guests would dance later that evening.

Dame Pamela was thrilled with the results, Higgins had nodded his approval and Dan had smiled in wonder when he’d seen it all. The only person not to have taken any interest thus far was the groom who still hadn’t made an appearance.

Chapter 12

It was three o’clock on Saturday afternoon when Doris Norris walked out of Winchester train station and looked around anxiously. She’d travelled from the Cotswolds and was meant to be meeting someone and couldn’t help feeling a mite nervous at the prospect. What would everyone at Purley Hall say? Doris had told Robyn, of course, and the sweet girl had said it was absolutely fine and had told Doris not to worry but she couldn’t help worrying all the same.

She tutted to herself as she remembered the events that had led to her current predicament. She’d just taken a walk into the village to pick up her copy of
Crochet Today
and to treat herself to a bag of mint toffees when a booming voice sounded from the door of the little shop.

‘Don’t just stand in the doorway like that! I can’t get through!’

Doris would have recognised that voice anywhere and turned to see the bulky figure of Mrs Soames filling the shop doorway and startling the locals.

Mrs Soames in
her
village! It had been something of a shock at first but she’d soon been informed that Mrs Soames’s daughter lived in the village and that she was visiting because, in Mrs Soames’s words, she’d
“gone and lost her job.”

‘Silly girl!’ Mrs Soames had declared, shaking her head so that her chins had wobbled most alarmingly. ‘As though jobs grow on trees these days! What
was
she thinking?’

‘Well, I’m sure it wasn’t her fault,’ Doris said with a sympathetic smile.

Mrs Soames clicked her tongue as though nothing could be further from the truth.

One thing had led to another and Doris had invited her back to her house for a cup of tea. She’d brought out her best china cups from the dresser but Mrs Soames grimaced as she picked hers up.

‘It’s chipped,’ she complained, her face sour.

‘Oh, I am sorry, my dear,’ Doris said. ‘My Henry chipped that in the garden one summer with his secateurs and I can’t bear to part with it. Let me get you another one.’

Doris left the room for a brief moment and that’s when Mrs Soames had seen Katherine and Warwick’s wedding invitation sitting on the mantelpiece above the fire, her eyes scanning the words.

Cordially invited ... Doris Norris and guest ... Purley Hall, Hampshire.

Mrs Soames’s chest had heaved upwards as she clocked it.

‘And
who
is your guest?’ she boomed, her mouth a thin line across her face.

Doris had simpered and dithered for a few seconds before finally relenting and inviting Mrs Soames but now, standing outside Winchester train station underneath her National Trust umbrella, she wondered if she’d made the right decision.

‘Just look at the time!’ Dame Pamela said, fanning herself with a menu. ‘For goodness’ sake, Dan, go and see if Warwick’s all right. We can’t have a wedding without the groom!’

Dan nodded and ran up the stairs or rather he
half
-ran because he was now wearing his Regency attire and didn’t want to come a cropper in his fine breeches. When he reached Warwick’s room, he paused for a moment.

‘Keep calm,’ he told himself. ‘Don’t show him that you’re anxious. Just play it cool.’

He rapped lightly on the door. After a few seconds had gone by, he knocked again, louder this time. ‘Warwick?’ He grimaced. His voice had sounded horribly anxious. ‘Can I come in?’ His hand closed around the door knob and he entered the room.

And there was Warwick – still sat at the dressing table, pen in hand, wearing his old shirt and a pair of jeans.

‘Dan!’ he said, looking up from his writing.

‘Hello,’ Dan said, looking at his wrist watch in an attempt to show Warwick the importance of his call. ‘You okay?’

‘Super,’ Warwick said.

‘Only, you’re not dressed.’

‘No,’ Warwick said. ‘What’s the time?’

‘It’s three o’clock,’ Dan said.

‘Oh, plenty of time then,’ Warwick said and his head bowed down towards his writing again.

Dan gulped. ‘Erm, Warwick,’ he began uneasily, ‘now’s really not the time.’

‘Not the time for what?’

‘For writing a book.’

‘I know,’ he said, ‘but I can’t help myself.
With a book he was regardless of time
.’

‘Pardon?’

‘
Pride and Prejudice
– a reference to Mr Bennet reading but I’m like that when I’m writing,’ Warwick said.

‘Oh, I see,’ Dan said. ‘I’m still not used to everyone talking in quotes and I really should be by now.’ He paused, waiting for Warwick to pull himself together and realise that he was getting married in about an hour’s time. He cleared his throat. ‘Don’t you think you should be getting dressed?’

Warwick looked up again as if surprised that Dan was still there. ‘In a minute,’ he said, and returned to his writing.

Dan left the room, an uneasy cocktail of confusion and anxiety flowing through him.

His mobile rang.

‘Dan?’

‘Robyn?’ he said, relieved to hear a friendly voice amongst all of the chaos. ‘Is everything okay?’

She paused before answering. ‘I’m not sure,’ she said.

‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean, Katherine’s been acting strangely. She keeps asking me all these questions about married life and – well – I’m not sure what’s going on.’

‘Oh my God! Warwick’s been acting weirdly too. He’s been sitting in his room writing
all
morning. He’s not even dressed yet. I can’t seem to get through to him.’

‘Oh, Dan! What are we going to do? I’m really worried.’

Dan cast his eyes to the ceiling in despair. This was the first time he’d ever been a best man and he had no idea how to cope in such a situation.

‘Listen, can you get to the stables?’ he asked.

‘I think so but I can’t be too long. The carriage is arriving in an hour.’

‘Meet me there in five minutes, okay?’

‘Okay,’ Robyn said and hung up.

Leaving the hall a moment later, Dan walked down the main drive towards the stables. Ordinarily, he would have enjoyed an excuse to get outside and breathe in the warm, sweet smell of the horses but he was feeling too stressed today to take pleasure in such things.

He was the first to arrive in the yard. The horses had all been let out in the fields hours ago and were being taken care of by a teenager in the village called Georgia who was crazy about horses and spent every hour she could in the yard at Purley. Dan walked across to the tack room to check up on things. Everything was in good order just as it should be. Georgia was worth her weight in gold.

It was just as he was looking at his watch and wondering how long Robyn would be when a woman entered the yard. But it wasn’t Robyn; it was Carmel Hudson.

‘Dan!’ she said, her eyes appraising his Regency outfit and her smile informing him that she was very pleased with it. ‘Oh, dear. Is this a bad time?’

‘Not a bad time,’ Dan said, ‘just a busy one.’

‘I just wanted a quick word really,’ she said, ‘in private.’

‘Oh,’ Dan said.

She motioned towards a stable. Dan looked surprised for a moment.

‘It’s about my riding lessons,’ Carmel said, smoothing her hands down her electric blue dress.

‘Right,’ Dan said, as if it all made perfect sense and he followed her into the stable without thinking that there was anything unusual in that.

‘I tried to ring you last night but you weren’t answering your phone.’

‘We had guests,’ Dan explained.

‘And you didn’t call me back?’ she asked, a sulky, teenage-like expression on her face.

‘No, sorry. We’ve got a wedding here today and I’m the best man.’

‘I bet you are,’ Carmel said, her silky voice slow and provocative and, before Dan knew what was happening, her arms had fastened around his neck and she was leaning up to kiss him.

‘Mrs Hud-’ his voice was suffocated by another kiss. Dan was, of course, strong enough to fend her off but he was also sensible enough to realise the delicacy of the situation and didn’t want to anger her. However, he most certainly did not kiss her back.

‘Mrs Hudson – really – ’

‘I
do
so like a man in costume,’ she said.

‘Please – stop this!’

‘Oh, you are
such
a naughty boy,’ she said, slapping him playfully on the bottom when she finally came up from air. ‘I’ve told you a thousand times to call me Carmel.’

Dan ran a hand through his hair. ‘Look,’ he said, his voice low but serious, ‘I’m married. I’ve got a daughter. I was happy to consider you and your daughter for riding lessons but I think we’d better cancel that now, don’t you?’

‘You don’t want to make an enemy of me, Dan,’ she said, inching forward again, her hands now flat on his chest.

‘Mrs Hudson, I think you’d better leave.’

‘Oh, don’t be so melodramatic!’ she said and then she smiled her cat-like, taunting smile. ‘I won’t tell if you won’t.’

‘Dan?’ Robyn’s voice called from outside the stable.

Dan pushed Carmel Hudson out of the way. ‘Robyn?’

‘Oh, there you are!’ Robyn said. Unlike Dan, she wasn’t yet wearing her wedding outfit but a loosely-fitting blouse and a long skirt, but her hair had been swept back and Dan saw white ribbon threaded through it.

‘Robyn, I-’ but he didn’t have time to explain because Carmel Hudson calmly walked out of the stable in her brilliant blue dress as if she was walking into a Hollywood premiere.

‘Oh, is this your little wife, then?’ she said, narrowing her eyes as she took in Robyn. ‘I see what you mean now, Dan darling.’

Robyn’s mouth dropped open.

‘Mrs Hudson, I think you’d better leave.’

She sighed dramatically. ‘Well, if you insist. You know I’ll do anything you want me to.’

Dan and Robyn watched in horrified silence as Carmel Hudson left the stable yard.

‘
What
is going on?’ Robyn cried as soon as she was out of sight.

‘Nothing!’ Dan said. ‘It was nothing!’

‘Then why have you got red lipstick all over your mouth?’ Robyn asked, her eyes wide and full of hurt. ‘And what did she mean when she said “I see what you mean now,
Dan darling
.”’

Dan wiped a hand across his mouth. ‘She meant to stir up trouble – that’s all. She’s been bugging me for days about wanting riding lessons.’

‘Was that her on the phone last night?’ Robyn asked.

Dan nodded.

‘I think she might have rung the cottage too. Someone rang twice today and hung up when I answered.’

‘Oh, Robyn. I’m so sorry.’

‘So, what was going on in the stable before I arrived?’