Midsummer Magic (24 page)

‘This has been an odd evening and no mistake,’ said Harry, holding her hand and squeezing it tightly as they made their way up the track towards the theatre. ‘But everything’s fine now, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, of course it is,’ said Josie, kissing him on the lips.

‘Do you have to?’ Ant sounded quite put out, which was unlike him. He was normally the one to make a bawdy comment.

‘Sorry,’ said Josie. ‘I’m just so glad everything’s back to normal.’

They had nearly reached the theatre when Freddie emerged. ‘Everything all right now?’ he said. ‘Good, good. Then we can start filming again.’

‘Actually, Freddie, we were all thinking of calling it a night,’ said Josie. ‘We’re knackered.’

‘But it’s not yet midnight,’ said Freddie persuasively. ‘And in order to see if my experiment has worked, you should be up at the Standing Stones at midnight plighting your troth. At least hang around till then.’

‘Do we have to?’ groaned Diana. ‘I want my bed.’

‘It was in the contract you all signed,’ said Freddie. ‘And I’m afraid there won’t be any money if you don’t fulfil that part of the contract.’

Josie hesitated. She knew Harry had wanted the money to do something special for their wedding night. And although it wasn’t much, now Diana had lost her job, she probably couldn’t afford to turn it down.

‘The money would be nice,’ said Harry.

‘I could do with some extra dosh,’ said Diana grumpily. ‘Okay, I’m in.’

‘What about you, Ant?’ Josie asked.

Ant shrugged his shoulders. ‘I’m happy to go wherever you are,’ he said enigmatically. ‘Come on, let’s get it over with.’

Harry felt he’d spent a whole night climbing up and down this wretched cliff. He’d know his way round perfectly by the end of the night. Freddie was keen for them to go back to the Standing Stones where they’d started from. It seemed like a daft idea to him. Ant and Diana were hardly likely to declare undying love and he and Josie – well, if he were going to do anything like that, he’d rather do it in private, without a camera crew watching. But money was money, and he couldn’t afford to be choosy.

They made good time back to the Stones. The mist was beginning to clear, and there was a clear view of the moon again, and the stars sparkled and shone. Harry looked up at the sky, getting a sense of how small he was in an infinitely huge universe. Whatever troubles he and Josie had had seemed petty now.

It was still quite warm, despite being so late, and a soft breeze played on his face. He looked at Josie as the wind ruffled her fair curls, marvelling at how someone as beautiful as her could have chosen him. He loved everything about her: the way when she smiled it lit up her whole face, the little dimple on her chin; her clear blue eyes; her heart-shaped face; her flawless complexion. If nothing else came of tonight, at least he’d learned how utterly, irrevocably in love he was with Josie. There was still a huge discussion to be had about what they did about his career, and whether or not to go travelling after the wedding, but he felt they could weather anything now. They were together, united, a complete pair. And nothing else really mattered.

When they arrived, everyone sat down looking more than a little self-conscious.

‘Now what?’ said Diana, who seemed very grumpy, and, he felt, somewhat sad.

‘Now we wait,’ said Freddie with a smile. ‘We wait and see …’

Diana had never felt so discontented in her life. Unlike the others, who appeared to either have blanked out what had happened, or had genuinely forgotten, she remembered snatches of the evening so far. She was filled with mortification at the memories; her dancing with Harry and
Josie
kissing her were two moments that were making her go hot under the collar. How could Josie be acting as if neither had happened? And then there was that painful conversation with Ant. Diana was uncomfortably aware that she might have got it a bit wrong with Ant, who had been kinder to her then she’d expected. She didn’t want to let him back in her life, ever – least of all by being sympathetic. She could bear his scorn, but not his pity.

Her watch showed that it was nearly midnight. Midnight on a Midsummer’s Eve … She took a sharp intake of breath. Maybe anything was possible. Diana had a feeling of anticipation, of waiting, as if something momentous was about to occur …

‘We should have dressed up as druids,’ said Josie dreamily, leaning back on Harry, clearly feeling the same. ‘I feel all tingly, as if something amazing is about to happen.’

‘Yeah, right,’ said Ant. ‘I didn’t know you were some New Age hippy.’

‘I’m not,’ said Josie looking a bit hurt. ‘But the setting calls for it, don’t you think? I really feel that there’s magic in the air tonight. …’

The moon was brighter than it had been all night, the sea breeze gently blowing the remnants of the mist away. Perhaps Josie was right; perhaps it was a night when magic could happen. Diana looked at Ant, and was overcome with a sudden impulse which, try as she might, she couldn’t resist. All those long-repressed feelings came rushing back – images of them kissing, of them being in bed, of them laughing, of them being together, the pair of them against the world, just the way that Harry and Josie were – came flooding back.

‘Ant,’ she said, slowly, as if a great truth had just been revealed to her, ‘Ant.’

‘Why do you keep saying my name?’ Ant looked confused.

As if in a dream, and despite knowing that once the words were said they couldn’t be unsaid, Di walked over to Ant’s side, knelt down and said, ‘This midnight, on a Midsummer’s Eve, I plight my troth to you.’

‘What? You like Ant now?’ Josie was as stunned as Ant, who was standing open-mouthed.

‘What’s it to you?’ said Diana. ‘You’ve got Harry. Why should you care who I’m in love with?’

Which was true – Josie wasn’t remotely interested in Ant, but for some reason it niggled her that Di suddenly was. After everything she’d said. It was none of her business, but it felt like Di wasn’t being true to herself.

‘I’m your friend,’ she said lamely. ‘And I just do. Ant’s hurt you before – remember he’s Teflon Tone, the guy you’ve hated for years – I don’t want you to be hurt again.’

‘It’s none of your business,’ said Diana. ‘Besides, you can hardly take the moral high ground, considering you were chasing me round the theatre not so long ago.’

‘I – I …’ Oh, God, the theatre; it all came flooding back. Josie flushed deep red. She’d thought she’d dreamt the theatre, and now the memories of pursuing Diana were returning with dreadful clarity.

‘That wasn’t me,’ she said. ‘That was the stupid hypnosis. And so is this. You don’t really love Ant. Freddie’s just been messing with your mind, like he has with the rest of us.’

Of course. It all made sense. Di was jealous of her. Josie had money, looks, Harry. Diana had nothing. Not even a job anymore. Josie took a deep breath and said, ‘Look, I know you’ve had it tough and you’ve screwed things up in the past. But what makes you think Ant would suddenly be interested in you?’

‘Well, Ant?’ said Diana. ‘How about it? We’ve got unfinished business after all.’

Ant’s mouth snapped shut, and he attempted to articulate a response, but all that came out was a strangled gasp.

‘I told you,’ said Josie, ‘he’s so useless he can’t even say it, but this is Ant we’re talking about, he hasn’t changed. No offence, Ant.’

‘None taken,’ said Ant, who seemed to have temporarily recovered the power of speech.

‘You spoilt, spoilt little princess.’ Josie had never seen Diana so enraged. ‘You think the world revolves around you. Why can’t I be happy too?’

‘That’s not what I’m saying –’ Josie protested, but Diana was on a roll now and oblivious to anything her friend was saying.

‘Why poor Harry still wants to marry you after the fuss you’ve made about this sodding wedding is anyone’s guess,’ she continued. ‘All he wants to do is keep things simple, but no,
perfect
little Josie has to have her
perfect
wedding, sod what everyone else wants. He’s put everything on hold for you, even his travel plans, but you don’t care, do you? It’s all about you. Christ, I didn’t just create a bridezilla, I’ve created a wedding monster.’

Josie was flabbergasted. In all the years she’d known Di, she’d never been subjected to the full force of Diana’s bitterness, though she’d often witnessed Di demolishing others. It was like sharp shards of glass falling on her from a great height, each more painful than the last.

‘Di, that’s a bit strong,’ said Harry. Her hero. Why wasn’t he standing up for her more? ‘I think you should apologise.’

‘I have nothing to apologise for,’ said Diana, looking truculent and moody.

‘You were out of order and should say sorry immediately,’ Ant butted in.

Diana looked as if she’d been punched in the stomach.

‘I might have known you’d take Miss Goody Two-Shoes’ side,’ said Diana bitterly. ‘Three against one. Nice. I’m done here. I’m going back to the house, and tomorrow I’m going to make my own way home.’

‘What about the contract?’

‘What about it?’ said Diana. ‘I stayed till midnight; it’s been an utter disaster. I’m out of here.’

‘Diana –’ Josie started to protest. Underneath the bravado, she could see that Di was struggling to hold it together.

‘Find yourself another bridesmaid, Josie. That is, if you ever make it down the aisle, which somehow I doubt.’ Getting up, Diana stormed off down the path, leaving the three of them stunned.

‘And then there were three,’ said Harry, trying to sound light-hearted.

‘Oh, shut up, Harry,’ Josie said. She was devastated. It looked as though she’d just lost her best friend.

Harry was stunned, first by Diana’s declaration, and then by the bile that had spewed from her lips. He’d always seen her as Josie’s feisty friend. Sure, she could be a bit sharp sometimes, but essentially she meant well. He’d had no idea that she had been harbouring such bitter thoughts against Josie. Nor that she still had feelings for Ant. She’d spent so much of the weekend on his case, it was the last thing he’d been expecting. But then again, maybe she’d been protesting too much.

‘She’ll get over it, Josie,’ he said, putting a tentative arm round her shoulder. ‘I’m sure in the morning she’ll have calmed down and everything will be okay.’

‘But it won’t, though, will it?’ said Josie, ‘I only wanted Di as my bridesmaid. How can I have a bridesmaid who doesn’t want to speak to me?’

‘Fair point,’ said Ant.

Josie flopped down on the grass, and started tearing clumps of grass out of the ground. She looked as if she was pondering something. Eventually she burst out with ‘Do you think she’s right about the wedding? Have I been a complete nightmare about it?’

Harry said nothing, staring into the darkness, chewing his lip and wondering what to tell her. The silence that followed was almost unbearable.

‘I think she deserves an answer, mate,’ Ant said quietly, and Harry felt like thumping him. Since when did Ant have the monopoly on relationship advice?

‘Well?’ Josie looked at him. ‘You do still want to get married, don’t you?’

Oh God. He wasn’t ready for this.

‘Look, Josie, I love you, you know I do,’ said Harry. ‘Earlier, when I thought you’d walked out on me, I felt as if my whole world had collapsed …’

‘You haven’t answered my question,’ Josie fixed him with those piercing blue eyes. He felt like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

‘Josie, I want to spend the rest of my life with you,’ he began.

‘I sense a
but
here,’ Josie replied.

‘But it’s too soon,’ Harry said miserably. ‘I’m not ready for marriage, there are too many things I want to do …’

‘I see,’ said Josie, tight-lipped, but it was clear she didn’t.

‘And I want to do them with you,’ said Harry helplessly.

‘But not
married
to me,’ said Josie. ‘I can be forever dangling at your side, but you will never commit, will you? I’m sorry, Harry. I’m an all-or-nothing kind of girl. I just can’t do that.’

They stared at one another in dismay, until Josie finally looked away.

‘It’s very late,’ she said. ‘Di’s right. We should go home. But at the moment I can’t be around you. Can you just go away, please?’

‘Do you want me to stay with you?’ Why was Ant being so solicitous to Josie? It was really annoying.

‘Kind offer, Ant, but I really want to be on my own,’ said Josie.

‘Yes, of course,’ said Ant. ‘Maybe we should go and see if Di’s okay.’

‘I don’t really care,’ said Josie, ‘so long as you don’t involve me.’

‘Josie,’ said Harry. ‘Please, you can’t mean it?’

‘Just go,’ she said. ‘If you really loved me, you’d let me be.’

Feeling dejected and miserable, and not knowing quite what to do, Harry got up to go. It had been a disastrous evening and he wasn’t sure if there was a way back from it.

Diana was furious with herself. Why had she acted on impulse like that? It was completely unlike her. Those things she’d said to Josie. She hadn’t even realised she felt like that until she’d said them. And she’d made a total tit of herself in front of Ant. He wasn’t interested in her anymore, and who could blame him. She’d been on his case ever since she got here. He probably thought she was winding him up. Bugger, bugger, bugger. If only she had a car, she’d drive off to find a hotel; she doubted that any of the little B&Bs in the village would open their doors to her at this time of night.

‘What a sodding nightmare,’ she said. Her fury had propelled her so far, but now she was slumped down and leaned against a tree, feeling utterly bereft. Her whole life seemed to be leading up to this moment: the disappointment of her parents, all the failed relationships, the loneliness – it all went back to that day in the hospital, when Ant had let her down.

Tears rolled down her cheeks. The baby. She’d made a point of never letting herself think about it. But tonight, after that conversation with Ant and everything that had happened since, she couldn’t box it away anymore. Huge sobs overwhelmed her. She was hugging her knees and feeling pathetically sorry for herself, and still the tears came.