Last-Minute Bridesmaid Page 9

  Alice brushed a finger under her eye. ‘I wanted to be there for Lee, but for Charles and Heath too. Those last few weeks were an emotional turmoil for all of us and I was alone in the city and Charles was there and grieving and, well, when she died we comforted each other in the only way we knew.’

  Her tongue moistened her lower lip and Alice reached out to the teacup in the silence that followed, but her hand was shaking too much to pick it up.

  ‘I’m not proud of what happened. But it was totally right at the time. I had fallen in love with Charles Sheridan and I knew that he loved me, but the timing?’ She rolled her eyes towards Kate and smiled. ‘The timing stank. Don’t misunderstand, Kate, we both knew that these things happen in times of crisis and trauma. People need comfort and support and sometimes words are not enough.’ She looked down at her hands. ‘We both agreed to step away and work out if these feelings were real or temporary before starting a long-term relationship so soon after Charles had lost his wife, who had been my friend. Our love didn’t make me feel less guilty, and I know Charles felt that he was almost betraying her memory, but it was so hard to stay apart.’

  ‘That must have been terrible for both of you,’ Kate replied in a low voice, which was almost a whisper. ‘Such conflicting emotions.’

  Alice looked up at Kate and took her hand. ‘It was terrible for all three of us. That’s why I’m telling you all of this when we have only just met. Heath found us kissing one afternoon when he came home early from university.’ She closed her eyes. ‘I thought things were difficult, but then it became impossible. Heath was traumatised and he has never forgiven his father, or me, for betraying his mother’s memory.’

  Kate blew out long and hard. ‘Alice, that was years ago. He’s a grown man now.’

  ‘It doesn’t make any difference. Some things don’t go away and nothing we do seems to help the situation.’

  She pursed her lips. ‘First of all Charles invited him to come in and help with the company, father and son, turning around the business side by side. And then I thought that asking Heath to be the best man would help him come to terms with the fact that I am in his father’s life, which means I’m in his life too. Neither of those things has worked out so well. Frankly, Kate, I don’t know what else to do to bring them closer together and make a family again.’

  A single tear ran down Alice’s cheek and Kate immediately shuffled over and put her arm around the shoulder of this woman who she had only just met.

  Alice shook her head. ‘You see what he does to me? I blurt out my whole life story when I’m sure that you would much rather be enjoying yourself back in London. I am so sorry.’

  Kate turned around and faced Alice, passed her a tissue and smiled up at her.

  ‘Don’t be. Heath doesn’t hate you. The only reason that I’m here today, at this minute, but talking to you and making a new friend, is because Heath was worried that your wedding to his father would not be perfect unless you had four bridesmaids. Not three. Four. He cares about you and his father and the business. That’s why he wanted to help with the organisation. But he doesn’t know how to tell you how much he cares. So he brought me along in place of Olivia because he didn’t want you to worry. And I am very glad to be here.’

  Alice gave a thin but warm smile, reached around and hugged Kate. And it was the warmest and most loving hug that Kate had enjoyed in a long time.

  ‘Me too,’ she said and blinked several times.

  ‘Now, that’s much better.’ Kate grinned. ‘Because you seem to be forgetting one very important thing. You—’ and she pointed at Alice ‘—are the star of the show and we all have to bow and scrape before your goddess-ship. Okay? Okay. You leave Heath to me and focus on having the best weekend of your life. You are getting married to the man you love and who loves you back. Isn’t that fantastic?’

  ‘Do you know what? It is fantastic! And I am going to have the best weekend of my life.’

  ‘Absolutely, and now we have that out of the way, may I see your engagement ring?’

  Alice hesitated then stretched out her left hand to Kate, who grasped her fingers and almost choked on her cake when she took a look at the enormous heart-shaped diamond set in white gold.

  ‘Wow,’ she said breathlessly. ‘That. Is some rock. That man is giving you some serious love here.’

  Alice blushed and gave a small giggle, which reminded Kate so much of Saskia as she looked up and smiled at this woman who was still capable of being turned into a girl by a piece of jewellery. Alice pulled back her hand and bashfully replied, ‘You might well be right. And I’m so embarrassed.’

  ‘Why? Love can hit you any time of your life, there’s no need to be ashamed of that.’

  ‘Didn’t you notice?’ Alice said. ‘My fingernails have been chewed to the quick over these past two weeks, building up to the wedding. I don’t want Charles to be ashamed of me in front of all his important guests and at the social functions we’re going to be attending. What do you think of acrylic nails? I’ve never used them before but it might be the right time to try.’

  Kate shook her head very slowly from side to side. ‘Don’t go there,’ she said. ‘Trust me.’ And then she smiled. ‘You look lovely, Alice, and the last thing Charles will be thinking about tomorrow are your nails. He’ll just want you to be happy. Right?’

  ‘Yes, of course. How foolish of me. I just want to make it perfect for him. Charles is taking a terrible risk marrying me and I want to be the best I can.’

  ‘Now, that I understand perfectly.’ Kate paused and looked down at Alice’s hands. ‘You take about a size seven and five-eighths in gloves, don’t you?’

  Alice blinked. ‘Yes, I have big hands and feet.’ Then she looked at Kate in confusion. ‘Does that matter?’

  ‘It matters to the gloves.’ Then Kate shuffled forward. ‘You need gloves, girl. Classy, elegant and formal or informal as you want, but you need gloves until your nails have grown back the way you want them.’

  ‘That is a fantastic idea.’ Alice blinked. ‘I don’t know why I didn’t think of that earlier. Of course, you are right. I love gloves.’ And then she slumped. ‘But where am I going to find gloves to fit my enormous paws in the next few hours?’

  Kate grinned. ‘You happen to be looking at the sole proprietor of Lovat Gloves of London. We specialise in making boutique gloves for private clients. I think I might be able to fit you in at short notice. What do you say? Lacy bracelet length? Or silk satin elbow? No, don’t answer. I’ll bring the lot.’

  ‘Why, Katherine Lovat—’ Alice smiled and lifted her teacup in a toast ‘—here’s to you. You are certainly full of surprises. I shall expect you to dance at my wedding.’

  Kate clinked her teacup very gently for fear of breaking the delicate porcelain. ‘Alice, I fully intend to.’

  * * *

  Ten minutes later Kate stepped out of the front entrance and stood blinking in the warm July sunshine. She had only got lost twice this time. Heath had not gone back to the library and she scanned the grounds to see if she could track him down.

  And immediately spotted him. Only this time he was not alone.

  Heath was standing with a look on his face which matched the stone blocks in the old arbour, next to a tall man who looked so much like him that it was impossible to mistake. This had to be his father. And Lord, there must be a lot of tall genes in that bloodline because Charles Sheridan had to be at least six feet two inches in his shiny black lace-up shoes.

  And Kate’s heart sank. Every part of Heath’s body was pointing forward, or to the side. Any direction away from his own dad. His gaze was locked onto his tablet computer and, as she watched, he passed it across to the older man, who was standing only inches away, their shoulders almost touching.

  In silence.

  Their jackets might almost be touching but the
icy hostility was all there to see.

  Not just the fact that they both thought it appropriate to wear suits with shirts and ties on what was forecast to be a warm, sunny July day. She could understand formality and their personal standards when it came to how to dress—she knew all about that.

  No. It was because watching Heath and his father reminded her so much of the frosty relationship that she had with her father and mother that the sharp pain of unwelcome tears of regret and disappointment pricked the corners of her eyes.

  She had tried so hard, time and time again, to help her parents to understand her passion for gloves and what they called the silly outfits that she made. Fashion shows, award ceremonies, even weddings. And it had all been in vain. They wouldn’t change their minds.

  It was almost as if she was watching her own failed relationship acted out in front of her on this sun-kissed lawn.

  Neither of them willing to give way or compromise. Both of them stubborn and determined to win the argument—any argument.

  Oh, Heath! You were supposed to be working with your dad to celebrate his wedding—not battling with him.

  But he might need a little nudge from her to help him along the way.

  Yes. She had promised Alice that this was going to be the best weekend of her life and Heath was not the only one around here who kept their promises.

  She might have failed to win over her parents—but she could do something to help Heath.

  Kate stepped back inside the hallway for a few seconds, desperately trying to think through some kind of plan, when a girl wearing a T-shirt with the name of a famous London catering company dodged past her carrying a stack of tablecloths. It was the same company that Saskia had used a couple of times. Maybe the chef was making a splendid cake that Heath could carry in on a silver tray?

  And drop it on his father’s head.

  She whirled around and followed the girl through a set of highly decorated and clearly original wooden doors into the most stunning dining room.

  Sunlight beamed in through a row of mullioned windows with small squares of glass, created in a time when glass was a luxury and hard to make. Larger panes had been painted with the coat of arms of the Jardine family. Glorious swirls and mythical creatures danced on a shield with proud swords and what looked like falcons.

  The Jardines had certainly been flamboyant.

  Unlike this room. Plain oak-timbered walls below a ceiling braced with heavy wooden beams broken only by the occasional carved boss. Polished oak floors and large sturdy tables and chairs.

  No colour apart from a lot of brown.

  Oh, dear. Not exactly a fun venue for a wedding rehearsal party.

  Unless, of course, someone did something to change that.

  It only took Kate a few minutes to confirm with the catering team that yes, this was where the rehearsal dinner party was going to be held, and no, as far as they knew, the only decorations were plain white table linens and some silver candelabras belonging to the house.

  Kate strolled back into the hall and flipped open her cellphone. A plan was starting to form inside her brain and she had to rein it in before it ran away with her.

  ‘Saskia, it’s me. I’m here. And yes, it does look like something out of a Tudor history book. But that’s not why I’m ringing. Do you remember all of those party decorations we got together for Amber’s birthday in May? Yes? Do you still have them? You do? Excellent. Because I need to borrow everything you’ve got in time for a party this evening. Balloons too. Yes, I know it’s cutting it fine.’

  She quickly checked her watch and added ten minutes because it was always slow. ‘I can be there in about two hours, if that’s okay with you? Yeah. Great. Don’t worry about the heavy lifting. I shall bring Heath with me. He needs some time out away from here. But I’ll talk to you later. See you. Bye for now. And Saskia, get an invoice ready. Heath owes you. Big time.’

  Kate looked up just as Heath took a step towards his father, his face rigid with tension and his right hand holding the blameless computer as though he was about to smash it into something hard. Like his dad’s face.

  Intervention time.

  Kate lifted her chin and strode out of the entrance and onto the stone patio at the front of the house, squaring her shoulders and with her full-on charm offensive smile.

  ‘Heath! There you are.’

  The two men turned around to face her, and from the looks on their faces she wasn’t entirely sure if they were shocked or pleased with any excuse for the interruption.

  She zoned in on his father and stretched out her hand and grinned. ‘Hello, you must be Charles. How lovely to meet you at long last. I’m Katherine Lovat, fashion designer to the stars, but do call me Kate. All of my friends do.’

  To give him credit, Charles Sheridan recovered remarkably quickly and calmly accepted Kate’s rather warm chocolate-cake sticky hand and, surprisingly, shook it with a genuine smile.

  ‘Then it would be my pleasure to call you Kate. But only if you call me Charles.’

  ‘Charles,’ Kate repeated and cocked her head to one side. ‘You don’t look like a Charles to me, and I certainly don’t think Charlie would be appropriate. Do you? No, I think that Chuck suits you much better. Much friendlier. Don’t you agree, Chuck?’

  There was a short cough from Heath but she smiled over her left shoulder at his stunned face for a flash of narrowed eyes before whirling around back to Chuck.

  ‘Well, Kate, I haven’t been called Chuck since I was at college.’ Then he shrugged and snorted out a laugh which was so like the one she had heard from Heath in the library that it was astonishing. ‘Why not? They were good times and I happen to be getting married tomorrow. You may address me as Chuck as many times as you wish.’ He blinked, looking rather startled at the words coming out of his mouth.

  ‘Excellent,’ Kate replied and looped her arm through the crook of his elbow. She looked dramatically around in all directions before leaning closer and whispering, ‘Now, down to the important stuff. Has Heath told you about his plan for the party this evening?’

  A look of absolute astonishment crossed the older man’s face and he raised his eyebrows at Heath, who was staring at her in disbelief.

  ‘Not exactly, no. What precisely did he have in mind?’ Chuck asked in a voice filled with dread.

  ‘Oh, you boys are always talking business. Time for a break. Heath didn’t want to spoil the surprise but we are going to decorate the dining room with party paraphernalia guaranteed to bring a bit more fun into the proceedings. As Heath says, a girl deserves to be spoilt for one evening. But don’t worry,’ Kate gushed. ‘It will all be in very good taste. I am thinking balloons and bunting and banners. All the other guests can have fun helping to put it up and decorate the room.’

  Then she stopped talking and drew back. ‘I do hope that’s okay with you, but it’s meant to be a surprise. So you shall have to distract Alice from going in until the very last minute. Do you think you can do that?’

  To his credit, Chuck only paused for a moment before nodding. ‘Of course. Alice is very busy with the wedding arrangements. Hence the outside catering this evening. I’m sure that won’t be a problem.’

  ‘Did you hear that, Heath? We are good to go.’

  His reply was the slightest shake of his head and his jaw stiffened.

  Kate glared at him but he was not giving her any help at all. So she turned her winning smile onto his father and slid her hand onto his arm again.

  ‘Only one small problem. I have foolishly left some of the party things back in London and I don’t have transport. Would you mind if I borrowed a car for the next few hours? I am a very careful driver and Heath will be coming along for the heavy lifting.’

  Chuck smiled to himself then fished a set of car keys out of his trouser pocket. ‘I would pay mone
y to see that. Have fun, little lady.’

  And with a final flourish he dropped the keys into Kate’s palm and closed her fingers around them. ‘It has been a pleasure to meet you, Kate. A real pleasure.’

  ‘Likewise. See you later, Chuck. I’ll save you a dance.’

  Charles Sheridan the Third paused in his stride for just long enough to shake his head before strolling into the Manor.

  Kate lifted up the keys to a four-by-four and dangled them towards Heath but never got the chance to speak before he grabbed her by the arm and half dragged her towards the ornate gardens and did not let her go until they were hidden from the house by a tall hedge.

  ‘Hey! You have to stop dragging me behind the bushes. People will talk and I have my reputation to consider.’

  Heath replied by glaring at her and raking both fingers back through his hair.

  ‘Your what? Kate Lovat, you are the most exasperating and impulsive woman that I have ever met. You seem to spend most of your time living in some fantastic fantasy world. Then just when I need you to be sensible and not embarrass yourself and me, you do something off the wall like this. Please explain before my head explodes.’

  ‘Calm down! For some odd reason I actually want you to have some kind of relationship with your parents. And yes, as far as I am concerned, Alice is your new parent whether you like it or not. And don’t look at me like that.’

  She stabbed herself several times in the chest with her forefinger. ‘It may have escaped your notice but I am a girl. Girls need to feel special. Especially when they are about to get married. Now—’ she nodded slowly ‘—I am confident that you have an excellent checklist all ready for the wedding rehearsal this afternoon. I am expecting floor plans and timings, and I can see from your blushes that I’m not going to be disappointed, but here is your chance to do something remarkable. Something above and beyond the call of duty. Because you are going to start the celebrations with a fabulous rehearsal dinner party this evening.’

  She sniffed and brushed imaginary crumbs from her fingers. ‘Heath the hero. Job done.’