“That’s settled then.” Grace slapped her hand on the table, as if to say deal done.
“No, Mum. It’s not,” Leo said, his tone blunt. “You need to ring back and cancel.”
“Why?” Grace stared at him, confused.
“What Leo’s trying to say…” Forced to consider what came out of my mouth next, I felt like I was on a verbal tightrope. One wrong word, and things could go horribly amiss which wouldn’t bode well for mine and Grace’s future relationship. “Is that it’s a busy time of year. Workwise, I mean. For both of us. Postponing the marriage preparation course until we’ve been able to check our diaries makes sense.”
Grace didn’t appear convinced.
“Isn’t that right, Leo?”
He looked at me like I’d gone mad, but I willed him to play along.
“Yes,” he said, deadpan. “That makes perfect sense.”
I turned back to Grace and gave her a sympathetic smile. “The last thing either of us want is to let Reverend Joseph down,” I said. “Arranging something now only to back out later just wouldn’t be fair.”
Grace let out a despondent sigh. “I suppose when you put it like that. Maybe I should give him another call.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Another glint appeared in Grace’s eyes. “I do have another surprise for you though.”
I swallowed hard. “You do?”
Grace put a hand against her chest. “Oh, yes.”
Not sure I could take any more, I dreaded to think.
Chapter 33
Icouldn’t believe that Grace had turned out to be as invested in our wedding as much as Mum was. And as Leo and I sat on the edge of the bed staring at the wedding dress hanging on the wardrobe door, it seemed that, yet again, I was the one to pay the price. “It’s like I’m being punished,” I said.
“I don’t know if it’s better or worse than the one your mum put forward,” Leo said.
With their bedroom directly above ours, we made sure to keep our voices low. The last thing we wanted was for Grace and Bill to hear us.
Unable to take my eyes off it, I took in the dress’s every detail. Its sleeves were puffed at the shoulder and tapered to the wrists in a mutton-chop fashion. It had a ruffled, high-neck collar, and a bodice that cinched at the waist. The skirt was a full-on layered tulle affair and while, because of the way the dress hung, I couldn’t see the giant bow on the waistline at the back, I knew it was there from when Grace had proudly shown it to me. I let out a sigh. “What am I gonna do?”
“What was it about the eighties and all that rayon fabric?” Leo asked, as mesmerised as I was by the sight in front of us.
“I haven’t a clue.”
“Why didn’t you just say no?” he asked, as if that wasn’t a question I’d been asking myself.
“How could I? I’d already said I was having dress issuesandmade excuses over that Marriage Preparation course. Plus, you didn’t hear the intense speech she gave, about how she and your dad had never been blessed with a daughter. Apparently, as your life partner, I’m the next best thing. After that, refusing to take it would have been cruel. I couldn’t bring myself to do it.” A thought suddenly struck me. “Hang on a minute,” I said, cocking my head. “I’m not the first to marry into your family. Why didn’t Grace offer it to Nial’s wife, Victoria?”
“Maybe she did?” Leo said, amused.
“What? And Victoria had the sense to turn it down? Sounds like she’d get on with Sal.”
“So, which one are you going to choose? The Princess Diana knock-off?” Leo’s voice began to crack. “Or this fetching number?” Unable to control himself any longer, he let out a chuckle. “Better still, you could do a Kardashian and wear both?”
I shook my head. “You’re not helping.”
Chapter 34
The trip to see Bill and Grace hadn’t been the carefree break Leo and I had hoped for. However, on the plus side, it had forced us to take ownership of our wedding and while Leo and Otis had gone off to work, I’d spent the morning on the phone, tackling our matrimonial to-do list.
