“Anyway, things to do, people to see,” Annie said, gesturing it was time for her to leave.
“Well, it’s been lovely catching up, Annie,” Sal said. “And please, pass on my congratulations to Derek.”
“Oh, I will. Thank you.”
Watching the woman head off, I waited until she was out of earshot before speaking. “You don’t know who she is, do you?”
Sal shook her head. “Haven’t a clue.”
Chapter 38
“Yes, Mum. We’ll be there.” With my phone to my ear, I perched on the edge of the sofa, desperate to end the call. I had a lot to do and the last thing I wanted was to waste time chatting, especially when we were all seeing each other the following day.
“Good,” she said. “Because I’ve got some great news for you both about the wedding.”
My back stiffened. “Really?” I pictured her excitement.
“Don’t worry. You’ll love it.”
While I doubted that very much, the line fell silent, as if Mum was waiting for me to press further for details.
“Oh, Tess, I can’t wait to see the smile on your face,” she said, when I did nothing of the sort.
I considered my mother’s prior matrimonial endeavours, all the while dreading what hernewsmight be. I knew from experience it wasn’t going to be good, and as much as I wanted to give in and push her on the matter, I decided against it. The next few hours called for a delicate hand, not jittery fingers resulting from more upset. “Whatever it is, we can talk about it tomorrow,” I said. “Anyway, I’ve got to go.”
“But…”
“Bye, Mum.” I put the phone down. Taking a deep breath, I gathered myself before getting up to join Leo in the kitchen.
“Everything okay?” he said, as I trundled into the room.
“Yes and no.” Heading for the coffee machine, I poured us both a cup. Taking a sip of mine, I leant against the countertop. “I’ve just got off the phone to Mum.” I attempted a smile.
“Go on.”
“Apparently she has news.”
Putting his cup to his lips, he looked at me, quizzical.
“About the wedding.”
“Ah.” Leo chuckled. “Does that mean we have another phantom headache to look forward to?” he said, clearly recalling the morning of our last Cavendish get-together.
“Funny,” I said, pulling a face. “And before you ask, I haven’t a clue what the news is. I’ll let her tell us face to face.”
“Delaying the inevitable, eh?”
“Oh, yes. Plus, we have more important things to think about.” I checked the time. “Like the fact that Sal, Ryan, and India will be landing shortly.”
“Since when?”
“Since about ten minutes ago. I rang them before talking to Mum.”
Leo stared at me, bemused.
“You’ve seen all the fabric that needs unpicking,” I said.
Leo frowned. “So this means…?”
