Juliet smiled her thanks, but it was forced. The weekend was soured, no matter how bravely she tried to push past it. Would she ever be free of Toby? she fretted, as she unpacked her bag and slowly put things away. Or would she eventually capitulate, as he seemed so sure she would, whether she wanted to or not?
TWENTY-TWO
‘Are you sure there’s nothing else I can do? It’s so exciting.’
‘Honestly, Martha, you’ve been brilliant already helping to get the rooms ready, and I think Léo and Sylvia have the rest of it under control. I’m surprised you even know who she is.’
‘And I’m surprised that you don’t!What’s in a Kiss?is the biggest show on TV. Even if you don’t watch it, Pandora James is on every magazine cover and chat show in the country.’
Juliet laughed.
‘But why are you watching that rubbish, Martha? I don’t get it. It’s exploitative, cheap TV. I just think it’s funny that someone as romantic as you are falls for all that stuff.’
‘You’re wrong, it’ssoromantic. Pandora and Hugh made the sweetest couple from the start and now they’re getting married. I loved watching them fall in love. Oh, do watch an episode or two on catch up before she gets here. We could kidnap Frankie and make her join us, have a telly night in like we always used to.’
‘Oh, all right, I suppose it could be fun. But you mustn’t get upset if we take the piss.’
‘Deal. I’ll speak to Frankie, and we’ll find a time before they arrive.’
Juliet watched as her sister floated off, phone in hand. She wondered if Frankie would agree to join them; she was hardly around these days, and her latest piece was sitting forlorn and unfinished in her studio room. But maybe Frankie knew – and cared – who Pandora James was. All Juliet knew was that the woman had won a TV dating show and was now marrying the man she had paired up with on screen. It had all happened very quickly – barely six months between meeting and marrying – and she had her doubts as to how successful the union would be. But Pandora had decided that part of her hen party was to be spent at Feywood, doing cookery classes with her friends and staying over a couple of nights.
‘What on earth does she want to come here for?’ demanded Frankie the following evening, as they set up the pizzas they had ordered, a couple of bottles of wine and some pouches of chocolate. Martha had somehow miraculously managed to persuade her to join them for the big viewing ofWhat’s in a Kiss?and Frankie seemed to be on her finest sarcastic form. ‘Doesn’t strike me as much fun as a hen party, although,’ she added, with a sly sideways glance at Martha, ‘hen parties of any description don’t strike me as much fun.’
‘What?’ shrieked her eldest sister, taking the bait. ‘I love them! The ones I’ve been to have been brilliant. And anyway, it’s a tradition.’
‘Not one I’d ever make my friends suffer,’ said Frankie. ‘They’re totally naff. Don’t you remember that awful one we went to for Tabitha Merchant?’
Juliet seized a bottle of wine and started opening it.
‘God yes, it was horrendous.’
‘What are you both talking about?’ said Martha. ‘It was beautiful – all those cupcakes they’d made in those gorgeouswhite lacy cases, and the photos of the bride and groom as babies.’
Frankie pretended to stick her fingers down her throat and made a loud retching noise.
‘It was ghastly, M, and you know it. So smug – didn’t her sister pat you on the shoulder and reassure you it would be “your turn next”? You cried.’
Martha went red.
‘Well, yes, that bit wasn’t very nice. But the cupcakeswerepretty.’
‘They didn’t make up for the lack of booze,’ said Juliet, pouring each of them a generous glass of rosé. ‘Don’t you remember when they asked us what we wanted to drink, and we all said “wine” and they said there wasn’t any? You nearly walked out then and there, Frank.’
‘Yeah, well, I would have done if I hadn’t had my flask. Even you have to admit that saved the day, Martha.’
She smiled.
‘Well, I suppose itwasall a little bit too polite. But I’ll defend those cupcakes forever. And I think it’s nice that Pandora’s coming here for her party; there’s something rather touching about learning how to cook before you get married.’
Frankie gave such a loud bark of laughter it made Juliet spill her wine.
‘Touching? Oh Martha, I do love you, but come on. She’s not some little surrendered wife who wants to make a hearty home-cooked meal for her man. Allshewants is to jump on the inexplicable bandwagon of 1950s nostalgia that seems to be sweeping this country. It’ll make her Instagram grid look pretty andHELLO! Magazinewill be all over it. Very Princess Kate. Give it a few years, and she’ll be baking biscuits for the camera with her adorable family as they dab flour on each other’s cute little noses. Then it’ll be a family cookbook, a TV tie-in anda range of kiddie snacks in Waitrose. The whole thing is just marketing shtick – a savvy selling ploy in a flowery apron.’
And with that, she drained her glass and held it out for a refill. As she poured, Juliet glanced at Martha, who looked stricken. Poor Martha, she so longed for her romantic view of the world to be true, while Frankie refused to entertain it for even a second.
‘Come on,’ said Juliet, shooting Frankie a warning look. ‘Let’s findWhat’s in a Kiss?and make a start on the pizza before it goes cold.’
They watched several episodes of the programme, including the grand finale, that evening. While Juliet had to admit that it was engrossing, she still couldn’t shake off the feeling that the contestants were being exploited and manipulated. But she kept her opinions to herself, not wanting Martha to feel upset again or Frankie to go off on another rant. When the final piece of metallic confetti faded away into the end credits, she switched off the television.
