‘Well, she doesn’t have one of those yet either, but she meant a website specifically for mine and Eliot’s wedding.’
‘Ah! Yeah, that’s definitely a thing,’ Joy told her.
‘That’s what Minty said too. What on earth do we need a website for?’
‘My sister makes them for all her event clients to share with their guests. It’s a good place to put all the information – timings, menus, that sort of thing – and you can have a place to share photographs and a chat room for all your guests to get to know one another. Works for weddings and corporate stuff too, makes it more personal.’
‘Ugh!’ Jude suppressed a shudder. ‘Isn’t that what the incredibly long drawn out wedding meal is for?’
‘So, you don’t want a website then?’
‘I don’t know if I’ve much choice. Minty gets what Minty wants. Sheisfooting the bill, after all.’ Jude crumpled a little. ‘I know how ungrateful I sound, I really do. I just don’t want Minty going to all this trouble when she already has the estate to run and the Village Recovery Committee to oversee. Oh, Mrs C.? That reminds me. Minty wanted your bank details, for the transfer?’
‘Righty-ho,’ replied Mrs Crocombe, saluting. ‘I’ll ring her in the morning. Pity she can’t come tonight.’
‘I think she was afraid it would get wild,’ Jude told the room with a laugh that turned nervous when she saw Daniel and her grandmother turning to smirk at each other.
‘If it helps, I can talk to Minty about websites. Offer some advice?’ Joy said.
‘You would? Really?’ Jude turned and called to Mrs Crawley who was standing over the hob. ‘Mum? Joy’s going to calm Minty down about the whole website thing. That’s nice, isn’t it?’
‘I can’t guarantee calm,’ Joy threw in, ‘but I can get her started with it all.’
Jude squeezed Joy’s arm in gratitude and carried on handing out glasses while Mrs Crawley asked how her husband had been at the stag yesterday, hoping he hadn’t had too much whisky and cried. ‘He’s a terribly weepy man, bless him,’ she added gently.
‘Actually, it was Elliot that cried,’ Radia told the room. ‘Well almost, over Pickle.’
‘Who on earth is Pickle?’ Mrs Crocombe wanted to know.
Radia filled them all in and repeated as many animal facts as she could remember and Daniel piped up to say he and Ekon weredefinitelygetting a puppy now, until his boyfriend reminded him they were both nurses and how were they supposed to manage with their shifts, and that got Radia onto her favourite topic of how she’d nevereverhad a pet.
Sensing trouble, the bride-to-be got the room’s attention by asking, ‘So, Mrs C. How are things with the Captain?’
Everyone was suddenly quiet and watching Mrs Crocombe, who’d been tucking into Jude’s mum’s excellent cheese plaits.
‘Well, um…’ she faltered, scanning the room and looking timid. ‘He’s good company.’
‘Bovis told me he was supposed to have left the harbour days ago, but he’s changed his mind and is sticking around?’ At this, Jude threw Joy the slightest smile and a wickedly sparkling wink as she innocently lifted a plate. ‘Pinwheel pizza, anyone?’
‘He’s getting to know the area,’ replied Mrs Crocombe defensively.
Even though it felt like sweet revenge watching her getting a taste of her own meddling, Joy still felt sorry for Mrs C. Right up until the old matchmaker made use of her as a human shield, that is.
‘I see young Monty Bickleigh is still helping you settle in, Joy, dear?’ said Mrs Crocombe.
‘He is,’ Radia cheeped.
Now Daniel was grinning with prurient interest. ‘Elliot’s best man?’ he asked.
‘That’s him,’ Mrs C. confirmed, with some relief that the pressure was off her. ‘A lovely boy, but lonesome, I’ve always thought. He’s not been happy since he got off the boats and into the kitchens.’
‘He was cute,’ Ekon interrupted.
Daniel looked like he might protest before thinking again and finding he had to agree with his boyfriend there. ‘But he didn’tlooklonesome.’
‘Yeah, he looked pretty chilled to me,’ Ekon told Mrs C., and Radia took in this whole exchange, her head whipping back and forth like it was a tennis match.
Joy flashed warning eyes at Jude, nodding almost imperceptibly towards her little girl. It was excruciating to hear Monty discussed in front of her like this and, knowing Radia, she might repeat it right to his face the next time she saw him.
