‘Yours.’ Fliss dusted her hands together, absolving herself of any involvement. ‘And it will look stunning.’
‘Hattie, those are so pretty,’ said Solange, admiring the jam jars of white posies she’d assembled so far.
Her next job would be to hang them in the orchard. ‘Thank you, I’m pleased with them,’ she said, patting one of the jars, pleased with how they’d turned out. She hoped they were going to look really effective, along with the satin ribbons that would be tied in big bows around the trunks of the small, stubby apple trees.
‘You’ve got a real eye for this sort of thing, Hattie,’ said Fliss with a touch of misplaced belligerence.
Hattie didn’t respond. She’d heard it several times already and it was making her very wobbly. Fliss made no bones about what she thought about her decision to return to England. Instead she asked, ‘Do you think people will want water? I thought perhaps we could fill some of those big glass jugs with ice, water and lemon and have them dotted around the orchard.’
‘No, Hattie, people will not want water. They’re coming for a glass of champagne and to make a toast to the happy couple,’ snapped Fliss.
‘Right you are,’ said Hattie with forced cheerfulness, doing her best to ignore the bite in Fliss’s words.
‘You all scrub up well,’ said Fliss, and Hattie turned to see Alphonse and Luc dressed in their wedding finery.
Luc’s broad shoulders and long legs were shown off to great advantage in a well-cut navy suit with the natty addition of a pale pink tie. Her fingers tingled, wanting to smooth her hands down his chest. His blue eyes met hers and, as if he knew what was going through her mind, he gave her a crooked smile. Stupidly she felt a pang of jealousy. All the women would be looking at him today – how could they not? And she had no claim on him, which was her own choice but it was the right thing to do, wasn’t it? The doubts that had plagued her in the middle of the night returned with a vengeance.
‘Luc, Alphonse, we need to go.’ Solange, immaculate in a cerise silk suit, began to check the contents of her handbag as she rounded them up. Hattie marvelled at the difference in Solange since Hattie’s arrival at the château. The house wasn’t the only thing that had come back to life. ‘Tissues, rose petals, lipstick. I’m ready.’
‘Good luck,’ said Hattie, putting her thoughts aside. ‘Hope it all goes well and we’ll see you soon.’
‘I hope so too,’ said Solange. ‘At least I know everything here is in good hands.’
‘Maman,’ said Alphonse, taking her arm. ‘Stop worrying about Yvette. She’s a grown woman and Bernard is a very sensible man – well, aside from his decision to take her on permanently – she won’t do anything crazy – well, not too crazy.’
They finally climbed into Alphonse’s car and the minute they left, Hattie and Fliss jumped into action. Hattie left Fliss in the kitchen while she went down to the orchard to hang the jam-jars and tie the ribbons. Excitement filled her as she imagined the wedding guests’ reaction when they first saw them. It was going to look like a fairy bower, full of romance and magic.
‘Okay, action stations,’ said Fliss, picking up the last of the foil-covered canapé-laden trays to load into Hattie’s car.
‘And even though I say so myself, I think we both look gorgeous. That dress looks wonderful on you.’
‘Thanks,’ said Hattie, smoothing down the pale blue fabric. She had to admit she felt a million dollars in her new dress and shoes.
Even though the orchard was a short distance, taking Hattie’s car meant they could carry everything down in one go. Hattie carried out two wicker baskets of white paper napkins decorated with little gold doves, which they planned to carry over the crook of one arm with a tray of canapés in the other hand.
Fliss held up a hand for a high five.
‘This is it,’ she said and looked proudly at the loaded car. ‘And even though I say so myself, I think we’ve done a brilliant job.’
Hattie nodded, a little choked up by what they’d achieved together. She hadn’t expected to feel like this. When she’d come to the château it had been an escape route, something practical and a little different to do that played to her strengths. She hadn’t anticipated that she’d feel so at home and so much a part of the fabric of the place.
When they got out of the car at the bottom of the hill, Hattie locked the car.
‘For goodness sake, don’t let me lose the car keys. I need to put them somewhere safe.’
‘Don’t fret. You can put them in my go-to basket which I keep all my emergency catering supplies in,’ said Fliss. ‘I’ll put it on our station table.’
Fliss led the way, carrying the first of the trays. She stopped dead.
‘Oh, Hattie, this looks fabulous. It’s so romantic, like an enchanted glade. Everyone is going to love it.’
Hattie beamed. It was exactly the reaction she wanted and it was a relief to hear someone say so.
‘Thank you. That’s exactly the look I was going for. I hope Yvette likes it.’
‘Hats, everyone is going to love, love, love it. I hope you’ve taken lots of pictures. All the brides are going to want this. Wait until I set up an Instagram page.’
Hattie smiled, even though inside she felt a tiny pang that she wouldn’t be part of it. What if she changed her mind? And just like that, she knew. She wanted to stay. Going home no longer felt like the right thing to do. She wanted to stay here and be part of this. As soon as she could find a quiet moment with Luc she would tell him.
