Our fellow diners indulge in mushy comments to the effect of how romantic my husband is. Take that,my love.
I will never adore Delphina as much as I do now, as she’s announced that the desserts and coffee will be served in the winter garden.
As the guests swarm into the hallway, I duck out in the opposite direction, reassuring Cedric that I will be back with the final result of the match.
It won’t take long this time, since they’re already in the last minute, so I’ll just stop by, ask Lance about the score and go back. If this dress had a pocket, I could have taken my mobile with me!
“So? What’s the score?” I cry, bursting into the kitchens.
“2-1 for Arsenal. They scored in the eighty-sixth minute. It was a nerve racking match,” they tell me.
“Cheers!” I call and run back into the hallway, heading towards the winter garden.
I enter the garden cautiously, sidling along walls and skulking in the foliage, but I feel someone grabbing my arm. “Jemma, my patience has a limit.”
“Get off me, I no longer need to go anywhere. The match is over.”
Ashford looks as if he had woken up from a trance. “Is that what you were doing? Checking the match result?”
“Hats off, Einstein,” I mock him.
“Now stay here and play the wife.”
“Yes, Master.”
I look for Cedric among the back-combed feminine heads, and, as soon as I find him, I mime the score with my fingers and then give him a thumbs-up.
He’s so surprised he almost drops his coffee, his eyes nearly pop out of his head, and he’s raising his eyebrows in a rather exaggerated way. He’s even turning purple with joy.
Now he’s making choking noises and gesticulating confusingly while beating his chest.
Silence falls in the winter garden, everyone gathers in a circle around him, and I can only hear indistinct moans.
“The duke feels bad.”
“A praline must be stuck in his throat.”
“For God’s sake! Someone call a doctor!”
I stand up on my chair to see more clearly and, in fact, it does seem that Cedric is choking.
“Get out of the way,” I say, pushing my way through the guests, with Ashford still behind me, holding my arm.
“Call an ambulance!’ One of the ladies shouts.
“There’s no time for an ambulance. I got this.”
I stand behind Cedric and put my arms around his waist. Then, I pull his abdomen sharply into mine with a couple of strong rhythmic thrusts, until the praline lands at Lord Murray’s feet, and Cedric heaves a big sigh of relief.
Luckily, the duke is not too tall and he’s thin enough for me to put the procedure in place. If it had happened to that giant Lord Murray, it would have been a non-starter.
Delphina is shocked and runs to kneel in front of Cedric’s feet. “Your Highness, I apologise for my daughter-in-law’s impulsiveness, I really don’t know what to say!”
Cedric takes a sip of coffee, as if he hadn’t just spat out the Apollo 13 in front of everyone. “I should be the one saying something. Her promptness saved my life. If these are the results, impulsiveness isn’t a bad thing at all.”
Delphina looks at him, confused. “Um… of course… she…”
I cut in to speak for myself before she says something horrible. “Since Doug, the leader of my football fan group, almost choked on a peanut during an away match against Everton, the club has arranged first aid courses for all diehard fans on the stands. Do you have any idea how long it can take a doctor to find someone up there?”
